I have no idea who these media election commentator ‘pundits’ were watching on Thursday night but it can’t have been the debate that the rest of us were. How can anyone possibly think that David Cameron ‘won’ this debate? A debate is where people get together to answer questions in the most effective and persuasive manner and I can’t think of a single issue which David Cameron didn’t avoid. He avoided answering the questions asked about fair taxes by failing to address Gordon Brown’s assertions that he is planning to cut tax for wealthy families inheritence tax while cutting Tax Credit for poorer families like myself. He also refused to address immigration by again repeating his pledge of a ‘cap’ when even the most basic of intellect knows that you simply CANNOT put a ‘cap’ on people coming in from the EU (otherwise what would be the point in an EU, right?).
Personally, I think that Clegg’s policies were mapped out in the clearest terms and I think he came across the best as well. The other two had very little to challenge him on and when they did they received a sound rebuff and really were made to look desperate and clawing.
I’m not interested in ‘persona politics’, I’m interested in what is best for my family (as a low income parent) and I’m so happy to hear that someone is planning to cut people earning under £10,000 out of the tax system. Emergency tax for those going back into work, on a low income, can have a devastating effect on the care you can provide for your children. No wonder people stay on benefits. I think Nick Clegg managed to bring common sense to the table and he wasn’t to busy trying to avoid ‘alarming’ all his mates in the city/private business’s (Cameron was obvious in this to the extreme in my view, harping on about ‘business interest’ when people are struggling to give their children a lunch in the afternoon) ……
Sorry, but for me, Clegg was the clear winner although Labour have really benefitted me in the past with Tax Credit etc… I know I will be voting Lib Dem’s this year and I know more people who are in the same boat.
Thanks
Monthly Archives: April 2010
A Simple Change In Upper-Middle Class Ideology About Benefit Claimants Is As Far Off As Ever…
I posted a link to this Guardian article on my Facebook which talks about the poverty faced by those on benefits which is ignored (especially in an election) in favour of a hard line on benefit ‘cheats’. An extremely interesting read. Whilst this kind of outspoken activism on the subject of benefits has probably always existed, it probably hasn’t received this degree (albeit still very little) of interest in the past few years. I suspect but for the recession, where more and more middle and upper-middle class people find themselves jobless (especially the ‘Yah’ type students’) this would be yet another article on how so-called benefit scroungers need to be taken to task for living in luxury at the expense of the hard-working tax payer. Although maybe not.More and more people I know are finding themselves in this position and suddenly realise that the ‘luxury’ they thought unemployed people ‘lived in’ is non-existant. The word ‘benefits’ is a misnomer. It should be called ‘hardship’ because that is what life is really like when you are unemployed, by necessity or circumstance. But of course, people either lack the maturity of life experience (although I suspect more people than previous years have learned this lesson) or simple empathy for the people facing the harsh realities of poverty. Ta.
@c0rnflake_girL swears like a Drunken Sailor: a LOL!
Cursebird Report: @c0rnflake_girL swears like a Drunken Sailor. Ranked: 718,150th worldwide. – http://cursebird.com/c0rnflake_girL
Cursebird: What the f#@! is everyone swearing about?
Seven Day Overview
Viewing the shit on c0rnflake_girL
c0rnflake_girL swears like a Drunken Sailor
Ranked: 718,150th worldwide Swears: 18 Score: 79 of 100
- @Mummy_Fitz aye moved hoose. fuck knows what i did with it.planked it for safe keeping then forgot.nae cunt would know what it was…altho
— c0rnflake_girL #12566071021 3 days ago
- its fucked up when you canny tell if you’ve lost weight or put in on.
— c0rnflake_girL #12565832869 3 days ago
- is it fucked up to go to the pictures, yerself, on a weeknight? jist tell me straight. id do shit like that. ive no social compass
— c0rnflake_girL #12466229772 5 days ago
- im doing a spreadsheet trying to move around the way my finances look to make it look less fucked. I’m no as bad as some folk, i tell maself
— c0rnflake_girL #12445461784 5 days ago
- Lassie wi the pockmarked/boil ridden face has had it fixed.Pity they canny fix her personality.And WHO THE FUCK does Pixie’s makeup???wthf?
— c0rnflake_girL #12412155416 6 days ago
- @Mummy_Fitz she looks smug as fuck in EVERYTHING.
