What annoyed you today?

[Oldboy]

Here we go again. 

House of Commons speaker John Bercow has signed off a £9m taxpayer-funded budget rise for Parliament. This is despite the National Audit Office (NAO) refusing to approve last year's accounts because of MPs' expenses worries and despite huge ongoing public service cuts. The £9m hike takes the House of Commons budget from £219m to £228m. How's that for setting an example of public cost-cutting?



Few house-keeping worries
Not great, as Emma Boon, from the Taxpayers' Alliance told the Mail. "It's disgraceful that the budget is increasing on the day the NAO told authorities that last year's accounts simply weren't up to scratch. It sets the very worst example to ask for more money at a time when the public sector as a whole needs to cut spending."

The latest Office of National Statistics reveals the depth of the public service cuts. The last quarterly set of results showed that 104,000 public sector jobs have gone - this figure is five times larger than the Office for Budgetary Responsibility had originally predicted for the whole year, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).


Reputation
But the depth of the cuts appear to not suggest any house-keeping concerns for Commons speaker, John Bercow. Meanwhile the Independent Parliament Standards Authority have also disclosed that 21 MPs have again been breaking the new expenses code, introduced last year.

Remember, we are all in this together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[spinner]

The 'Occupy Wall Street' protests haven't caught on in the UK yet? We're getting them here in Canada in the major cities.

[Markulous]

Here we go again. 

House of Commons speaker John Bercow has signed off a £9m taxpayer-funded budget rise for Parliament. This is despite the National Audit Office (NAO) refusing to approve last year's accounts because of MPs' expenses worries and despite huge ongoing public service cuts. The £9m hike takes the House of Commons budget from £219m to £228m. How's that for setting an example of public cost-cutting?

In a similar vein, I caught the Unison protest at the Tory party conference in Manchester. Protesters were from a charity (whose name I forget) involved in looking after the elderly - seems they've been told to take a 20% pay cut as the local councils don't have the funding as per previous contracts. Wasn't that which got up my nose, it was the Fat Cat Chief Exec who said he wasn't taking a pay cut "because it wouldn't make any difference". Well, what about actually doing something to boost the morale of your workforce you nauseating get - like taking the same pay cut! 

I'm so fed up with the "captains of industry" awarding themselves vast salaries/pensions whilst the workforce get laid off or have their pay cut. The argument that they have to be paid ludicrous amounts only holds true when everyone is overpaid - and as for the argument to abolish the 50% tax because "it punishes wealth creation": someone's having a laugh (at our expense, unfortunately!) 

[jinky]

Just had another book from Printerpix from a Groupon offer. Quite the worst colour profile management I have ever seen. Flat, lifeless and not true to the images - proven by the fact that the same images were printed very well by photobox and Argos in other trial books and using my calibrated monitor. This followed a failed earlier book with them that they printed 3 times each time apologising that they had problems getting profiles right just now when converting from the requested SRGB files to CMYK!!!! Why did I order 2 - blame groupon orders purchased at the same time resulting in a £10 outlay instead of their claimed £75 + value ( yeah right). The leather album they are currently pushing is the cheapest, nastiest excuse for a leather album I have ever seen. More like plastic coated hard book. Posted a nasty note on their facebook page and currently seeking a £10 refund as I would not trust them to deliver a properly printed one having failed 4 times. Black and white images had mysterious yellow colours in them where no yellow had been!!! Avoid them like the plague.

[Oldboy]

Up early and out before dawn to catch the sunrise through the mist. Got down to Swan pool and it was covered in a deep mist, so set up tripod with camera and waited for the sun to rise. Bloody cloud came over before the sun rose and blocked it completely...Grrrrrrrr. 

[Markulous]

WAYT?

A certain decision by an Englishman with a French father - the worst bit of refereeing I've seen since the French ref a few years ago who was so unfit that he couldn't keep up with the play!

[spinner]

Arrggh Damn Apple! Spent the last two days setting up Foliobook, had 7 galleries populated and named and the damn IOS 5 upgrade has wiped them all!!

