So I guess that having a free market isn’t the issue, it is just selling the industry to raise capital to pump into it is what you prefer? Once that initial capital has gone, however, I imagine that prices would naturally rise to support the infrastructure, allow upgrades and make a nice profit.

In this instance privatisation != free market.

The water industry was pretty much saved by privatisation and private investment.

I doubt that very much.

The infrastructure was allowed to fall into disrepair by successive governments (of all colours). Then the water industry got privatised (where’s the so-called ‘free market’ in this instance?) and our bills went up, the industry received subsidies and hey-presto! things started getting better. Stop the former, allow the bills to increase according to costs and put the money back into the infrastructure, avoiding profit fees.

EDIT: just thought. To be honest I haven’t seen any improvement in my water supplies or supplier since privatisation. It seems to be just, the same. Could be replacement of poorer infrastructure, I suppose. Still it is a monopoly, no free market allowed!

I’ve always had an issue with privatised utilities.

I see the point of, say, privatising electricity generation where any company would pump power of the correct phase/quality into the grid. But they should not have privatised the infrastructure such as the wires, or in the case of gas, the pipes. There’s only one set of them so it is a monopoly by default.

I am dead against water privatisation. There is no market, I can’t buy water from anyone else.

Ultimately the next generation of power stations will largely be financed by the private sector.

Currently unlikely. The costs aren’t right and the power generators are looking to the governments to dip their hands in the taxpayers’ pockets. Or, in the case of nuclear, guarantee they won’t have to pay for clear-up costs at the end of the reactor’s life.

It doesn’t work like that. National Grid transport the gas/electricity to your house (rather like Network Rail)

No it doesn’t. National Grid only look after bulk transport, usually defined as those wires > 33kV. Below that the transport is done by the regional distribution companies. As a result if a person in, say, Aberdeen, was to pay for a tariff for somewhere south, e.g. E.On then a proportion of the charge would be for a theoretical transport of electricity. All the electricity companies have systems to pay each other for this and it can be quite sizeable, even though the electricity is still coming from down the road, the same generating station it did previously.

And yes, I have (until recently) worked in the electricity industry.

EDIT: And please don’t tell me the rubbish about ‘more efficient’. I have seen truly massive amounts of wonga wasted in the ‘efficient privatised companies’.

Got mine through last month: £420 full on a 9 year old yaris with 9+ years NCD. Direct line. Got it for £200 from the AA.

Interestingly enough I was in the other half’s car last year and it got bumped. Slightly. We now keep getting automated calls about compensation due to us. Lawyers chasing after fees that are causing my premiums to go up each year. Gits!

inFamous 2
Portal 2
Chime

If I joined your company then put on 7kg then at the end I’d be 110% of what I was at the start, if that helps.

I’m always nervous that I’ll stack it big time and end up in the middle of nowhere needing help. Must have been that kindle book…. 😆

Also to get anywhere really for me (middle of Leicester/Derby/Nottingham triangle of boringness) takes a car and I am such a lazy git I just don’t do it very often.

Though I plan to do more in the peaks now I’ve got me Garmin 800 to plan the routes.

A man walks into a Scottish bakers and asks for the prices of three similar confections.

“Ah, that one is £1.20, that one is also £1.20 and the other is £20.”

“But they look the same? What’s the difference?”

“Ah”, says the baker, “That’s madeira cake.”

Thank you, I’m here all week, try the lamb it’s great!

I really can’t be doing with stuff in me pockets all the while. It’s like when I’m on me bike. If I have coins in my shorts the constant ‘chink-chink-chink-arrghbastudlog-chink-chink-oolookasquirrel!’ gets on me tits.

So I have a manbag. From John Lewis, which while being the gayest department store in the UK, if not the world, makes decidedly hettie manbags. Less ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’, more ‘My Name Is Norman and I’m a Chartered Accountant’ type. Still, it does and it even allows me to tell people I’m ‘straight acting’. 😛

Apparently it is a sign for the big ape sky god(s) that you are one of the ‘chosen few’ (AFAIK this is Jewish people and muslims – are there any more religions that chop bits off like that for a laff?).

Though s/he must be a right perv to demand to see your bits before you enter paradise. “Sorry, you’ve been a fantastic bloke but your tackles still intact. You’re going downstairs!”

Adamw- of course i do, doesn’t everyone?

Phew! I was going to stamp a big ‘REJECTED’ sign over it, leaving you to be a non-puff. Congratulations! You are now a fully-fledged puff! Have a daiquiri!

Yes you are.

Ahem, I’ll be the judge of that.

No Lacoste, 4×4 – do you at LEAST have SPDs? 😛

So, epo-holic, I have your written application for ‘being a puff’ in front of me and as an ambassador of puffdom I need to know what type of ‘puff’ you are, so we can see if you qualify for being fabulous.

Are you a cheesy puff, a salt and vinegar puff or a more exotic variety such as prawn cocktail?

Please note that currently there is a backlog of entries to being a puff, we’re pretty picky on it. It may help if you own Calvin Klein undies, at least one bottle of Lacoste and either pink lycra, SPDs or a boat that can be towed by a 4×4.

delusion starts at a very young age these days.
Nothing worse than a zealous atheist.

Seems no matter *what* an atheist puts down they are accused of being zealous.