— c0rnflake_girL #12409415372 6 days ago
- I would fuck three shades of sunshine out of the guy who plays Christian in Eastenders and whos on Over The Rainbow. I know he’s gay but so.
— c0rnflake_girL #12408897652 6 days ago
- you want to have seen the fucken NICK of me trying to put a sock on there. I need to sort my fucking life out.
— c0rnflake_girL #12404313259 6 days ago
- #leadersdebate ok fuck up wi the tributes. talk is cheap cuntos lets talk TURKEY shall we?
— c0rnflake_girL #12242825032 1 week ago
- I think wee Laurence has sprouted about 2 inches since he’s got that Wii. Stauning playing it and aw that physical activity. fuck that PS3
— c0rnflake_girL #12110200453 2 weeks ago
- It’s another lovely day. A whole day I have to pretend to be interested that its a lovely day and listen to people talk shit about it. fuck.
— c0rnflake_girL #12037007513 2 weeks ago
- @Mummy_Fitz ….the fuck……? MATE!!!
— c0rnflake_girL #10115786293 on March 7, 2010
- What the fuck are you DOING? SAY SOMETHING!!!!!
— c0rnflake_girL #6120700852 on November 27, 2009
- Id stab that cunt in the vodafone advert. Twice.
— c0rnflake_girL #6093153992 on November 26, 2009
- Fuck sake. If u get to THAT age u shouldny have to impress anycunt with looking good…your an achievement all of your own. This is grim
— c0rnflake_girL #6059956230 on November 25, 2009
- Absolutely FUCK being in the army. I admire them all so much. I know I would be an ABSOLUTE shitebag. Godspeed troops.
— c0rnflake_girL #6016155459 on November 24, 2009
- I love Kim Woodburn. BY FUCK is Sam Fox hacket. And I LOVE LOVE COLIN & JUSTIN.
— c0rnflake_girL #5929114241 on November 21, 2009
- I’ve unfollowed perez hilton because I canny be fucked reading about his glamour filled lifestyle and other causes. Fuck him.
— c0rnflake_girL #5898775020 on November 20, 2009
// // //
Glasgow City Council: Successfully Destroying Working Parents
In August, THIS ARTICLE appeared in the Evening Times Newspaper. (Have a read)
It detailed how Glasgow City Council were increasing the cost of Early Years nursery place to £2 per hour. This might not sound like a lot but effectively it was double what prices had previously been.
The worst part was to come. The council was taking away the power from the individual nurseries to collect payment from parents, usually very straightforward. The parents were informed that they would get an invoice in the post which they could pay on a monthly basis, or set up a monthly direct debit. That sounded reasonable at first but when August came and went and hardly anyone received their invoice, it started to become obvious that Glasgow City Council might not be up to the challenge of managing this operation quite in the way they’d hoped.
In mid January I heard that lot’s of people who’d been waiting for invoices to arrive had gotten them through but were being told flatly that they had SEVEN DAYS to pay the outstanding amount, in some cases over £700, or their children would lose their places and they would be taken to court. I heard that some women were leaving the Nursery Centre in tears because they had been told that the centre was having to reduce their child’s hours of care (on the orders of the council) and what did this mean for their jobs? How were they going to find someone to care for their child? It was a catch 22, massive bill they couldn’t pay, reduced nursery hours therefor reduced working hours, less money and facing court action?!?
I was shocked at all of this. I was EVEN more shocked when I saw THIS ARTICLE in the Evening Times.The Council were trying to lay the blame for this MASSIVE cock-up at the door of the hundreds and hundreds of parents who had been invoiced after 7 months and were now struggling to pay a massive backdated bill. They were making out that people just hadn’t been paying, rather than the Council being so horrificly managed that they had rushed through a new system without the proper means to put it into place.
Eventually I got an invoice (had to call and demand that they EMAIL me it) from August to February was for OVER £600 and the other was for £125 for Feb-March period. I was told I could pay as much as I could per month to the large balance (“As long as you pay something per month it should be fine!”) but had to pay February’s invoice immediately to stop hours being reduced.
I paid off the fee for the month PLUS an extra £50 to the larger amount. I had a call from someone to make sure I’d paid February off but other than that I didn’t receive any other correspondence.
Then Friday the 16th April I get a letter from the Council telling me that says,
‘Despite previous demands for payment, I have failed to settle the above noted amount (£582.00) IN FULL. Unless payment is received within 7 days of this letter, court action will commence forthwith and you may be liable for any expenses incurred. You are warned that when decree has been obtained, enforcement action will be taken which could result in an EARNINGS ARRESTMENT or BANK ARRESTMENT. Where appropriate the City Council may consider Sequestration proceedings against you. This action could seriously affect your credit rating.
