It was a chilled weekend and great to meet you Stu 🙂

I turned 45 this year and Jedi got me jumping again last year. This year I got a top up from Nath (apprentice Jedi) who got me clearing gaps!

I’ve never enjoyed my riding more.

Hora – coaching, PROPER, coaching makes you safer. I rode Innerleithen and Glentress at the weekend and, thanks to my coaching, wasn’t as worried by unexpected trail obstacles. Instead of ramming the brakes on and falling off at low speed I just plopped over stuff. Better still, when it wasn’t as unexpected I flew over stuff. Was an amazing feeling.

You should try it.

I’m glad I painted mine. Was as dusty as hell and now it stays really clean.

The paint I used rollered onto the floor nicely so it hardly took anytime at all.

Get a good looking one 😉

It’s top sport on a winters night to fly through forest car parks without lights and stick them on at the last minute pointing into any car windows.

I’m amazed at how quickly some people do move….

Once caught two chaps at it just up from the Jump Gulley in Swinley.

Yes, very much so during the process. It was hell wondering if I’d done the right thing, what would happen to me, would I be broken financially.

But, you get past that. You go beyond the doubt and into the phase where you absolutely know it was right.

I have no regrets now, none. And I can’t entirely understand why I ever worried about it.

Hindsight cures all.

Good luck.

Go up the Super Morzine and Zore lifts.
Follow the fireroad around to the “swiss super highway” singletrack down to the Mossettes lift.
Up the Mossettes
Down and half way down the fireroad until you turn right onto the walkers path to Col de Cou.
Follow the path.
Have a drink at La Pisa
Push:ride up the Col de Cou
At the top double back on self and take the fork that runs along the ridge line
Take this epic piece of single track back into Champery
Cabin out of Champerey
Down the Les Crosets DH
THEN
either back up the Col de Cou and over the far side down into Morzine
OR
back up the Mossettes, follow the fire road down and turn left onto the GR5.
Follow this and take the junction down into Les Linderets
Cycle past Les Marmottes and just around the first few corners (if you get to a goat infested village you’ve gone too far). On a right hand bend you can drop steeply down a grassy and rocky piste. Have fun down there.
Past Cascade du Montriond
Around Lake Montriond
Out at the road.
Go 100yds and take the right fork, go 100yds and drop left into a wooded valley
Follow the signs back into Morzine.
That should wear your legs out.

Or – go to the Tourist office and get a free map. Follow the PPDS route. It’s a long days pedalling but nice scenery.

Politics are not about personality.

I can understand why people would celebrate the day she was thrown out of Number 10 (and I do not celebrate that day). But to celebrate the day she died and to make some sort of retarded song and dance about enjoying an old womans death just seems sick beyond belief.

Uncollected rubbish, black outs during coal strikes, Argentina invading the Falklands, Fire Fighters striking and leaving London to burn (until the Army were sent in), the Iranian Embassy siege……

I’m glad she dealt with all of those.

She hasn’t been a figure in politics for years now except in the bitter minds of people that were likely not even born when she was in power.

What goes on on this forum generally doesn’t bother me – but I do think some of what has been said here goes beyond acceptable.

The selling of a company doesn’t automatically entitle you to a redundancy pay out. If the job is the same and your benefits are not downwardly effected then there’s no reason why redundancy would apply.

HOWEVER, make sure they don’t issue you with a new contract under the new companies name. If they do make sure it has a continuity of service clause otherwise you’ll lose the 8 years entitlement you’ve currently got.

Contract is not needed to bring redundancy claims – you just need to be able to prove they’ve been paying you.

And it is your responsibility as an employee to take lunch breaks – so your employer is not liable.

Having said all of that I might not be right so go and talk to the friendly people at Citizens Advice…..

It’s up to the parent…

How I’d have reacted is already covered.

Didn’t realise this wasn’t your issue……

If the person in question is dead it doesn’t seem worth talking about.

If he wasn’t I’d not be bothering with the police. I’d have a very strong word. If it happened again the consequences of the very strong word would be released.

Winter tyres : Summer tyres.