[Hinfrance]

Arrggh Damn Apple! Spent the last two days setting up Foliobook, had 7 galleries populated and named and the damn IOS 5 upgrade has wiped them all!!

"Apples just work™"

You are clearly mistaken 

[Graham]

Arrggh Damn Apple! Spent the last two days setting up Foliobook, had 7 galleries populated and named and the damn IOS 5 upgrade has wiped them all!!

"Apples just work"

You are clearly mistaken 

    Apple crumbles.





                                                                          (See what I did there. )

[Hinfrance]

WAYT?

A certain decision by an Englishman with a French father - the worst bit of refereeing I've seen since the French ref a few years ago who was so unfit that he couldn't keep up with the play!

The ref is Irish . . . it was an illegal tackle in an important match.

Not to say that Wales didn't deserve to win, because they did, but they made too many unforced errors.

That France will be annihilated by whoever they meet in the final is almost a given.

[Markulous]

Thanks! Don't know why ITV gave out he was English - knew he lived and worked in Ireland

Yeah, Wales definitely missed out on chances but that early decision made it into an enormous ask - and no other ref has actually red-carded for what is definitely a dangerous tackle (actually, I can't remember anyone ever being red-carded in any match!). Concensus seemed to be that it definitely warranted a discussion with the other refs before taking hasty action.

As you say, France (who played in their usual fashion throughout the cup: abysmally or quite well) will probably lose in the final (we can hope so as I reckon they were the least deserving of all the teams to progress beyond the heats)

[spinner]

WAMT? Bad coincidences. Very heavy rain last night coincided with a leak coming from the ceiling down an inside wall in my bathroom.  Thought, oh hell roof leaks. Called a roofer in to check. Before the roofer arrived I realized, it's stopped raining and been stopped for about 3 hrs. but the leak in the wall was still there, in fact it was stronger. So, I shut off the water to the house. Guess what, the leak stopped. So I apparently have a broken pipe behind my wall. Waters off, I've taken down the medicine cabinet and wall decorations. I'm now about to cut a hole in the wall large enough for a 245 lb. (sorry don't know Stones) man to step through.

[Oldboy]

WAMT? Bad coincidences. Very heavy rain last night coincided with a leak coming from the ceiling down an inside wall in my bathroom.  Thought, oh hell roof leaks. Called a roofer in to check. Before the roofer arrived I realized, it's stopped raining and been stopped for about 3 hrs. but the leak in the wall was still there, in fact it was stronger. So, I shut off the water to the house. Guess what, the leak stopped. So I apparently have a broken pipe behind my wall. Waters off, I've taken down the medicine cabinet and wall decorations. I'm now about to cut a hole in the wall large enough for a 245 lb. (sorry don't know Stones) man to step through.

There are 14lbs to a Stone, so 245lbs equal 17.5 stone. 

Sounds like it's not an easy job then! 

[spinner]

WAMT? Bad coincidences. Very heavy rain last night coincided with a leak coming from the ceiling down an inside wall in my bathroom.  Thought, oh hell roof leaks. Called a roofer in to check. Before the roofer arrived I realized, it's stopped raining and been stopped for about 3 hrs. but the leak in the wall was still there, in fact it was stronger. So, I shut off the water to the house. Guess what, the leak stopped. So I apparently have a broken pipe behind my wall. Waters off, I've taken down the medicine cabinet and wall decorations. I'm now about to cut a hole in the wall large enough for a 245 lb. (sorry don't know Stones) man to step through.

There are 14lbs to a Stone, so 245lbs equal 17.5 stone. 

Sounds like it's not an easy job then! 

No, who knew there all these different pipes in there. Water, Sewage from the upstairs bathroom, heating. I've done enough damage to realize, I can't get inside no matter how big a hole I make.
I've realized it's a job for a professional. I can't even see the leak so more walls are coming down no doubt. 

[Oldboy]

No, who knew there all these different pipes in there. Water, Sewage from the upstairs bathroom, heating. I've done enough damage to realize, I can't get inside no matter how big a hole I make.
I've realized it's a job for a professional. I can't even see the leak so more walls are coming down no doubt. 

Doesn't sound good.