tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171878202024-02-29T18:36:07.588+00:00nigel hastilowA view from north of Watfordnigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-6395990000714992842024-02-29T18:35:00.001+00:002024-02-29T18:35:15.155+00:00Taking the taxpayers for idiots<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Just heard two whingeing luvvies on BBC Radio 4 blaming ‘Government’ (ie those wicked Tories) for the ‘lack of funding’ which means Birmingham Rep is to receive no grant from the city council this year.</span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Truth is the city has itself, Tony Blair and the unions to blame for its terrible financial crisis. The councillors involved should be surcharged and made bankrupt for their sheer incompetence. Residents should refuse to accept the planned 21 per cent rise in council tax until those responsible are properly held to account by being made personally bankrupt.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Government is not to blame and when it comes to theatre subsidies, why does The Rep deserve special treatment? Perhaps putting on a few plays people actually wanted to see might make a change. As Samuel Johnson said:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">‘The drama’s laws the drama’s patrons give,</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">For we that live to please, must please to live.’</span></i><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The time has come for the luvvies to stop whingeing, wringing their hands and blaming everyone else. Perhaps they could make a decent drama out of this crisis - or is that beyond them?</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A quick glance at what's on there at the moment suggests that it is: 'Tales Till Ramadan', 'Bhangra Nation' and 'Black is the Color (sic) of My Voice' not to mention 'Emma Rice's Blue Beard' (a 'celebration of female power... a music-fuelled feminist revenge plot') suggests it's unlikely the luvvies will </span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">have 'em queuing round the block with or without their bung from the council.</span></div>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-90460631628599318722023-10-23T18:25:00.002+01:002023-10-23T18:26:38.423+01:00Met Office makes a splash - BBC gets a soaking<p> I know you can't trust the BBC but, since they ditched the Met Office, they can't even get the weather forecast right. Last week, half the country was under water and I was checking the weather forecast regularly in case the inundation was heading our way. The pix below are screenshots of the forecasts issued more or less simultaneously on the BBC and Met Office websites for exactly the same location, Wickhamford, near Evesham, Worcestershire. The first pair is from Friday, October 20; the second for Saturday, October 21. Only one pair of forecasts was accurate - congratulations to the Met Office. Shame on the BBC.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIN5v7hDamwz4zdgT7VZ4Tw1mVvDkbFJkJ5WGTZ-_d0llwmNCEv9jh2BcPj5FSt8CbNFTy6PSGliU6cP2tkNniz8UbGkuIm_6l_lwD975j48Jq8FGsuiulGc8OBynPRiH3AoCFJ2o0Rx2no5qHXEr_8aC0ZLh9AkRLewMecv4gmlbZtkeYFECQyQ/s2048/weather3.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIN5v7hDamwz4zdgT7VZ4Tw1mVvDkbFJkJ5WGTZ-_d0llwmNCEv9jh2BcPj5FSt8CbNFTy6PSGliU6cP2tkNniz8UbGkuIm_6l_lwD975j48Jq8FGsuiulGc8OBynPRiH3AoCFJ2o0Rx2no5qHXEr_8aC0ZLh9AkRLewMecv4gmlbZtkeYFECQyQ/s320/weather3.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEMzSPDUuWU34qtp_pCICqPVxRJ6-VBMNJn7TxXZMEAX8wdRUiPLokdOfl97zksPXcxFeVLp06hmVj50kPoZDfjXe9T2HKUt97YN2CHHWkZeRx-Bi-FFtNa_UXfH6xnEMe1bIBnIlgesMtkBSsHxkiLgJ4ef15A3L1XPkJQWey6Qauzczra2HyA/s2048/weather%201.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEMzSPDUuWU34qtp_pCICqPVxRJ6-VBMNJn7TxXZMEAX8wdRUiPLokdOfl97zksPXcxFeVLp06hmVj50kPoZDfjXe9T2HKUt97YN2CHHWkZeRx-Bi-FFtNa_UXfH6xnEMe1bIBnIlgesMtkBSsHxkiLgJ4ef15A3L1XPkJQWey6Qauzczra2HyA/s320/weather%201.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Happily, it didn't rain much on Friday, which allowed much of the excess rainwater to run off into the River Avon without the need to start putting up flood barriers or evacuating houses.</p><p>The same can be said for the following day:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMK51dbY34g7z4oLU9gMF5JPqFMxRLrO3zfdpQo1gXUoy6ojAMPa3y4-wZq3D-HUY95dpxHnTLgG2eG1NlPqD2aXZNovT6U7ddsMppE88juuvFeziqPff_wkehCvVKvew1nsSY6o35Xx6PpS7IyZzOKmfsqfeyfKxh74FrLHGFaW943y2Fjknog/s2048/weather2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMK51dbY34g7z4oLU9gMF5JPqFMxRLrO3zfdpQo1gXUoy6ojAMPa3y4-wZq3D-HUY95dpxHnTLgG2eG1NlPqD2aXZNovT6U7ddsMppE88juuvFeziqPff_wkehCvVKvew1nsSY6o35Xx6PpS7IyZzOKmfsqfeyfKxh74FrLHGFaW943y2Fjknog/s320/weather2.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv4688md8erQSnezwrXGPV-N5yGdhrLkHs5Dzj1ig8LKWAo64_xfaABog5eUWWodvUTtuYqIfWTzhFF5FatB0nmhVnJPcU2BhXU7-K6hyphenhyphenYdAjMVg7lzCYySnSDLVgI5MCO3PMkZpQVIQYQABlF0p8FoZHTaj1icIIDyvhyphenhyphenq6n6nLm8Qz3JvG70Q/s2048/weather4.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv4688md8erQSnezwrXGPV-N5yGdhrLkHs5Dzj1ig8LKWAo64_xfaABog5eUWWodvUTtuYqIfWTzhFF5FatB0nmhVnJPcU2BhXU7-K6hyphenhyphenYdAjMVg7lzCYySnSDLVgI5MCO3PMkZpQVIQYQABlF0p8FoZHTaj1icIIDyvhyphenhyphenq6n6nLm8Qz3JvG70Q/s320/weather4.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-36738913268496778592023-06-06T10:23:00.002+01:002023-06-06T15:43:43.846+01:00Dead Groovy - new novel coming soon<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/5NaUKAmiEQU" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0C74WF2FS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4" target="_blank">Order it now at amazon.co.uk</a></div>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-78766202579428644222023-05-03T19:04:00.001+01:002023-05-03T19:04:19.693+01:00Talktalk won't talk - or listen<p><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-weight: normal;">Recently, I wrote this letter to the Head of
Complaints, CEO's Office, TalkTalk (CEO), PO Box 672, Salford, M5 0NG</span></strong><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif;"> </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">and another one
a few days later. They are self-explanatory, though not, apparently, to Talktalk:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif;">Letter 1:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">About a year ago, I spent three hours talking to your customer
services department hoping to persuade them to stop sending me monthly bills
which increased by £5 each time for an email service I cancelled at least three
years ago. At the time, I could not lay my hands on any of these emails because
deleted them in disgust and your operative insisted it was impossible I should
be receiving them at all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Since then, I continue to receive them every month. I am writing
via registered post in the vague hope that someone in your organisation will
notice that I want them to stop because I want this account properly cancelled,
closed, and ceased yet for some reason your organisation is incapable of
carrying out this most basic of tasks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">I have spoken to people, emailed you, written letters and even
tried to get some sense out of you via Twitter but to no avail.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">I enclose the latest bill, together with printouts of two blogs
I have posted on this topic – one of them from as long ago as March 24, 2020.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Letter 2:</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Further to my letter of April 24 (enclosed), I write to ask if
your complaints procedures are deliberately designed to frustrate the
complainant to the point at which he continues to pay your company money and
abandons all hope of receiving a satisfactory response.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">On Saturday, April 29, I received at 10.07 a text message
assuring me my complaint had been logged with a reference number CMP-428322 and
that you would contact me with further updates. At 16.22 you sent a second
message promising to call me between 12.00 and 14.00. You did not say on what
day this call would take place.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Nevertheless, eagerly awaiting such a call, I made sure to carry
my phone with me at all times but especially between the hours of noon and 2pm.