Not sure I get the difference. I ride the same all year round, you just get seasons where they work better 😉

Er, I had a 20mm converter that you fitted on the ground and then lowered that into the QR…..

Once the back wheel is in the tray you should be able to hold the fork leg. You’re not exactly short Hora.

Hmmmm, I don’t see a problem with them taking the house down sadly.

He has built a beautiful house,it is lovely. But he did it without permission and, in a position where he felt he would not get permission. So he’s gambled with his and his families future.

And to encourage him might be orally admirable but socially stupid. If everyone was allowed to do this I’d have spent a tenth of th value of my house building a perfect abode somewhere wonderful. I don’t think we should praise what we wouldn’t allow as a mass solution.

I do feel for the guy. He’s built a beautiful home in a lovely spot for his family for the fraction of the cost of a box on an estate. But there in lies the issue. Why do we tolerate him and not everyone else who wants a better life?

It isn’t how you will die, it’s a graph of how people died last century.

For instance, I’m unlikely to die of WWII…….

Hmmm,

Redthunder, is that an adjustable thingy for screw backs?

That’d be very useful…….

If it is battery just go to a local jewellers and they them to crack the back off. The little indents in the nice piccie above are locators for the tool – it’s a screw back.

They’ll moan about water proofing and seals, but I’ve always said “don’t care” and asked them to just change the battery – hell it screws off and screws on fine!

A few quid plus a battery is what it should cost.

Biological washing powder works. Just soak it over night.

Doh! Wot he said.

Yes, I was drunk (Draper remix>

It’s nice to hear Ed Balls has been reading this thread and acting upon it!

I’m trying to adjust to my new tax band. Today I have shopped in Sainsburys. It was a truly vile experience and one I do not intend to repeat. I need to find new ways of economising that won’t jeapordise my Waitrose addiction – Hestons Earl Grey infused hot cross buns are just wonderful for afternoon tea.

But, this thread does seem to have lost its way a little. I understand the ethos if paying tax. I just don’t agree with how it is spent.

The thought of segregating the odd county or two isn’t so fat fetched, they use local taxation in Switzerland for instance.

If I ran for Prime Minister I reckon a lot of you would vote for me 🙂

Anyone been made redundent as a result of your “solutions”?

No. That isn’t what I do. Not lost one yet, and don’t intend to.

and time to ride my bike when she’s at school

I’ve gone off you now…..

a lot less of a change in lifestyle and expendable income I’m sure you’d agree. What would you do in my shoes?

Wee in them?

Sorry, couldn’t resist. I’m sorry to hear of your circumstances, and I hope you don’t see that as pointless pity, it is genuine. And I could imagine that you may choose to focus yourself on caring for your daughter which is fully admirable. But I would see this as work for you. You’re not just sitting around smoking weed and doing scratch cards, you’re doing something useful. Good on ya.

DrRSwank – if what you are saying is correct, then as I said above, you are working too hard for the amount you get paid.

No, I’m just annoyed at how my taxes are spent……

But thank you for caring 🙂

Of course it’s your tax money paying for me – a leftie like me wouldn’t be in a private school. But, I’ll be working on my days off for ‘nothing’ and don’t earn enough to worry about higher rates of tax.

I regularly work weekends, evenings etc and get no paid overtime, and, no, I’m not a teacher. But I’m glad to hear I own your ass – now go and do some bloody work…..

Right, enough of the asking what it is I do. I “solve problems” for large organisations. I fix broken projects, mend dysfunctional departments and generally deal with multi-million pound budgets with the aim of saving lots of money. My current deployment is in the EU legal sector where I’m fighting a large punitive damages case. If I win I’ll have saved the company more money then I’ll earn in a hundred lifetimes…..

To be fair, I’m a teacher and am currently arguing on the internet

That’s cheered me up. I hope it’s not my tax pounds paying for you. Oh the irony 😉

Do you actually work any harder than say a nurse, fireman, teacher etc? What is your job? Can we decide on whether or not you actually re hard working? Because right now, you’re arguing discussing something on the internet, rather than doing whatever it is you do. Does your employer know this?

It’s my day off…..

And, READ, the original post. This is a discussion (not an argument) about taxation, not illiteracy.

