coldel

Happy 54th birthday mate

Good post Rich - I would agree with most I wouldnt agree you can strike because of working more than is reasonable, at the moment I get into work at around 6:30am and finish around 7:30ish every day, I get paid 9:30-5:30 - i am doing 13 hour days minimum as the norm. Its what you have to do to keep your business alive in tough times - I am not looking to other people to bail me out. I can see why people went public sector, in the old days it was a 'job for life' etc but I dont think that will be the case ever again - I dont agree that striking to sustain that approach is correct. You are right that we shouldnt lump public sector together. As I posted earlier a small minority actually bothered to vote yes (less than a third), that doesnt even include people such as yourself who arent members of unions and are against the striking action. The vote to strike was made by a minority led by union leaders who are leading their own agenda which may or may not be for the good of their workers, that is a bit sad in my view.

I got flyeye on my car, prefer to have the internals painted though - it does look stunning with it on - but does cut down the amount of light by something like 8%-10% by all accounts

Good post Roo, nicely put. I remember a couple of years ago Sky News had a country budget simulator, you chose what was important be it education, military, etc and then ran the simulator based on the amount of money the government had - it was a no win situation, the money ran out before you could do all you wanted to do. You had to give up on some areas to maintain others.

Will the beam be pointing in the wrong direction though?

FTSE 10,000-12,000 company

Oh good grief, I have to read this tonight, sounds like a barrel of laughs and could do with cheering up

Want to get mine done too...keeping an eye out for that member

6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Nobody is taking away pensions that have already been accrued! That's the thing. Nothing is being "taken away" from anybody. Everybody now has a choice. They either stick with the proposed arrangements or they can leave and go work in a the private sector. My understanding is that everything accrued to-date stands. I totally understand that point of view, and its 'unfair' that things change, but thats how the world works things change. Jobs for life and and meaty pensions are a thing of the past, it is not sustainable business arrangement. Should you be taking that up with Mr Cameron, I dont think so, you should be hunting out the PM who was in charge when you signed up. I understand why people are fighting for pensions, of course you would, its a lovely way to see out your older years. Will you win, no, never, because it is unsustainable. Private companies that 'promised' X Y and Z to employees are cutting back, taking things away, rationalising their businesses - its happened to everyone. So, leave the public sector, get your higher paid private job (if you can find one) and then see that extra money you earn taken from you and spent holding up an unsustainable public sector pension fund and then argue the case for it PS not meant you as in you Stuarty just public sector in general

Is this meant to be news in any case? I havent had a pay rise in two years, yet inflation hasn't stood still...I am worse off now. I think you are almost coming to the crux of it and why there is always so little public sympathy. As the private sector gets taxed more and pays out more whilst at the same time having pay freezes and benefits frozen or taken away, the public sector seems to think it should be immune to the prevailing conditions of a countries economy. There is no doubting its 'not fair' on the public sector (although not in the idiotic manner that is described above - what muppets what jokers and the public sector workers entrust these people are you kidding me!!!!!), and no one will disagree that the nurses etc work hard - but we are all in this together as far as I can see. Take the hit, everyone else is, and if you dont like it, move to the private sector if we are all so well off in it.

I think what is really sad is how many people genuinely buy into the unions chatter, for instance the 'overwhelming action to strike as voted by their members' - just looked at some numbers in the press which showed 1.9m ballot papers sent out, 38% actually voted, and 75% voted yes. So this overwhelming vote was in fact out of a possible 1.9m just 540k people voted yes, less than a third...

I would say there has to be a link, by default? That the effect of one impacts another? If money is wasted through mismanagement and ineffectiveness and that money comes from a government pot of cash, then that government is effectively in a weaker position financially. In a weaker position financially means that there is less money to be spent on things such as say pension funds. Maybe I am seeing it in too far a simple context and am prepared to be shot down by someone who knows better but there has to be something in it. If money is being wasted, there is less of it to go around? I guess at the end of the day the country cannot sustain the public pensions pot, thats it really. I was promised pay rises and bonuses at companies I have worked at but on some occasions financially it was just impossible, I accepted it was more important that the company stay afloat with myself working for it than trying to force something financially that wasn't viable. I know its tough and the public sector isnt a glamorous place to work - but the fact is your employer is on the verge of bankruptcy it sucks, but its happened to everyone and its not a case of standing up to 'this bullying government' its the cold hard fact of life as things are.

Remember the rear badges have location holes, so you will need to fill and spray if you debadge altogether

Good to see your posts Vik, I imagine there are lots of nonsense going on and even as a teenager without a clue how to run a business if I could see what they were doing in the civil service was almost schoolboy style compared to my weekend job in McDonalds which is a fantastically efficient company - surely, surely the answer is not to keep draining the already empty government coffers and to actually create a system that is better managed and financial astute. Striking makes no difference, there is no money to give I know that's easy to say, and the answer is probably 'too much red tape' etc but it has to change sometime. Something has to change. A good start is the unions who are always backward looking than forward shaping.

Just watching TV, some school where the headmistress has never been on strike for 36 years is sitting there saying 'the government aren't listening' etc so she is now striking. I am trying hard to see her point of view, it must have taken a lot for her to do this, but I think the lines that are spun by union leaders to these people are so far out of touch with reality that it is sad, that someone that experienced, falls for it. Yes, headmistress is right, the government aren't funding schools enough, it isn't funding many areas, but thats life as it is at the moment. I have been made redundant twice in two years, im in my fourth job, a couple of times i only managed to find another job with weeks to spare before my notice period ran out - life is tough headmistress, you should be chuffed you have sat it out in one job for thirty odd years As for the initial post, I think the fact that payroll changes take months to be checked illustrates perfectly how badly mismanaged and how inefficient the public sector engine ticks over it really needs a shake down, less money thrown at it and better working practices implemented. I remember working in the civil service as a 19 year old on my year out from uni, even back then I was gobsmacked at how badly that was run as a business.

The stuff I have been posting up has had no bids on it when I post it...so dont feel that guilty. Although a while back there was a carbon engine cover up for about 20 quid, I stuck it on here with about 5 mins to go and it went to a member on here for 40 quid. Now, I did suddenly feel guilty that someone may have lost out, but then again conversely I helped out someone on here. Anyway I dont post up stuff like that anymore.

Can see your point Rich But then again is it just happening here? Or are most forums doing it, or most owners clubs in fact. Or just mates telling other mates and so on and so forth. You could argue that by not putting stuff up other bidders who have been made aware of an item are at an advantage. ebay is a public auction site - its up in the public eye - as much as I have bought a few things I have also been outbid on, does it bother me that other people may have been made aware of the stuff I was bidding on, not really if I really want something I go buy it, if i get the occasional bargain then all the better

Happy to hand on the baton !

Looks like I am going into retirement

With my new clutch and flywheel in my biting point was certainly much lower than it was previously...

Lots of posts on this...have a 'SEARCH' see what you turn up. From my own experience, I bought a Zed with 42k on the clock with a high clutch, it went 2k miles later. Some people say their clutch is just high though and drives fine...

Stunned, utterly stunned. Was turning from a brilliant player into a brilliant manager...so much to look forward to.

I am wondering whether to move the plate down onto the grill, any problems with restricting airflow into the engine bay doing this though?