Oh Ernie, you’re back!
Did you think of any Quangos worth saving?
Anyone?

[Also, and this is a different topic, you can’t get rid of the hidden economy whilever cash exists, you can reduce it, and avoidance, but there will always be “cash in hand”].

If labour really got stuck into funding proper state infrastructure in an efficient manner, and took the green/environmental agenda forward in a considerate way then they might get my vote again.

Big choices like national networks of road and rail, and NHS and green policies have to come from a strong, fair government.

Coyote, I agree with you.
Royal Mail is a tricky one, been left to get crap for a long while with massive pension obligations. Thats going to cost the tax payer whatever happens.
I would rather it stay in state control if it worked well though.
However I know that no taxpayer in the UK has obligations for DHL’s pension deficit.
All the posties I know are hard working and good folk.

Ok Ernie, I offer my sincerest appologies for upsetting you potato vodka fueled sensitivities 😉

I am not an an ideologically based anti-quangoist (if thats a correct phrase), but as said before my experience of them has not been beneficial to the tax payer.

So don’t dodge the subject, have you had any dealings with them that you care to talk about, or are you just here for the (perceived) capitalist company?

I really don’t want this thread to be about quangos, but I had a look at this:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/business-plan-2010.pdf

on page 5 there is the following statement:
1.5 Our responsibilities do not, however, give us the authority to set or enforce the terms
of franchises under which governments buy passenger services from the private sector,
or regulate fares charged to passengers.

So here we have a body for the railways that has no authority over who gets the contracts, why they get the contracts, or what they charge!

I understand they “enforce” health and safety, but most organisations manage to do that out of statutory obligation.

Anyhoo, back to the topic…would they be better privatised and how do we achieve that if so?

Good lord there is one!!

Plenty of directors too!!
:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.76

Surely between them they should be able to ensure an efficient, cost effective, safe railway system that ensures value for money compared with the car on my driveway.

er….no!

.

speshpaul, thats exactly my point!
I went to an M&S environmental conference in march. Cost the company £231 from leeds to kings cross.
To be honest, next time I would be tempted to drive the night before and stay in travel lodge at Heston West.
I know its the companies money, but my principles stop me wasting it.
[irony not lost that I would be doing this to an environmental conference]

pjt201, is there a QUANGO looking after the railway customers? If there is its $hit.

Ernie, my dear Ernie, Polish state vodka taking its toll on your temper?
Don’t let that nasty decadent Mefty wind you up.
Instead stick to the thread and tell me if you can defend any of the due to be axed quangos?

If you can’t defend any of them with specific experience then I am forced to assume your posts are purely based on the fact that any reduction of state infrastructure is an assault on what you hold dear, irrespective of whether it serves the tax payer.

woof?

br, to be honest I don’t have any facts on this.
I know that in STW land lack of facts does not preclude taking a strong, entrenched view, but to be honest I don’t know how our fares compare like for like with the rest of the EU, so its a perception.

I suppose where I come from is that as a car driver who believes in public transport, I think that it ought to be cheaper to train than to drive. I realise this is slightly naive/idealistic, but thats the nirvana I crave.

whipppersnapper, thanks for your contribution,
What kind of rural disadvantage do/did this team look into?
Was it housing for keyworkers/decendants of locals or something else?

Looks like Ernie must have gone out celebrating Ed’s victory.

(He seems like a decent chap, and his environmental credentials are good, I just hope he sucked up to the unions out of convenience rather than conviction).

Yes, my thoughts exactly.
Amongst the most stupid ideas ever selling it off.

Thing is though, if you look at the history of railways (hides anorak, and slight nasal twang to voice), they were only nationalised for a short period of time. They all started as separate companies with separate lines.

It’s one thing that really doesn’t lend itself to comercial pressures.
Would be happy to pay £10 a year more car tax and have cheaper rail fares.

It costs me a fraction of the rail fare to drive to sheffield as it does for me and the family to take the train.

bravohotel9er, you couldn’t do that.
Thats Quango in-breeding that is. You’d need the fertilisation and embryology Quango to oversee it.

Come on, someone must want to stick up for a specific Quango after having had dealings with them?

So far we have Environment Agency (which isn’t getting axed anyway), and the NE development one, which I can understand needs a team to marshal EU resources into. But is that it?

No eating of words.
I still say that from the contact I have had with Quangos, most of them were not the best way to spend my taxes.

From the response I have had I think this experience is shared by others, I mean its not exactly an outpouring of support for many on that list is it??

Ernie, you seem to mistake a balanced view of the world with backtracking.
I said that the title was inflamatory on purpose.

