Wishing the UK well on Wednesday...

Well I wouldn't have been at home but then I am of independent character and wasn't it only a minority who voted for a walkout out iof the totals? But I can tell you this. When I was driving Trainz yesterday there were no pickets (narry a one honestly)and thanks to me being General Manager but not a "fat" controller.:hehe: That's definite!
 
They should just be thankful that they have a job!

BTW. 2 year pay freeze, company pension having to pay more, Local bus rises faster than pay, Christmas party stopped one year, Working longer till I'm 67.

Yes, that's the typical private selector lot, these days. Where were the unions then? Just because the unions only power is with the public sector, is it right that they should only stick up for them? :confused:

Where was all the strikes under New-Labour Government? Nice the see them back again when the red's are not in power. :p

Sorry, but both the public and private sector are in this together. We may not like it, but at the end of the day, why should one lot of workers get a better deal than the rest?

As for trainz here's a picture.

DSC00611.jpg



Regards.
CaptEngland
 
Yes, that's the typical private selector lot, these days. Where were the unions then? Just because the unions only power is with the public sector, is it right that they should only stick up for them? :confused:
ASLEF, isn't a public sector union and they do very nicely thank you.

BTW my employer, the Home Office, is in a 3 year pay freeze, my transportation costs are rising faster than my pay, by 2015 1 in 3 HQ jobs will have gone and on present offer I'll be paying more for my pension and retiring when I'm 67.

And we've always had to pay for our own Christmas parties. :)
 
on present offer I'll be paying more for my pension and retiring when I'm 67.

I think the thing that most annoys me, is the number of people bashing public sector pensions 'because I don't have a pension', when they fail to realise, or even accept if told, that public sector pensions are paid for by the public sector workers themselves (13% of annual pay for teachers, dunno about other workers), exactly like a private pension in the private sector.

The outrage is because the government wants to reduce the payout and keep the pay-in the same, essentially brazenly taking the pension payments to spend on pointless wars in asia.

In fact, the teachers' pensions situation is doubly annoying because it was 100% in the black, and fully funded for all current teachers, which is not something that can be said for state pensions, which many private sector workers who refused to take a private pension will be using when they retire.

But hey, the americanised 'I only care about what I get, let the poor rot in the streets' attitude from the right wing is sickening in this country.
 
@ CaptEngland

Nice to see a Trainz shot in this thread amongst all of the politics.

Great Western Hall class if I’m not mistaken.

I can’t quite make out the name, which I was wondering might have some association with this thread. Given the way the country is possibly drifting, it’s not, “Bu@@er ‘all” is it?

Cheers
Casper
 
@Mezzoprezzo - it's Pitchford Hall - I'm sure there's some mileage out of renaming her Pitchfork......

The revolting side of Anthony :p
 
A salute to the mother country, even though you did burn our Capitol. Many of us are beginning to think that wasn't such a bad idea.:hehe:

From an Anglophile to Great Britain.

Bernie
 
A salute to the mother country, even though you did burn our Capitol. Many of us are beginning to think that wasn't such a bad idea.:hehe:

I'd just offer a couple of Winston Churchill's quotes.

" It has been said that democracy is the worst form of goverment except all the others that have been tried."

“The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.”
 
Sir Winston may have been one of the greatest men, period. Please keep the British humor coming. There is nothing like the understatement and the irony.

Bernie
 
I think the thing that most annoys me, is the number of people bashing public sector pensions 'because I don't have a pension', when they fail to realise, or even accept if told, that public sector pensions are paid for by the public sector workers themselves (13% of annual pay for teachers, dunno about other workers), exactly like a private pension in the private sector.

The outrage is because the government wants to reduce the payout and keep the pay-in the same, essentially brazenly taking the pension payments to spend on pointless wars in asia.

In fact, the teachers' pensions situation is doubly annoying because it was 100% in the black, and fully funded for all current teachers, which is not something that can be said for state pensions, which many private sector workers who refused to take a private pension will be using when they retire.

But hey, the americanised 'I only care about what I get, let the poor rot in the streets' attitude from the right wing is sickening in this country.


Absolutely spot on!

I work in the private sector and haven't seen a pay increase in 11 years. It costs me money to go to work now because my pay hasn't kept up with inflation. In other words I'm operating at a loss and if i were a company, I'd have to lay off workers and close buildings, but people can't do that!