You forgot the word ‘shrill’. You lose a point for that you know.
😛

Isn’t that where all the dogs have no noses? And the joke never stops being funny? 😛

I am thinking of having it done but am worried about it bridging a damp bit or something causing damp issues on the inside wall.

Or am I just being bonkers? 😕

Bottom of screen I see:

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href=”http://www.myautoinsurancegenie.com”>florida car insurance

You’ve got a hanging link in there. Using Safari/Mac. Not too keen on flash tbh, makes the fans on my laptops kick off and I’d consider what mobile devices may be looking (Android/iOS).

Also I don’t understand:

Please check my calendar for upcoming events and check back for updates after.

After what?

How about:

Please check my calendar for upcoming events. Shortly afterwards new images from them will be posted here.

(or similar).

Speckled Death Bread

I used to have a nasty temper but I’ve calmed quite a bit. Meditation and the realisation that between action and reaction (anger) there’s a gap where I can choose. I managed to widen that gap by biting my tongue and forcing myself to relax when wound up.

I now appear as soft as poo but if pushed too far (which takes a lot these days) people start running!

simple, it was to allow financing of all the environmental improvements that were needed such as sewage treatment and the improvement of water quality

So, this means that, say, Severn Trent Water was privatised and the money that was gained by the sell-off was given to, erm, Severn Trent Water to improve their shareprice the infrastructure that was just sold off?

I still can’t work out why water was privatised. Its not as if I could suddenly choose to buy it from anywhere else. It’s just a monopoly transferred into private hands.

Anything there is only one of shouldn’t be privatised. Allow electricity companies to pump power into the grid but keep the grid itself public. Same with gas pipes.

You will need at least seven octaves to do any piece justice. I got a clavinova which can be pricey but it’s worth it. Just avoid crap plastic stuff that has lots of software stuff but poor key mechs and lack of velocity sensitivity.

You’re a Woppitist?

Oh yes. It involves daily showers in custard and self-flagellation with a stick of rhubarb. And fromage, which is like frottage but instead you roll around in camembert then snaffle I up with some biscuits and a bottle of chateauneuf du pape!

Cheese?

I got married* to MrAdamW because of love and security. I love him and also I have met people whose partners have died and the homophobic tossers in the other family came and took half of everything.

It was a public commitment (only 13 friends invited, not family) and was a fantastic day. And everyone turned up at my house afterwards to play on the PS2.

*yes I know it is civil partnership but that’s what everyone calls it; I don’t care. And I’m 100% with Woppit on the religious thing 😀

I was following a fit bloke on my commute today.

I agree with Elfin. You can’t beat a lovely bottom!

Is that the one with the SPDs?

4 times (MTB the other time)
34 miles
Nottingham
13-15mph

Cos they like the smashing orangey bit in the middle?

Its something you have at bonfire night. Sticks in your teeth I think.

I have heard you can knit with it too.

A vote DOWN for Kayal.

I couldn’t eat ANYTHING. Perhaps I should have done some research but I would have thought *something* would be available there that didn’t have nuts or coconut in it!?
😕

The new Jamie Oliver place is apparently quite good. Merchant’s is also good (£££). For atmosphere the Jazz Cafe (Broad St) is quite good.

The daily mash is right again
government-sexual-health-adviser-to-be-hatchet-faced-old-bag[/url]

I’ve just been on a course or two with ‘A Quick Release’; 3 hours one-to-one last Friday then part of a group session all day Sunday.

It has helped a lot. I’m quite a nervous rider and I’ve finally been told how to do the attack position correctly (all weekend: “Heels DOWN!”) and certain bits of trail I wouldn’t go near I did at the end, so I’m well chuffed. My bike (Trek Fuel EX9/2010) was examined and set-up for me (note: don’t use it as it comes out of the shop!) and I’m now investigating new tyres (Maxxis Ardent) and a reduced stem.

AND it was as cheap as chips. £15 per hour for personal training and £35 for the day.

I just need to get out even more to bed the skills in, then go back for another session!

And geetee, where did you get that photo of me? No I wasn’t pooing.

Website is running at an absolute crawl for the past few days. They getting DoS attack or something? Or are they the new Sony and are being hacked to spread spam or something?

I have BUPA through work. Had an inguinal hernia done to get it done quickly. Was OK, done in a few weeks from initial discussion with GP.

Anything serious they would give you to the NHS. They only like the easy/profitable stuff. Lots of exceptions for stuff like HIV and that; I guess check your cover for limits as your mileage will vary.

There are ~3 billion base pairs, holding ~6 billion bits of information, in the human genome. That’s roughly as many bits as there are people in existence. I imagine that most of us are genetically related to each other [amusing thought]

That programme on telly about cells the other week discussed this. Apparently in our past we were nearly wiped out, by looking at our genome. We descended from the ape line with a common ancestor to the chimp about 6 million years ago but the chimp has a much greater diversity in its genome than we do. Our gene pool is much shallower, apparently.

50% Irish (dad), 50% Welsh (mam).

But I was brought up in Wales so consider myself 100% Welsh.

I finally found out what prurience meant the other day. Everyone was saying it re: superinjunctions.

Good word. I also like ‘nincompoop’ and ‘molybdenum’. But then I’m a thick chemist 🙂