Today, at 14.11 (that is, 11 minutes past your self-imposed deadline and five
days after the original promise) I did receive a call. The conversation went
thus:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Talktalk: I am calling about your complaint.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">NH: You were supposed to have called on Saturday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Talktalk: You want us to call you on Saturday?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">NH: No, I was just saying that is when I expected your call.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">That is the end of the conversation because, before I had completed
the sentence, your complaints handler had rung off and the line went dead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Since then, I have received two emails, sent at 14.36 and 14.39.
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">The first announces that you have
credited my account with the £80 you said I owed you. The second thanks me for
signing up to Talktalk Mail Plus and promises me “sleek new features” etc.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">You then sent me a text message at 15.01 apologising for the
problem I had with your “service” and saying that, if I did not ring 0345 172
0088 within 28 days, you would close my complaint.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Then I received a message timed at 15.17 announcing my complaint
had been closed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">I tried calling the number given but it offers me only two options:
Press 1 to “talk about home-phone, broadband or TV”; or Press 2 to “talk about
mobile”. As neither of these options was relevant, it left me with nowhere to
go (and, as on one occasion I spent three hours on the phone to you without resolving
this issue, I was reluctant to try either option in any case).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">Had the opportunity arisen at any point, in any of these
non-communications with an alleged communications business, I would have said
what I said in my previous letter, which is:</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">I want this account properly cancelled, closed, and ceased yet for some
reason your organisation is incapable of carrying out this most basic of tasks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif;">It is still incapable of this simple task and I am in despair.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-86594940413390249472023-04-24T10:52:00.006+01:002023-04-24T10:52:32.265+01:00ChatGPT? More lie CrapGPT<p> Apparently Cambridge University students and, doubtless,
many others are using ChatGPT to write their essays for them. This is misguided
for many reasons but the main one is that the thing is inaccurate and lies.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I know this because I decided to test it out by quizzing it
about the characters in three books I have written: Eldred Pottinger,
Marchamont Nedham and (forthcoming book) David Jacobs (not the DJ).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sadly I deleted the entirely inaccurate, misleading and
ridiculous answers on the subject of the leading journalist of the English
civil war. But here are my conversations with ChatGBP on the other two
subjects:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: Who was Eldred Pottinger</b>?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: Eldred Pottinger was a British military officer who
served during the First Anglo-Afghan War in the 19th century. He was born on
June 3, 1811, in County Down, Ireland, and joined the British Army in 1828.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pottinger played a crucial role in the defense of the
British Residency in Herat during the war. In 1838, he was appointed as the
assistant to the British envoy to Persia, Sir John McNeill, and was tasked with
leading a mission to Herat to help defend the city against the forces of Dost
Mohammad Khan, the Emir of Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pottinger successfully led the defense of Herat, and his
actions earned him the admiration of his colleagues and superiors. He later
served in other capacities in Afghanistan and India, including as a political
agent in Sindh and as the Resident in Hyderabad.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pottinger died on September 15, 1843, in Bombay (now
Mumbai), India, at the age of 32. He was posthumously awarded the Knight
Commander of the Order of the Bath for his service in Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: That is wrong. The award was made before he died and he
died in Hong Kong.</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: I apologize for the error in my previous response.
You are correct that Eldred Pottinger died in Hong Kong, not in Bombay (now
Mumbai), India, as I stated earlier.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Furthermore, Pottinger was indeed awarded the Knight Commander
of the Order of the Bath for his service in Afghanistan before his death in
1843. The award was conferred on him in January 1843, and Pottinger received
the news of his promotion in the summer of that year while he was serving in
Hong Kong. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and please let
me know if you have any other questions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: Please tell me about the solicitor David Jacobs who was
friends with Brian Epstein and died in 1968 at Hove</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: David Jacobs was a solicitor who was friends with
Brian Epstein, the famous music manager who famously managed the Beatles.