This happens while the CEO goes off to buy a $150,000,000 house somewhere, and then another airplane.

The people striking are the 99% speaking out against the rich bankers who want to continue control of everything.

Sorry to make this even more political.

Cap. - nice GW locomotive. :D

John
 
Sir Winston may have been one of the greatest men, period. Please keep the British humor coming. There is nothing like the understatement and the irony.

Bernie

Urgh, gotta disagree there, he was a horrible monster that got a 'good rap' by being the prime minister to fight and defeat hitler (yeah, yeah, Chamberlain was in power for a short while, but lets ignore that for a minute).

Pre-war he was a terrible politician who advocated dropping poison gas on Indian and Iraqi civilians to 'keep them in line' when they rebelled for home rule. As chancellor of the exchequer he was responsible for speeding up the great depression's impact on the UK by creating a deflationary mess by returning to the gold standard. He even managed to get british troops pointlessly involved in the russian civil war - on the wrong side, of course. His attitude towards the communists was about on par with the atittude clarkson exuded this week, and in a modern media-rich setting, Churchill would likely have received the same reaction.

Post-war he was a terrible politician, again responding to home rule protests by sending troops up against civilians in Kenya and Malaysia and some questionable actions in Iran's 1953 coup. Part of his failure was trying to hold two offices - Prime Minister AND Secretary of defence. His bullhead attitude was NOT an asset when dealing with the declining empire of the 1950s. Most were glad when he retired in 1955. There is no question that the party would have lost the election in 1957 had he remained in power (they did lose anyway, mind you). Part of the problem was that he was acting senile, although he always maintained it was just his 'black dog' of depression.

Still, Eden wasn't much better, but that's another story.

Churchill's stubbornness was what we needed in WW2 though, no question about that, but beyond that? Terrible person who should have disappeared into the shadows in 1945 when he had chance.

Of course, he keeps getting voted 'best briton ever' because hardly anyone remembers the 1950s or the 1930s, and just focuses entirely on his wartime record.
 
Your post is read, acknowledged, and considered. To avoid getting shut down, let's let it sit with the acknowledgment there was never a hero that did not have feet of clay, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses Grant, and Abraham Lincoln from my spot on the planet included.

Bernie
 
But hey, the americanised 'I only care about what I get, let the poor rot in the streets' attitude from the right wing is sickening in this country.

The U.K. and the U.S. must have very different ideas of what constitutes left-wing versus right-wing, because in the U.S., big labor is wholly left-wing, and totally engrossed with favoring it's membership at the expense of everybody else. That's why the 97% of us who don't work for the government may have to work to retirement age and beyond to pay for the 3% to retire as young as 43 with a lifetime pension and top-shelf healthcare benefits.
 
There is no question that the party would have lost the election in 1957 had he remained in power (they did lose anyway, mind you).
No election in 1957. 1959 was the date and the Conservatives retained power with 49% of the vote.

Undeniably, Churchill had imperial views that in the 21st centuary would be condemned out of hand, but selective memory seems to be catching.

It was Churchill who in 1908, introduced the Trade Boards Bill setting up the first minimum wages in Britain, and in 1909, set up Labour Exchanges to help unemployed people find work. He also helped draft the first unemployment pension legislation, the National Insurance Act of 1911. Churchill was part of the Liberal administration that arguably laid the foundations for the welfare state.

Britain returned to the gold standard in 1925 which Churchill later acknowledged as a mistake.

He was out of office for the entirety of the 1930s so that's probably why no-one blames him for the actions of the British government during this decade.

As to holding two posts in the 1951 administration, he was Minister of Defence from 28 October 1951 to February 1952, about four months. As a side note, this administration included Florence Horsbrugh the first female cabinet minister.

Anyway, as in all matters it is best to research information for yourself rather than rely on second or third hand opinions.
:)


"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.
"

"There are a terrible lot of lies going around the world, and the worst of it is half of them are true."
 
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Well Nikkia is certainly keeping humour alive!

Publc workers pay for their own pensions? No they don't they pay partly and the rest comes from taxpayers. Some are public workers but the vast majority of working taxpayers are in the private sector and they are contributing to the Public Sector. I would go further into being a bit niggly and say that having worked in the Publ side it is cushy with all sorts of things that you don't get in a private job.There are areas where there are far too many folk working for the State or the Local Authority and many have job titles that are a nonsense just to create a position. The Unions nowadays having declined so much are falling into an apartheid system where their main focus and support is in the Public workers. Do I think they will mount the same campaign for those in the Private? As much chance as Partick Thistle winning the Scottish Cup! They are partisan as you are being with no wider vision.