These ‘previous demands’ for payment had come as a shock to me since I hadn’t had any letters from the Council whatsoever. I contacted the Early Year’s team today and was told that ‘maybe they had got lost in the post?‘, well that would be highly odd since I get every other piece of mail without issue. I am informed that the initial ‘4 week block’ that was placed on the large amount has since come to an end (really?) and the Council require payment IMMEDIATELY. I informed the nice lady that as a parent on a low-income (working part-time) and a student that I simply did not have nearly £600 to pay out. I offered to pay the council at £50 per month but apparently ‘they do not have the facility to set up payment agreements but that is something they are looking at for next year!’ (helpful). I’m told that there will be an 8 week block put on any further action being taken but that the amount MUST be paid or my son’s hours will be reduced to the basic 3 hours per day and I will be pursued for the outstanding amount.
So, in summary, the Council have screwed up royally by trying to centralise the fees payments for 126 nurseries, not had the correct systems and procedures in place and now hard-working parents are facing having to jeopardise their jobs because their child’s daycare hours are reduced and credit ratings are being destroyed because they are being pursued through the courts rather than being allowed to agree payment plans where appropriate. I understand that many people will be able to afford more than others but in the cases of LOW INCOME parents, how is it good practise to put full pressure to pay (within 8 weeks) and not allow payment agreements to be set up (council tax dept do it!). Effectively, I have to find that money by 8 weeks which DOES mean food out my child’s mouth, probably no new clothes etc. If I don’t then they will ruin my credit rating (something that I NEED to be ok in order to be successful for all sorts of better paying jobs). Talk about pushing someone deeper into poverty?!?
I’ve contacted my local councillor. I’ll let you know what happens.
In There Like Swimwear…?
I’ve got a bit of a dilemma. I NEED a new swimming costume. I’ve been saying this for ages but I want to try and improve my fitness. The problem, really, is two-fold. Firstly, the thought of getting into a swimming costume and walking into a public area makes me want to greet; Secondly, the prices of swimming costumes (I’m pretty sure) are DESIGNED to prevent me from wanting to do it. ….Let me show you what I mean.
rofl?
I don’t get it. It’s L Y C R A right? I mean, I know I’m looking at swimming costumes for ‘curvier’ women but I’m not looking for whole factory rolls of the stuff. Fucking hell! I give up, the thought of getting the water in my mouth gives me the dry boak anyway.
Guilty Fantasy Of The Weeeeeeek: Sportacus from Lazy Town (Magnús Scheving)
I'd get arrested for the how that shit would go down. Seriously!
There is something that makes me feel uneasy about admitting I would literally drill holes in Sportacus. Maybe it’s because he play’s a CHILDREN’s hero and is altogether a little bit naive and gullible in Lazy Town. It would be like getting tore into someone who wasn’t entirely right. You’d feel (hopefully?) like you were doing something wrong. It’s almost the same thing with characters like Tarzan…you’d be taking advantage I think, essentially, but you still WOULD – that’s shit you’d get arrested for…. he’d end up proper ICU material!
The bold Magnús Scheving. He is the entire Lazy Town crew I think. He writes, directs, produces, designs, makes the tea, owns the production company. Either he is extremely keen or he’s a bit of a control freak? I like the second option anyway. He is SUPER fit. I mean, scary fit. Also, that accent…..well I’m sure I’ve talked about accents already. Anyway, either way I feel like it’s a bit wrong to like him so much because he is either an evil genius or just a really nice person. Take me away officer!
Election Comment Of The Week
YAH!
My favourite Election comment of the week came from my lovely friend Rosie Conlon who is due to have her baby later this month.
” Did you catch that Cameron stalking round a maternity ward for publicity?! Urrrgh! That fucking toffy, Tory, headboy bastard would get nowhere near my baby!”
Literally couldn’t have put it better myself. Although the sad thing is, as a parent relying on things like SureStart Maternity grants (not just now, maybe later?!? Lol?) and Tax Credits which the Tory’s are going to slice into – then Cameron may as well be coming into our houses and taking food out the freezer, telling the kids they are going to have to wear their shoes that little bit longer and leaving me a wee note on the fridge telling me I’d better not think about moving up in my career or losing my job because I will be on my own if I do. Scary!