Jacobs was born in London in 1926 and became a solicitor, practicing law in
London. He was a member of the law firm Nems, which was owned by Epstein.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jacobs was a key figure in Epstein's professional and
personal life. He helped Epstein to manage his finances and advised him on
various legal matters. The two men became close friends, and Jacobs was a
regular fixture at Epstein's parties and social events.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tragically, Jacobs died in 1968 at the age of 42. He was on
holiday in Hove, a seaside town in southern England, when he suffered a heart
attack and died. His sudden death came as a shock to his friends and
colleagues, and Epstein was said to have been deeply affected by the loss of his
friend.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In addition to his work as a solicitor, Jacobs was also a
talented amateur musician. He played the piano and had a keen interest in jazz
music. He was known for his wit and charm, and was a popular figure among
Epstein's circle of friends and acquaintances.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: Epstein died before David Jacobs so that is wrong. And
Jacobs hanged himself in the garage of his home in Hove. He was not on holiday
and he did not have a heart attack.</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: I apologize for the mistake in my previous
response. You are correct that Brian Epstein died before David Jacobs. Epstein
passed away in 1967, while Jacobs died in 1968.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Regarding the circumstances of David Jacobs' death, you are
also correct that he died by suicide in the garage of his home in Hove,
England. According to reports at the time, Jacobs had been struggling with
depression and financial difficulties prior to his death.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once again, I apologize for any confusion or incorrect
information provided in my previous response. Thank you for bringing this to my
attention so that I could correct it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: What evidence is there that David Jacobs enjoyed playing
jazz music?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: While I could not find any direct evidence of David
Jacobs' personal enjoyment of playing jazz music, there are indications that he
had a deep appreciation and knowledge of the genre.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jacobs was a well-known figure in the London music scene,
particularly in the 1960s, when he was working as a solicitor and socializing
with musicians, artists, and other cultural figures. As a close friend and
business associate of Brian Epstein, he was also connected to the Beatles and
other popular bands of the time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In his professional capacity, Jacobs represented a number of
jazz musicians, including the pianist and bandleader Stan Tracey. Jacobs is
credited with helping Tracey to secure a record deal with the independent label
Steam Records in the mid-1960s.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jacobs was also a member of the London Jazz Society, a group
of jazz enthusiasts who organized concerts and other events throughout the
city. He was known to attend jazz performances regularly, and was said to have
a keen ear for the music.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While there may not be direct evidence of Jacobs playing
jazz music himself, his involvement in the music scene and his representation
of jazz musicians suggest that he had a deep appreciation and understanding of
the genre.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: If Jacobs played jazz because he represented a band
leader, does that mean that because David Jacobs also represented Stephen Ward,
who was involved with Christine Keeler and was involved in the Profumo affair,
he was also a pimp living off immoral earnings?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: No, it would not be accurate to assume that David
Jacobs was involved in immoral activities simply because he represented Stephen
Ward, who was implicated in the Profumo Affair. A lawyer represents clients
based on their legal needs and is not responsible for their clients' actions
outside of their legal representation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">David Jacobs was a solicitor who represented clients in a
professional capacity, and his representation of Stephen Ward was based on
legal needs. While Ward's involvement in the Profumo Affair was controversial
and ultimately led to his conviction on charges of living off immoral earnings,
Jacobs' representation of him as a solicitor would not imply any involvement or
complicity in Ward's actions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It's important to remember that a lawyer's role is to
provide legal advice and representation to clients within the bounds of the law
and legal ethics. Lawyers are bound by a code of professional conduct and must
act in the best interests of their clients within the boundaries of the law.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: What happened to Nicky Byrne, the man who ran Seltaeb?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: Nicky Byrne, whose real name was Nicholas Simon,
was a British music industry executive who ran Seltaeb, a company that was
involved in artist management, music publishing, and record production. Byrne
was known for his work with a number of prominent musicians, including the
Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Byrne passed away in 1993 at the age of 56. His death was a
result of complications from a brain tumor, which he had been battling for
several years.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After Byrne's death, Seltaeb continued to operate for a few
more years, but eventually went out of business in the late 1990s. Some of the
artists who had been represented by Seltaeb, such as the Kinks, went on to find
new management, while others, such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, had
already moved on to other management companies by the time of Byrne's death.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: That must be wrong because Seltaeb did not manage
musicians, it sold Beatles memorabilia.</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: You are correct. I apologize for the mistake in my
previous response. Seltaeb, which was the company owned by Brian Epstein, did
not manage musicians, but was a retailer of Beatles merchandise, including
records, clothing, and other memorabilia.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nicky Byrne was Epstein's assistant and the manager of the
retail division of Seltaeb, which was responsible for the marketing and sale of
Beatles merchandise. Byrne played a key role in the success of the Beatles'
retail ventures, including the creation of the Beatles' Apple Boutique in
London.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After Epstein's death in 1967, Byrne continued to manage the
retail division of Seltaeb, but the company faced financial difficulties and
eventually went out of business in the early 1970s.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once again, I apologize for any confusion caused by my
previous response.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: How many times was Nicky Byrne involved in legal cases
against Britain Epstein and David Jacobs?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: To my knowledge, there is no record of Nicky Byrne
being involved in any legal cases against Brian Epstein or David Jacobs. Byrne
worked closely with Epstein as his assistant and later managed the retail
division of Seltaeb, Epstein's company that sold Beatles merchandise. While
there were legal disputes involving Epstein and Jacobs during their lifetimes,
there is no evidence to suggest that Byrne was involved in any of these cases.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: You are wrong. In the USA Byrne won a payout after
accusing Epstein of breach of contract.</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: I apologize for the error in my previous responses.
Upon further research, I have found that you are correct that Nicky Byrne was
involved in a legal dispute with Brian Epstein.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1965, Byrne sued Epstein in the United States for breach
of contract, claiming that he was owed a percentage of the profits from the
Beatles' merchandise sales in the US. The case was settled out of court for an
undisclosed sum, and Byrne continued to work for Epstein and Seltaeb after the
settlement.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, I could not find any information indicating that
Nicky Byrne was involved in legal cases against David Jacobs or that he accused
Jacobs of any wrongdoing. It is possible that there were other legal disputes
involving Byrne that I am not aware of, but to my knowledge, there is no record
of Byrne taking legal action against Jacobs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: Is there a record of Jacobs taking legal action against
Byrne on behalf of The Beatles?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: I couldn't find any record of David Jacobs taking
legal action against Nicky Byrne on behalf of the Beatles. However, it's
important to note that Jacobs was a solicitor who represented a number of
clients in the music industry, including the Beatles and their manager Brian
Epstein, and it's possible that he may have been involved in legal disputes
related to the Beatles or their business affairs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It's also worth noting that the music industry is known for
its complex legal disputes and contractual negotiations, and there have been
numerous cases of legal disputes involving musicians, their management, and
other industry professionals over the years. However, without more specific
information, it's difficult to say whether Jacobs was involved in any legal action
against Byrne or any other individuals on behalf of the Beatles.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: There was at least one case in the royal courts of
justice.</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: I apologize for any confusion my previous responses
may have caused. I was not aware of the specific case you were referring to.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After further research, I have found that there was indeed a
legal case involving David Jacobs and Nicky Byrne in the Royal Courts of
Justice in London in 1969. The case was brought by Jacobs, who was representing
Brian Epstein's NEMS Enterprises, against Byrne and his company, Brydor
Productions, over a dispute regarding the management of the Beatles'
merchandise sales.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">According to court records, the case centered on allegations
that Byrne had breached his contract with NEMS by setting up a rival company to
sell Beatles merchandise. Jacobs argued that Byrne's actions had caused
financial losses for NEMS and sought damages and an injunction to prevent Byrne
from continuing to operate his company.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The case was settled out of court, with Byrne agreeing to pay
damages to NEMS and to cease his involvement in the Beatles' merchandise sales.
However, the settlement also included a clause preventing Jacobs or NEMS from
taking further legal action against Byrne or Brydor Productions in relation to
the dispute.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I hope this information helps to clarify the situation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Me: The case can’t have been in 1969 because Jacobs was dead
by then.</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ChatGPT: I apologize for the error in my previous response.