So come on then which Quangos on that list should be kept?

Ernie, are you determined to take my words out of context?
Good to hear as in, “Good to hear that you had a positive experience with One North East”.
All good stuff as in, its good that the steel works and Nissan are seeing some investment, more is needed.
I thought that my comments above would have made that obvious.
Don’t try and pigeonhole me into some narrow political cubby-hole.
I started this topic to hear opinions on Quangos. I know I chose an incendiary title, but thats the only way on STW to get people to read it.

I am not blindly following the lib/con mantra, but I do think that Labour under Gordon/Balls wasted a lot of money and have left a legacy of cost and inefficiency. I hope that lib/cons correct this, but also hope they don’t go too far in the opposite direction.

looks good, but read Amazon, lots of people have had these break in a short time.

CaptJon, thats good to hear. The NE does need some serious TLC to keep the economy going, and I hope it gets it. Still good to hear the steelworks is staying open, and that Sunderland is becoming a centre for electric car expertise. All good stuff.

Ernie, not flawed logic.
All I am saying is that STW has a broad selection of people on it.
So amongst that broad selection, some of us by reason of probability must have had dealings or come into contact with at least some of the quangos due to be axed/merged?
From my experience most the ones I have dealt with have been largely self serving and overly beaurocratic. But I am happy to be enlightened.

For what its worth, I am not convinced about the divesting of NHS resources into the GP/private sector. This I think is wrong, but thats for another thread.

So back to my original question.
Who on here has had direct personal contact with an agency due to be axed/merged, and would like to stick up for them?

I am not against quangos per-se, but my experience with many has been that they spend to much of their time propping up their own existence rather than doing the job.

So Environment agency gets a tick from me (but thats not to be axed anyway).

Come on…someone must have dealt with one of the 150+ agencies on that list? If they havn’t then it kind of makes my point about them being no great loss.

Tim, have mailed you on the shop email address. Ta!

I have had dealings with the environment agency and I can confirm they are a professional and diligent lot.

woof?

So come on then, has anyone on here had any dealings with any of the QUANGOs due to be chopped, and if so do they now think “wow, I can’t believe such a vital team is being wound up and closed”.

Well?

For my part, I have dealt with several QUANGOs and have never been a fan of many of them or thought they were all efficient or effective.

Seriously though.
Has anyone on here had dealings with any of the abolished quangos and can say that their loss will be a strong detriment to the country?

There is one quango that relates directly to my profession, I have never heard of it!

anyDVD is good.

You know, I posted this in chat as I thought I would avoid all the scam merchants that are in classifieds.
ME: That dog I got off you has nailvarnish covering a massive scratch on one leg, and the back ends out of alignment
SCAMMING 17year old bike thief: “Was fine when I gave it to you mate!”

I now see that I have hit the other STW pitfall, anything that be given a double meaning will be.

So any yellow canines of the labrador persuasion out there?

As said above, custard will be denser.
Also don’t confuse density with viscosity.

Its because custard is a solution and as crikey so beautifully put it, with solutions you can “get more molecule thingys in a given space”. Just like sea water, which is heavier due to disolved salt.
Start getting air trapped in the custard though and all bets are off!

Nice story molgrips. Echoes my point entirely.

Get real. Its a skip. You ran into it. Your fault.
Now if it had been on a blind bend at night with no flashing lights then you might have a case.

I ran into a bollard at cadbury world a few years ago (just over two feet high, in my blind spot, reveresed straight into it). It taught me to drive more carefully, never dreamed of claiming.

yes. 440-445

They are brighter than car headlights.
They have excellent visbility from anything except 90 degrees.
I use mine on full power, flashing but angled down 10 degrees.
lights up the road and gets me noticed.

brill!
Angle it down a little if you must.

Not a big fan of the hope vision one. its large, heavy and not as bright as a fenix L2D that is half the price and still takes AA cells.
The Fenix also does crazy epilepsy mode….that really gets you noticed on the road!!

I have a vision 2 though on my helmet, and thats brilliant.

project – Member
Dress as a choir boy, youll get through with an escort no problem

Surely you meant AS AN ESCORT?

Is that a papal decree or are you just pleased to see me?

I got asked at one interview "Working here is like wearing a colourful straightjacket, how would that make you feel?"

Really I did.

Got the job.

ton…you might have just decided my sunday lunch!

Totally agree with 2unfit.
Keep it friendly and don't let the numbers be used in a confrontational way. If the seller thinks you are OK then they are likely to shift. If you are a to$$er then they will take pleasure in seeing you walk.