As much as Labour have pissed me off in the last 10 years (oh, where to start?) but at the end of the day they HAVE done more to help poor people than they Tories ever did. I know, I’ve benefited. Their policies have helped to buffer the effects of poverty in my life over these past few years and I will forever be grateful because now I’m on my feet and I couldn’t have done it without things like Tax Credit and SureStart (no, REALLY!).
It’s easy for people to be angry, and vote for the Conservatives but I hope people remember that the Tories are NOT interested in spending money on the poorest people, the single mothers, the out of work dads, the long-term sick, young unemployed…FORGET IT!
The truth is, I am SHITTING it that the Tories will be in Government. It doesn’t just affect me as a low-income, struggling parent. At the end of the day, I have a budding career – I’m still able to be socially mobile in society because I CAN work. I’m thinking about people like my dad who has a heart condition and can’t really work. Will they make him sit at a checkout? At 58? And my brother who has severe arthritis in his leg amongst other things…will they make him do something or risk losing his benefit? Ruining lives and health just to save money, all over the country? Sure, cost cutting is fine, getting scammers off benefits is fine but we are talking about lives being ruined to improve a bottom line.
So anyway, just remember that. Remember the YTS Scheme and don’t vote for the Tories, Scotland……and when the time comes vote for SNP and Independence so we never have to worry about those Tory Bastards ruining Scottish lives ever again!
I Love Easter
Andrew stole a packet of Maltesers and Revels from an Easter Egg box this morning and ate them in his room. Little nutter. He’s already got the runs. I spent quite a large portion of my day yesterday scrapping gloopy, melted malteser shites aff his pants into the toilet and showering him down like an Iraqi war prisoner. So I’m looking forward to pretty much the same story today.
HAPPY DAYS!
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T-Mobile G1 Handset Review: An honest review about the G1!
Well, I got my phone in mid July 2009. Was super excited. I found the keyboard an absolute godsend because I do spend a lot of time emailing and texting. The email function to check Gmail, yahoo, and any other email account was also very welcomed. I also love the internet options and the option to add apps like pdf reader etc.
However, that is where my love of this phone ends. Abruptly. First of all, the signal on this phone when anywhere remote is horrific. Whilst other phones/networks have no problem – the cumbersome beast G1 says ‘no’. No signal whatsoever. VERY annoying. Second of all, the camera on the phone is AWFUL. Extremely counter-intuitive, poor quality pictures, poor sound quality on video…REALLY bad. The sound quality on calls is also terrible.
Now to the problems with this phone. The first day I got the phone I charged the battery before use, the battery area got EXTREMELY hot. Within a fortnight the phone was stone dead. I sent the phone away after getting passed about by T-Mobile (take it to a store and hand it in, get to the store the girl says “no you’re quicker asking for a pre-paid envelope!”..GREAT! Wasted journey!”). I got the phone back about 3 weeks later.
LG Viewty
Cut to April 2010, the camera is broke, the battery life is atrocious (worse than usual) the connection to network is tetchy at BEST. The phone decides that it ‘CANNOT DETECT SIM CARD’. Brilliant! Thankfully the G1 has synced my contacts because the G1 does NOT allow syncing contacts to SIM card. This essentially means that when I transfer my SIM to another handset, I can’t have access to the new numbers.
So, I’m waiting for T-Mobile to send me out another silver envelope for me to post off to them (does anyone find them severely reluctant to tell you about this option?). That will take 3-4 weeks. Meanwhile I’m paying full price for a phone that, whilst its OLD ( LG VIEWTY) it never really let me down and was a great all-rounder (camera, video, sound, email, internet, calls, signal). Not like the G1 which I have to say is THE biggest joke since phones were invented.
I’ve asked T-Mobile that if I have to send this phone back again within warranty I am going to be looking for another handset (not a G1). The woman tried to say, oh well within contract you have to send it back as many times within that period. I said, I don’t think so – and if I DO have to do that I will be keeping that in mind when my contract comes up for renewal. If T-Mobile want to keep sending me new G1 handsets every few months until Christmas because they are total crap then that’s fine – but I wont be staying with T-Mobile if that’s the case.
Anyone had any experience of these issues? What have T-Mobile done if so? How many repairs/replacements have you had to get? Anyone get a different model of phone after all this hassle?
Thanks folks.
Alanna
Did You Hear That Noise Outside At 3am? It Was Me! 