You are correct that David Jacobs died in 1968, and therefore he could not have
been involved in any legal cases in 1969.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Upon further research, I have found that the case you were
referring to was actually brought by Brian Epstein's estate against Nicky Byrne
and his company Brydor Productions in 1969, not by David Jacobs as I previously
stated. The case centered around a dispute over the royalties from Beatles
merchandise sales in the United States, and the estate alleged that Byrne and
his company had breached their contract and withheld royalties owed to the
estate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The case was settled out of court in 1971, with Byrne
agreeing to pay a settlement of £12,000 to the estate. I hope this information
provides a more accurate answer to your question.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-66687130776431312182023-02-15T18:58:00.002+00:002023-02-15T18:58:26.338+00:00Ten policies to save the Tories<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was asked what the Conservatives should do to avoid wipe-out at the next General Election. Here are te<span style="font-size: 11pt;">n
policies that would help the country and the Tories:</span></span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<br />
1 Start to cut taxes by taking a knife to public spending. Axe one third of all civil servants and NHS managers. Stop pouring money into
left-wing quangos.<br />
<br />
2 Demand accountability in the NHS and civil service and sack failures.<br />
<br />
3 Build a new public-private health service to compete with and ultimately replace the NHS and
allocate money according to results. Adopt European health models.<br />
<br />
4 Privatise the BBC as well as Channel 4. Every licence holder would own one
share in the BBC and these shares could be traded.<br />
<br />
5 Give illegal immigrants/asylum-seekers the option to wear electronic tags in return for jobs
and places to rent. Failure to carry out duties or pay their rent would mean immediate
deportation; willingness to work would help their asylum application.<br />
<br />
6 Use the hotels housing illegal immigrants as care homes to relieve pressure
on the NHS and employ the re-housed working illegal immigrants as carers.<br />
<br />
7 Recognise Liz Truss was right in what she tried to do but wrong in how
she tried to do it and work towards stimulating enterprise and economic
growth by, among other things, taking advantage of Brexit and cutting taxes (see 1 above).<br />
<br />
8 Wage a war on woke in all its evil guises, especially in schools, universities, the police and the public sector. <br /><br />9 Axe HS2 and turn what has already been dug up into a linear country park.</span></span><div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">10 Negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine before it's too late and
encourage a voluntary boycott of Chinese goods leading to the repatriation of
manufacturing industry.</span><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Obviously, none of this will ever happen. But that's why the Tories are doomed to lose the next election. The only question is how badly?</span></span></div>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-83899734008190889362023-01-27T16:21:00.001+00:002023-01-27T16:21:04.997+00:00Terminal decline<p> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">HS2 is, according
to this week’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, going to travel all the way in to
Euston Station. This seems to be news. It’s quite extraordinary there should be
any doubt – except, of course, that the whole endeavour is a monumental waste
of money.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Of all the billions
squandered by Governments, few can be as extravagantly nonsensical as a railway
line few people will ever use even if they could afford the inevitably sky-high
fares.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HS2 was, is
and always will be one of the most profligate wastes of money any Government (Tories
and Labour are equally to blame) has yet devised.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
suggestion it might terminate five miles from central London is so unutterably ludicrous
that even talk of it reveals the truly terrible ridiculousness of this
profligate project. Even now, it would be better to scrap the whole thing, write
off the fortune already wasted and find better things to do with our money.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If giving
some of it back through the tax system is too much to ask then what about developing
a secure energy supply before electricity rationing becomes a way of life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64417101">https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64417101</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-5201111066975027202023-01-17T19:39:00.003+00:002023-01-17T19:39:51.638+00:00The Royal Wokessphere Company<p> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 28px; font-weight: bold;">When ‘Cymbeline King of Britain’ was staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company a while ago I asked for my money back because the title role was to be played by a woman.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">This year it’s got worse. Prospero, the Duke of Milan (a man, the clue is in the word Duke) in ‘The Tempest’ is being played by a woman. Now Brutus and Cassius, the two main opponents of ‘Julius Caesar’ in the play of the same name, are also being played by women.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The RSC is wasting taxpayers’ money on this ridiculous woke nonsense. It is short-changing audiences who have a right to expect a reasonable interpretation of Shakespeare’s plays given this company is supposed to be one of the country’s leading arts organisations. And they are abusing their power to twist the plays to suit their own ends.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">What’s more, having been refused a refund for ‘Cymbeline’, I made the mistake of going to see it. The play was dire because it was never clear if the ‘king’ was supposed to be male, female or other and the whole thing was a terrible mess. I very much hope audiences will tell the RSC what they think by melting into thin air.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-65890096613368355232022-12-30T17:14:00.001+00:002022-12-30T17:14:10.641+00:00The inflationary elephant in the room<p>House prices are supposedly due to fall by as much as 12 per
cent in 2023. There is a cost-of-living crisis. Taxes are at record highs.
Inflation at around 10 per cent is bringing Britain to a standstill thanks to a
series of strikes over pay by everyone from nurses to border guards.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Much of this has been caused by the war in Ukraine and the
resulting rise in energy prices.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But it is also due to the Government and the Bank of
England’s reckless money-printing programme which dates back to 2008 when the
capitalist system almost imploded.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally, in December 2021, the Bank of England woke up to
the idea its 21-month-long 0.1 per cent base rate was childish and nonsensical
and started, slowly and cautiously, raising interest rates to the present, still
historically-low, 3.5 per cent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Given the Bank’s one and only Government-imposed task, when
it comes to interest rates, is to keep inflation at two per cent, it has failed
abysmally and must share much of the blame for the economic crisis and our
winter of discontent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The question is why did the Bank get it so wrong? If we
discount the war and the pandemic and even the credit crunch of 2008, when
there is some justification for lowering interest rates to keep the economy
alive, the Bank still failed to react fast enough to the threat of inflation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And we have to recognise that inflation – for a time
presumed to be dead but, in reality, merely waiting to pounce – is still and
always the economy’s greatest enemy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The answer is in the way inflation is calculated – the
statisticians fail to take into account the single most obvious and pernicious
inflationary stimulus of them all: house prices.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are technical arguments about why house prices are
excluded from the calculation, largely to do with the fact that a house is a
capital good, not a direct influence on the day-to-day cost of living.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, neglect of house price inflation is one of the
prime causes of this bout of inflation. And analysis of previous economic
cycles shows this neglect his stimulated inflation in the past and forced the
Bank (and before that, politicians) into belated attempts to retrieve the
situation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The rate of house price inflation is a clear and obvious
indicator that the official inflation rate is set to rise sharply and that the
Bank base rate must be increased. Failure to take account of house prices in
the official calculation of inflation means the Bank is condemned to reacting
too late. By the time it puts up the cost of borrowing, the inflationary damage
has already been done.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If we look at previous inflationary spikes, this becomes
clear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1972, house prices rose 26.7 per cent and another 39.8
per cent the following year. Official inflation was at 7.1 and 9.2 per cent;
base rates at five per cent rising to 8.2 per cent. In 1974, they had to rise
to 12.75 per cent as the Barber boom turned to bust.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The 1988 Lawson boom and bust had inflation at just 4.9 per
cent, base rates at 8.3 and house prices running away at 10.3 rising to 32 the
following year. Too late – again – interest rates rose to peak at 14.79 in
1990. High interest rates persisted through the 1990s – partly because of the
Government’s ridiculous European exchange rate disaster – and house prices
actually fell while inflation was tamed for the time being.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the early 2000s, the official inflation rate was down
around two per cent but house prices were once again soaring ahead – 25.8 per
cent in 2003, 16.9 per cent the following year. Interest rates were around four
per cent. But the failure to consider the housing market boom was the cause not
of inflation, this time, but of something even worse – the financial crisis
when it looked, for a moment, as if the entire capitalist system might come
crumbling down.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If the Bank recognised the early warning presented by rising
house prices, and if it had put up interest rates in response, would it have
averted this disaster? Possibly, though of course we will never know.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The rock bottom interest rates we had for more than a decade
after the 2008 crash have inevitably stimulated greater borrowing and soar-away
house prices (exacerbated by the quantitative easing money-printing indulged in
by the Government and the Bank to the tune of an incomprehensible £875 billion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Between January 2009 and July 2022, the average house price
rose 73 per cent, from £157,234 to £272,111. Had house prices risen with the
official inflation rate, the average home would have cost £222,240 last July, a
rise of 41 per cent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Prices really took off after the pandemic but the Bank, slow
to react, as usual, was still fiddling about with piffling rates of interest.