As for the attacks on civilians in places like Kenya and Malaya that one did make me laugh so well done there! So the despeicable Mau-Mau in Kenya were innocents. The same "civilians" who chopped heads and limbs off people under the Communist red banner? They led the rebellion and we rightly put them down. And the Red terror in Malaya? You might as well call the Viet Cong civilians! Kind of shows how taking excerpts out of history can be ill-used or even a lack of wider knowledge. Churchill never said he wasn't an Imperialist it was stuff of the times and he was a very capable leader during the 2nd WW when we stood alone against the Nazis and gave some glimmer of hope to a conquered Europe. During the 20's he constantly made public warnings about Hilter and the Third Reich and was proved right right. Chamberlain could never have done that indeed he was a softy and along with Lord Halifax would have sold this country out - and Europe.

When he came back into power 5 years after the War, I would remind it was by free and secret ballot of millions who put him into No 10 again following the fiasco of your lot having done us down and left us with coupons before buying food!

Yep, amusing stuff there Nikki but unfortunately you have used as Poiret would say - the grey cells have not been used too wisely or knowlegeably! :)
 
FYI, before any mod gets the inkling in his head that this thread should be closed, it's good to hear some history from those who have lived it or are currently living it. Even if we don't all agree, I know it has more value than is immediately obvious.

...And it does affect our railroads, past, present and future. So THERE! :p
 
I can still remember Churchill prior to his death. Not quite so effective after 1945.

Great as a war leader though.

90cfff32.jpg
 
Publc workers pay for their own pensions? No they don't they pay partly and the rest comes from taxpayers. Some are public workers but the vast majority of working taxpayers are in the private sector and they are contributing to the Public Sector.

This is an accurate summation. The BBC has excellent information on public sector pensions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10912958

However, most public services were once provided by the private sector. Perhaps fire fighting should return to individual insurance companies and doctors should charge for all visits. Naturally everyone should pay for the cost of their own medication as well. I also hope that parents will have enough to pay for their children's education.


I would go further into being a bit niggly and say that having worked in the Publ side it is cushy with all sorts of things that you don't get in a private job.There are areas where there are far too many folk working for the State or the Local Authority and many have job titles that are a nonsense just to create a position.

This may once have been true, but I suspect is now somewhat out of date
.

The Unions nowadays having declined so much are falling into an apartheid system where their main focus and support is in the Public workers. Do I think they will mount the same campaign for those in the Private? As much chance as Partick Thistle winning the Scottish Cup! They are partisan as you are being with no wider vision.

Unions can only support their members. If private sector workers don't join a union then how can they be supported?

The BIS has statistics on union membership

http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/employment-matters/research/trade-union-stats


During the 20's he constantly made public warnings about Hilter and the Third Reich and was proved right right. Chamberlain could never have done that indeed he was a softy and along with Lord Halifax would have sold this country out - and Europe.

Surely that should be the 30s? As to Chamberlain, perhaps you may recognise these words:

"It fell to Neville Chamberlain in one of the supreme crises of the world to be contradicted by events, to be disappointed in his hopes, and to be deceived and cheated by a wicked man. But what were these hopes in which he was disappointed? What were these wishes in which he was frustrated? What was that faith that was abused? They were surely among the most noble and benevolent instincts of the human heart-the love of peace, the toil for peace, the strife for peace, the pursuit of peace, even at great peril, and certainly to the utter disdain of popularity or clamour.

Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned."

When he came back into power 5 years after the War, I would remind it was by free and secret ballot of millions who put him into No 10 again following the fiasco of your lot having done us down and left us with coupons before buying food!

I can't help feeling that the fact of rationing in the early fifties was rather more the result of the devestation and bankruptcy of the UK caused by the Second Worls War than by the Labour administration of 1945-51.
 
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When I was a young boy, my Grandfather told me to never discuss politics or religion with anyone other than the immediate members of our Family. I didn't understand why at the time but now I do. It always leads to trouble.

Of course there are many Forums where political discussions are appropriate and welcome, but this isn't one of them. It's about Trainz and trains here.

Cheers

AJ
 
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