I’ve no issue with supporting lower incomes people or families. And I clearly have no qualms with others working hard – why would I?

I get taxed. My taxes go up. I don’t like how they are spent. Simple really.

Divorce is quite cheap, certainly cheaper then the interest on 25k.

Boot her.

Just out of interest Dr swank what do you actually do to earn your massive wedge ?

He works hard.

😉

Remove somebody’s choice to work or not and that gives you slave labour my friend.

Poor point well made sir.

I do not want to support the JK crowd, but the government forces me too. So, by being a hard working person I am forced into the paradigm you want to avoid for the non workers.

I’ll go get me shackles adjusted and report in for a whipping with the boss man.

My issue is with how what is taken from me is spent, and how that burden is increasing.
And we’ve already seen that how you think it’s being spent isn’t actually how it’s being spent.

Well not really.

Is any of my income tax spent supporting even one person who is unwilling to work and wants to live on benefits?

If (ha ha) the answer is Yes then my issue remains valid.

But i think maybe if you are working yor nads off and don’t think you are getting enough back from it then the problem is with your employer not the tax regime. I have sympathy, been there, golden handcuffs

Nope. I feel very privileged to have a well paid job. My issue is with how what is taken from me is spent, and how that burden is increasing.

Should we mention yet that people on lower incomes pay out a greater proportion of their incomes at taxes?

Really? My maths is a little rusty but I always thought 20% was smaller then 50%?

Maybe that where my argument is wrong then. God bless taxes increasing as you earn more.

I want my tax back! It’s mine
No it’s not.

Should the government ask for its roads back?

Hmmm, a lot of roads are funded locally, so Council Tax comes into play here. I don’t want to mix taxations.

I don’t think my rant is either ill informed or a rant. It’s what I see, what I read. The country is in trouble, granted, and I’m happy to do my bit. I also have no issue with supporting lower income people/families, or those genuinely seeking work.

But there is a JK generation out there that is choosing to be spoon fed by the state, and this is where my gripe is. I do think we could, and should get these people working. They need to earn the benefits they’re being given.

As for tax being mine, well it sort of is. If I earn £x and get taxed at y% and the government alter the tax brackets to make either y a higher number, or kick in at a lower level (or both!) then my company don’t compensate me – I just lose money I was once taking home.

Oh and stop moaning about tax supporting low income people. Read my original post – my issue is not with them. I’m more than happy that people are working.

I’d just like to see some of the people who are choosing a life of benefits to be pushed into work. It’s time they made a contribution to society.

Surely no-one has an objection to that? (Ok this is STW so someone probably will….).

The comments on “work less” to drop a tax bracket is actually appealing to me at the moment.

So the country is cutting its own revenue sources by squeezing them too hard.

What gets my goat (well, quite a lot of things get my goat) is the fact that I stump up ever increasing tax to fund this country and my reward is to get stuff all of it back ever – because I’ve earned too much. So I’ll likely get no state pension, the expectation will be that I’ll have worked a long life to fund my retirement privately, whilst paying tax to subsidise the non-workers, who will get a state pension (funded by me), and, to top it all, I’ll get taxed on my pension…

I want my tax back! It’s mine. I earned it.

MrSmith hard work has everything to do with entitlement.

I work hard and I’m expected to subsidise those that do not. Doesn’t seem fair. It isn’t incentivising me to work hard….

DD, sadly I’m employed and my employers INSIST on taking tax from me before payment. I wish they wouldn’t.

Listening to early Maiden here also.

But Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell and Rainbows Rising are faves (I like my Dio).

Happy with mine. I get more money back in terms of the return from bill payments then they take from me. AND the interest rate is pretty handy (it is taxed at source but only at standard rate, so if you’re a higher rate tax payer you should really fess up to the tally man).

Banks are generally all money grabbing gits so I do tend to shop around accounts and credit cards. The 123 Credit Card is also pretty good. Pay it off, in full, every month and it generates a reasonable cash back. And if you have a 123 current account the membership fee for the credit card is zero. Seems like free money to me (as long as you pay it off each month).

And no, I don’t work for Santander….