It only started to take action when the official inflation rate began to rise,
ignoring the early indicator of yet another over-heating housing market.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The failure to account for house price increases may be
justified by economic purists but the evidence strongly suggests they feed into
the economy as a whole and lead inexorably to rising prices.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is inevitable, if only because home-owners see the
value of their biggest asset rising and, as a result, their mortgage debt is,
in effect, shrinking. They are encouraged to spend the extra wealth they do not
actually possess, or they can cash in by increasing the amount of money they
are borrowing. Either way, it leads to delusions of prosperity and results in too
much money chasing too few goods.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By the time the Bank notices, in the official inflation
figures, it is too late. The time has come to insert this massively significant
aspect of the economy into the way inflation is calculated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the USA, house prices were included in the calculation of
inflation from 1953 to 1983 despite the economists’ specious arguments. House
prices were removed from America’s inflation calculations because their
presence was increasing the rate of inflation and, therefore, increasing the
cost of index-linked benefits and pensions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But if appropriate and timely action were taken by the Bank
of England, that should not become a danger. Indeed, it would save the State\
money by ensuring policies like the pension triple-lock do not become as
expensive as an average terraced house in London.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In short, our cost-of-living crisis has been caused in great
part by the refusal of economists to recognise the inflationary elephant in the
room. As a result, house prices have once again trampled all over the economy
and we are all now paying a heavy price.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-30151813885112834552022-09-02T19:20:00.005+01:002022-09-02T19:20:44.251+01:00A Shakespearian tragi-comedy<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Shall I compare Liz to a summer’s day?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">She ain’t as lovely nor as temperate.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rough winds did shake the darling Theresa May<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">And Bozza’s lease hath all too short a date.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">And often is our gold collected in<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">And every month our pay perforce declines<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Through energy costs, tax and inflation.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">But this infernal summer gives no shade,<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">As we work out how much we owest.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Nor shall Kier brag that he hath made the grade,<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">When all the time interest rates growest.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">So long as there's no election to see,<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">So long lives Liz and exit poor Rishi.</span></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-35883226880632289712022-08-07T17:37:00.002+01:002022-08-07T17:37:49.502+01:00The Boris, Piers and Jeremy of the 17th century <p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfheeNFnCOO1KfDlqLDNEtBiRg2b1pLIUF3YxzmCNyYIqVZK9jbLzx2sTexJ6RaCPV_iL8umcDH8eD7KDUCkPqWGVumABZ-rXH6LbebuJcMasrG2UqbfeUEkhg8kP5l_c9bgKA2AuUwDu3DWeatlsqE4W13SJ91HGDdx_E5qO2lI-lppVENs/s1345/front%20page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="921" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfheeNFnCOO1KfDlqLDNEtBiRg2b1pLIUF3YxzmCNyYIqVZK9jbLzx2sTexJ6RaCPV_iL8umcDH8eD7KDUCkPqWGVumABZ-rXH6LbebuJcMasrG2UqbfeUEkhg8kP5l_c9bgKA2AuUwDu3DWeatlsqE4W13SJ91HGDdx_E5qO2lI-lppVENs/s320/front%20page.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Just
380 years after the outbreak of the English Civil War on August 22, 1642,<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B3MS326L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3" target="_blank"> the
memoirs of the era’s most notorious, controversial and successful journalist
are finally published.</a></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B3MS326L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3" target="_blank"> </a></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marchamont
Nedham, who was just 22 at the outbreak of war, became </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a newspaper pioneer, the most successful publisher of the
era.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In an era when “freedom of speech” did
not exist, he was jailed three times, threatened twice with execution and once
fled the country fearing he would be hung, drawn and quartered.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He was as notorious in his day as
journalists like Boris Johnson, Piers Morgan or Jeremy Clarkson are today. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">His “crimes” included attacking King
Charles I, attacking Oliver Cromwell, attacking King Charles II. His other
offences included:</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Revealing leaked Government documents;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Publishing illegal reports of
Parliamentary debates;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Exposing greed and hypocrisy among
Puritan MPs;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Condemning the politicians who executed
the King;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Attacking the Scottish, the French and
the Dutch.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nedham’s memoirs are closely based on the 17<sup>th</sup>
century newspaperman’s career.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In an unrestrained age,
when invective was as rife in print as it is on Twitter today, Nedham was a
master of the well-aimed insult.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He first wrote a newspaper in support
of Parliament against the King; then a second backing the King against
Parliament; his third was the official newspaper of the Cromwell dictatorship.
Finally, he was employed writing for Charles II against the King’s political
enemies.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the 17<sup>th</sup> century,
newspapers were in their infancy. Nedham was a pioneer – the most successful
journalist and editor of the era – yet he is relatively unknown today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Historians accuse Nedham of
inconsistency but they disregard his greater achievement – to write, print and
distribute three successive weekly news-sheets over a turbulent period of 18
years from the outbreak of the civil war in 1642 to the restoration in 1660.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The desire for news was insatiable and
literacy was surprisingly widespread with about half the population of London
able to read.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">News-books were not sold in vast
numbers (1,000 copies a week costing one penny each was about average) but they
were widely shared and read aloud in many places, especially among the armies
involved in the war. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Politicians tried many times to rein
in the press. They wanted to control what was being reported and, at the same
time, they wanted to use the press for their own ends.<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Marchamont Nedham’s
writings on constitutional and political issues helped inspire the American
revolution. Yet because his allegiances and his opinions shifted according to
who he was working for, he has been dismissed by historians as a contemptible
“triple-turncoat” of no great significance.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I would contend
that there is nothing wrong with being a pen for hire and, in navigating his
way through the deep, dark currents of the English Civil War, he not only kept
his head above water but laid many of the foundations of journalism that we
take for granted today. </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A martyr in the cause
of free speech – jailed three times and fleeing for his life once – he was a
pioneer whose importance to journalism should not remain as obscure as it has
done for centuries.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Marchamont Nedham, who
died of a heart attack in a London coffee house in 1678 aged 58, was
belligerent to the end. His last publication was a robust attack on the French
who, he said, were “those monkeys of mankind”.</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">I have written his autobiography for him, taking the known facts about
Nedham’s career and trying to stitch them together by filling in the gaps.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.themanwhoinventedthe.news/">www.themanwhoinventedthe.news</a></h4>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-35454521590918686192022-07-26T17:27:00.005+01:002022-07-26T17:27:57.175+01:00Just shut up about freedom of speech<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.themanwhoinventedthe.news" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="921" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbi6SLjHClBcEL8rYBbPpzpzl061VfLgve407XxZIKViKGDBcr9r2qwUEQO_hviDSUHAxmsFehtpKid_J72HOqkLfGp1aDtmEMB-4B0Bt7g2k5xaFQUFx-lQ7mNS6EIfuNhbfHTyTc8wq2NIg48_WabBqSQ_uN_Ew2gryULf_fHhSGk19QZY/w274-h400/front%20page.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>Having just written a book (“The Man Who Invented The News”) about a journalist who was jailed three times and fled the country in fear of his life, I find I must support the campaign to free Julian Assange.<p></p><p>He would appear to be an unattractive man with a distinctly dodgy history but that is not a good enough reason to want to see him deported to America and incarcerated there for, quite probably, the rest of his life.</p><p>He published secret information which, according to the Americans, put people’s lives at risk. There’s not much to be said in favour of that – except that it’s a journalist’s job to reveal inconvenient truths. The alternative is an even more secret society than the one we live in most of the time.</p><p>The Wikileaks founder did reveal that thousands of civilians were killed during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – the sort of slaughter we rightly condemn Russia for today.</p><p>Did we have a right to know the information Wikileaks revealed? I would say we did. It is a journalist’s job to expose inconvenient, embarrassing or incriminating evidence if and when it becomes available. It does not seem reasonable to allow Assange’s extradition just so the Americans can get their revenge.</p><p>Hillary Clinton once asked of Assange: “Can’t we just take the guy out with a drone?’</p><p>In 1640s, Marchamont Nedham, the most notorious journalist of the English Civil War, leaked the contents of King Charles I’s private papers.</p><p>These revealed he had written to the King of France complaining about the behaviour of his sister, Henrietta Maria, Charles’s wife. They revealed the King’s determination not to negotiate with his Parliamentary enemies as well as his scathing private opinions of some of his closest aides.</p><p>Marchamont Nedham was jailed when he called the King a tyrant and mentioned that Charles spoke with a stammer. In those days, there was no such thing as ‘freedom of speech’ and journalists ran the risk of imprisonment with every newspaper they published. Later, Nedham was jailed again and eventually fled the country in 1660 in fear of being hanged, drawn and quartered.</p><p>Have we really made so little progress in almost 400 years?</p><p><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubknv_CxSUY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubknv_CxSUY</a></p><div><br /></div>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-29588914483254448672022-06-06T09:34:00.006+01:002022-06-06T09:34:49.289+01:00The birthday-cake coup<p> <span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 14pt;">In January I sent this email to my MP Nigel
Huddleston:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dear Mr Huddleston<br />
<br />
Please do not fall for the propaganda and take part in the defenestration of
Boris Johnson.<br />
<br />
He has made some mistakes and the Conservative Party is betraying many of its
grass roots supporters by its woke policies, tax rises, unquestioning support
for the abominable NHS etc.<br />
<br />
But - and it is a big but - he has done a good job over the vaccine rollout
and, more to the point, getting rid of him is only worthwhile if the party has
a better leader to take his place.<br />
<br />
It emphatically does not.<br />
<br />
Despite his shortcomings, those red wall MPs and others who are fearful of
losing their seats unless they get rid of Mr Johnson should realise they will
definitely lose their seats if they do get rid of him.<br />
<br />
It is alleged MPs are overwhelmed with emails calling for him to be removed.
Who from? His long-term opponents. Please stick with him. How can we endure
this birthday-cake farce when the world is on the brink of another war?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Today I followed it up by saying:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Dear Mr Huddleston</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I sent you the email below in January. Nothing has changed except the
war is now being fought and is liable to get worse.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Please do not vote to oust the Prime Minister.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-64149130626862197152022-05-24T10:06:00.001+01:002022-05-24T10:06:14.127+01:00An open e-mail to Talk-Talk<p> I have tried a dozen different ways to communicate with you and failed to get the message through that you have stopped giving me access to my accounts, you continued to send threatening emails demanding money I have been paying.</p><p>I informed you some time ago I no longer wanted to receive any 'service' from you and proposed to cancel my ransom payments of £5 a month. Today you send me a demand for £25. You cannot be serious.</p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-56606424255722162192022-04-12T11:05:00.004+01:002022-04-24T19:00:13.890+01:00Sod the Children <p><span style="font-family: times;">Save the Children <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/03/22/save-children-rejects-1m-ukraine-donation-north-sea-oil-company/" target="_blank">turned down a donation of £750,000 </a>to help Ukranian refugees because it came from a North Sea gas producer.
As a result I have cancelled my monthly standing order and sent the following
email: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I wanted you to know that I have today cancelled my
monthly standing order to Save the Children in protest at your rejection of a
£750,000 donation because it is linked to fossil fuels. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">If you can afford to refuse so much money, and
deprive potential beneficiaries of that amount, you certainly don’t need my
chicken-feed contribution. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I have for many years believed your
highly-politicised organisation, with its excessively over-paid executives, was
squandering the money it received from poor idiots like me but I am now quite
convinced you are more interested in feathering your own nest,
virtue-signalling and playing to the Guardian-reading gallery than you are to
saving children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I do hope you will forward this email to some of
those exalted powers-that-be, not that it will make any difference but it would
at least alert them to how contemptible they have become in the eyes of at
least one long-term supporter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><i><span style="font-family: times;">Mili Sargeant from the alleged charity replied:</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Thank you for getting in touch and sharing your thoughts on this
matter. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;">Save the Children is committed to making decisions that are in the best
interest of the charity but ultimately in the best interests of children. Our
Donation Acceptance and Refusal Policy ensures we do not compromise on our
mission and values when it comes to raising income. This policy governs the
acceptance and refusal of donations by Save the Children UK where there is
perceived risk to our programming, staff, reputation, financial position or
brand in accepting the donation and is reviewed regularly by our Board of Trustees
and Executive Directors.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;">Our work is focused on meeting the immediate needs of children in crises
around the world, as well as protecting their futures. We will take tough but
calculated decisions where needed to achieve this. This means raising and
spending funds responsibly, but also turning down funding where we believe
doing so could have a greater long-term impact for children. Climate change is
one of the biggest threats to children’s future and now is the time to do
everything we can to minimise the impact of this.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;">We are in the process of reviewing our global policy on accepting
donations from fossil fuel companies to ensure it reflects our position on the
threat the climate crisis poses to children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;">We understand that not everyone will agree with this decision, though I
hope this goes some way to explaining why we have chosen not to accept funding
from Neptune Energy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;">Thank you again for all the support you have shown Save the Children. As
you mentioned your regular contribution to Save the Children via standing
order, you will need to cancel this at the bank. If possible, please can you
kindly provide me with your address so that I can update your records with us
and log your complaint. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;">I look forward to hearing from you again soon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 2.0pt; margin: 2pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>I responded:</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: times;">Thank you for your cut-and-paste reply. I can't believe anyone takes this
guff seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: times;">The long-term impact of climate change is all very well but the immediate
and necessary needs of refugees from a war zone surely take immediate priority.
Either that or Save the Children now has so much money it doesn't know what to
do with it all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: times;">It is deeply regrettable your organisation has such delicate sensibilities
it cannot see the pain and suffering before its very eyes.</span><o:p></o:p></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-54709329319491651142022-02-28T10:22:00.001+00:002022-02-28T10:22:08.344+00:00It's the end of the world as we know it<p> If, and it’s a bigger if than we might like, but if we all survive without being vaporised in a nuclear war, then Vlad Putin has done us all a favour.</p><p>The monstrous invasion of the Ukraine is the drastic wake-up call the West has needed for some time.</p><p>We have been sleepwalking into this disaster ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall.</p><p>We have complacently assumed Russia and China would more or less accept our liberal, capitalist, freedom-loving values and we could all live peacefully side by side.</p><p>Their true, sinister, aims have always been visible but we preferred to look the other way. </p><p>We have allowed the Chinese to devastate our manufacturing industry and steal our technology.</p><p>We have encouraged ultra-rich Russian crooks, thieves and murderers to launder their money through London.</p><p>The disgusting sight of gold- and blood-dripping oligarchs, their vile women and entitled offspring flaunting their ill-gotten gains around our country has been one of the most appalling developments of recent years.</p><p>We enrich their dictators’ regimes by lapping up cheap goods made by slave labour in mega-cities like the one responsible for unleashing coronavirus on the world.</p><p>The Chinese and Russians between them are destroying civilisation, democracy and innocent lives – genocide or invasion, murder and incarceration, it’s all the same to their barbaric leaders.</p><p>What has the West being doing instead of recognising our enemies and dealing with their many threats?</p><p>We have spent our time banning free speech in universities in case some non-woke feminist might upset a bloke who wants to pretend he’s a woman.</p><p>We have been chucking statues in the sea because someone over 200 years ago did something reprehensible.</p><p>We have abandoned any idea of fuelling our own power needs in exchange for ineffectual windmills, Russian gas and Chinese-financed, French-owned nuclear power plants that may never be built.</p><p>Oh and we have saved money by giving up on the idea we might one day need to go to war again to defend ourselves. It’s far more important our soldiers and spies recognise their white privilege.</p><p>If we see the invasion of the Ukraine as an opportunity to get a grip, recognise what’s really important and realise our way of life is under constant threat from countries which would love to destroy us, some good may yet come out of this terrible war.</p><p>Tragically, I doubt if we have the strength of will to recognise just how ridiculously complacent we have become. Meanwhile, the destruction of our freedoms will continue apace.</p><p>I hope we recognise the urgent need to change before it really is too late.</p><p>Otherwise, the era of peace, freedom and democracy may be coming to an end. Do our leaders – and the rest of us – have the guts to hold back the tide of chaos, dictatorship and destruction? I doubt it.</p><p><br /></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-63445894182751340552022-02-17T12:08:00.003+00:002022-04-24T18:58:12.866+01:00Prince Andrew is the real victim<p>We all know Prince Andrew is an obnoxious, entitled nob who deserves zero sympathy for bringing the Royal Family into disrepute but what illegal activities did he actually engage in?<br />His critics bandy about words like 'rape' and 'paedophilia' but he is guilty of neither. At the absolute worst, he may - if we choose to disbelieve his denials - have had sex three times with a 17-year-old girl.<br />Nobody has claimed this was anything but consensual. She may, perhaps, have been 'trafficked' but she was old enough to make up her own mind whether she wanted to jet around the world with millionaires. And by all accounts she boasted of having sex with the Prince.<br />So if it was consensual, and she was 17, where is the crime?<br />The Prince and Virginia Roberts allegedly had sex in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands (oh the irony).<br />It is quite legal to have sex with a 17-year-old, no matter what the age of the other participant, in London and New York. In the Virgin Islands, the age of consent varies from 13 to 18 but, supposing the latter applied in this case, the Prince might be guilty of statutory rape on that occasion.<br />However, Ms Roberts or Giuffre as she is these days, alleges their passionate embraces took place during an orgy involving nine other girls as well. Are we supposed to take her allegation seriously in such circumstances?<br />The hatred directed at Prince Andrew - much of it fomented by those who loathe and detest the Monarchy - is over-done, misplaced and unfair.<br />Now he and his mother are £12 million the poorer, it is difficult not to conclude that Prince Andrew, not Virginia Roberts, is the real victim.</p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-62847670862765046802022-01-31T13:08:00.002+00:002022-01-31T13:08:59.737+00:00The world's worst airline<p> British Airways used to claim it was the world's favourite airline. It must now be the worst.</p><p>I have never had a trouble-free flight with them and it is now impossible to talk to anyone in the entire organisation.</p><p>It doesn't deserve passengers. It is an abomination.</p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-25532326722026988882021-12-18T14:45:00.002+00:002021-12-18T14:45:20.787+00:00Our NHS - the envy of the world<p>Our new multi-million pound GP surgery in Broadway, Worcestershire, might be a marvellous new facility - as long as you don't want to see a GP. Getting a face-to-face appointment is impossible. </p><p>As a result, I wrote a review on the NHS website about the New Barn Close Surgery:</p><p><i>If you want to see a doctor, go elsewhere. If you are thinking of being ill, go elsewhere. If you want to see a nice new building but no GPs, this is the place for you.</i></p><p>In case anyone might think reviews on a website run by the NHS might somehow be uncensored, I received the following email this morning:</p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">PLEASE NOTE THIS EMAIL IS NOT MONITORED. IF YOU RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL YOU
<u>WILL NOT</u> GET A RESPONSE. </span></span></span></b></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for Barn Close Surgery on the NHS website.</span></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, we are unable
to publish your review as it does not contain enough information
regarding your experience at the service.</span></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif;">See our </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.nhs.uk/our-policies/comments-policy/"><span style="border-color: windowtext; border-style: none; border-width: 1pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; padding: 0cm;">comments
policy.</span></a></span></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Please provide more details
about what you liked or disliked about the service, including the
reasons you have come to this conclusion. </span></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Consider adding as much
information as possible to help assist others in making decisions about
their choice of provider or allow the provider to take the feedback and
use it in a constructive way.</span></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Kind regards,</span></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The NHS website ratings and reviews team</span></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">PLEASE NOTE THIS EMAIL IS NOT MONITORED. IF YOU RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL YOU
<u>WILL NOT</u> GET A RESPONSE. </span></span></span></b></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The ratings and reviews
team are unable to offer health advice. For life threatening or
emergency medical issues please dial 999. For other urgent medical
concerns, please dial 111, or visit 111.nhs.uk</span></b></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Review reference number: 1190242 </span></b></p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI','Helvetica Neue',sans-serif;">
</p><p>
</p><p class="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_MsoNormal"><br /></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-82963851861612290922021-11-01T13:06:00.002+00:002021-12-10T12:00:42.698+00:00The NHS is a national disgrace<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">‘Our’ National Health Service is a national disgrace.<br />
Our overpaid, lazy, part-time doctors won’t see us face to face,<br />
They prefer to fob you off with a random telephone call<br />
Which takes place at a time of their choosing if it takes place at all.<br />
In the queue at the supermarket when you’ve gone down the shops,<br />
With a basket filled with baked beans, biscuits and lamb chops,<br />
Your doctor will call you and make you explain<br />
In front of an interested crowd of people where exactly you feel the pain,<br />
Why you have these embarrassing lumps<br />
And what is leaving you so down in the dumps.<br />
When they have finished they’ll no doubt fob you off<br />
With a pill and some tests and something for that cough,<br />
Then they’ll get into their personal-registered four-by-four<br />
While the BMA campaigns for more money, more, more more.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>And this was written before it took an ambulance almost 24 hours to collect a friend who needed to go into hospital.</b></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-13964075165868033192021-09-19T18:58:00.001+01:002021-09-19T18:58:12.357+01:00Planning for disaster?<p><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Is Michael Gove going to row back on the
Government’s plans to concrete over the countryside? He should do if he wants
the Conservatives to win the next election.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The disco-dancing, nerdy new Secretary of State
for Everything Important to Re-election has supposedly been told to do
something to stop property developers decimating this green and pleasant land.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First off, he’ll have to abandon the Tories’
proposals to deny locals any say in what happens in their back yard and drop
the idea that local councils are ordered to build X-thousand new homes whether
they like it or not.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sadly, even if the Government does trim its sails
a bit and refuse to provide a blank cheque for property developers, not much
will change because the planning system itself is in the hands of bureaucrats
who will ensure it cannot change.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The local authority ‘experts’, the planning
lawyers, the civil service command-and-control policy and the developers
themselves will ensure nothing really puts the brakes on a rotten and corrupt
system.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yes, we need more homes (though we need fewer of
them now most EU migrants have gone back home again). Yes, they need to be
affordable for young people. And yes, they might as well be as
environmentally-friendly as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This can be achieved by re-purposing redundant
town centres, unwanted office blocks and abandoned factories. It’s just a bit
harder for the developers to do that and there may be a little less money to be
made.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But the alternative of ploughing up the Green
Belt is worse. And if Mr Gove does not realise that then he need only remember the
Chesham and Amersham by-election when the seat was won by the Liberal Democrats
with 57 per cent of the vote on a swing from the Conservatives of 25 per cent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-43105449637648051342021-07-26T15:30:00.001+01:002021-07-26T15:30:13.256+01:00Sky rugby - the cliché of the Titans<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">An idiot’s guide to commentating on the Lions tour if you work for Sky TV. All you need to do is repeat these meaningless and increasingly irritating phrases at irregular intervals throughout each game:</span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1. The get-go</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2. Asking questions</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">3. Set down markers</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">4. Hard yards</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">5. Worth the admission fee alone (especially when the stadium is empty)</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">6. Hard-wired into the Springbok DNA</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">7. Nobody said it was going to be easy</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">8. Carry/carries</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">9. Moving through the gears</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">10. Grab the game by the scruff of the neck</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">11. Sensing the scent of blood</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">12. Half-time oranges</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">13. It’s not rocket science</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">14. Asking more questions</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">15. The next score is absolutely crucial</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">16. The game was always go to the wire (sic)</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">17. His go-to man</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">18. Arm-wrestle</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">19. Questions being asked (again)</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">20. Game of two halves</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">And here’s one comment almost worth the admission fee alone:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit !important;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">‘He’s absolutely hoofed that into the Sheriff of Carmarthen’s honker.’</span>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-52387411732170464862020-12-18T10:36:00.000+00:002020-12-18T10:36:03.737+00:00A CHRISTMAS WISH<p> All I want for Christmas....</p><p><a href="https://wordpress.com/page/highwater22.wordpress.com/105">https://wordpress.com/page/highwater22.wordpress.com/105</a></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-21433202757186386282020-11-20T09:49:00.002+00:002020-11-20T09:49:31.693+00:00God save the village green<p> I've made <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVlMMEyzpFM" target="_blank">a new video about my book</a> 'Close of Play' to the tune of the Kinks' 'Village Green Preservation Society' because it seemed appropriate.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVlMMEyzpFM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVlMMEyzpFM</a></p>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17187820.post-45500971007753149472020-10-28T11:12:00.003+00:002020-10-29T19:15:19.750+00:00Developers - coming to a village near you<p>Just had an email titled: 'UK Planning Laws Have Changed - Find The Best Opportunities Before Anyone Else!'</p><p>It's promoting some free webinar promising:</p><div><i>The new PD rights present a £100bn opportunity for property developers in the UK!</i></div><div><i> </i></div><div><strong><i>Find The Best Opportunities Before Anyone Else!</i></strong></div><div><i>The
fastest way to find the most profitable opportunities is by using
ourrecently launched and most powerful platform to date, Nimbus Maps
ELITE+</i></div><div>.</div><div><b>I've got no idea who Nimbus Maps ELITE+ are or what they do but you have been warned... new housing estates are coming to a cricket ground near you.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Read <a href="http://www.close-of-play.co.uk" target="_blank">'Close of Play' for more....</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div>PS Maybe this is the reason why I am suddenly on a property mailing list: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.propertyweek.com/metropolis/developer-hit-for-six/5110703.article">https://www.propertyweek.com/metropolis/developer-hit-for-six/5110703.article</a></div><div><br /></div>nigel hastilowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05444432013856232361noreply@blogger.com0