Cheer up! It's not all bad

[Banquo's Ghost]

I thought you might enjoy one of the great rants of our time.

Then you have the chaps and chapesses who can’t stand the constant raids on their wallets and their privacy. They can’t understand why they are taxed at 50% on their income and then taxed again for driving into the nation’s capital. They can’t understand what happened to the hunt for the weapons of mass destruction. They can’t understand anything. They see the Highway Wombles in those brand new 4x4s that they paid for, and they see the M4 bus lane and they see the speed cameras and the community support officers and they see the Albanians stealing their wheelbarrows and nothing can be done because it's racist. And they see Alistair Darling handing over £4,350 of their money to not sort out the banking crisis that he doesn’t understand because he’s a small-town solicitor, and they see the stupid war on drugs and the war on drink and the war on smoking and the war on hunting and the war on fun and the war on scientists and the obsession with the climate and the price of train fares soaring past £1,000 and the Guardian power-brokers getting uppity about one shot baboon and not uppity at all about all the dead soldiers in Afghanistan, and how they got rid of Blair only to find the lying twerp is now going to come back even more powerful than ever, and they think, “I’ve had enough of this. I’m off.”

The worst of it is, that it's all true.

[InsaneApache]

Just read that. He's a card isn't he?

I had a rant very similar to his last Friday to my wife and her mate. The thing is, when I see the eyes glaze over, I usually know it's time to cease and desist. This time however, they both joined in. The UK is buggered.

Still I always have the option of sleeping on a couch in Corfu. Greece might be a police state but you can still have a fag with your beer and the weathers not too bad either.

Clarkson for president, you know it makes sense.

[Fragony]

Now that is a proper rant. Look at the bright side, Brown might just not declare a national emergency next elections making elections impossible.

[Subotan]

Jeremy Clarkson is a . Hopefully he will off and get out of this country, so we never again have to listen to his arrogant, selfish, narcissistic rubbish again.

Mostly, though, I hate [Peter Mandelson] because his one-man war on the bright and the witty and the successful means that half my friends now seem to be [thinking of emigrating]

Well, at least he'll still have one left.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Y'all are reading the wrong newspapers.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Well at least that prevented a peptic ulcer.

[Husar]

And you can’t go to Germany ... because you just can’t.

I was so interested to see what he would come up with for Germany, only to get ... that!?!?

I must say I've had similar thoughts to his, I always thought there's a lot wrong in Germany but at least it's not as bad as Britain.

[KukriKhan]

So you can dream all you like about upping sticks and moving to a country that doesn’t help itself to half of everything you earn and then spend the money it gets on bus lanes and advertisements about the dangers of salt.

Yanno... maybe government ought to outlaw pay-stubs (you know, the little slips explaining where your earned money went). We always look at the "gross income", then at "net income" and get all worked up over the difference. My 'net' is about 45% of my 'gross' - I just have to remind myself that although the Boss says he's paying me $30 per hour, I'm really only getting about $14.

Would I rather be blissfully ignorant, or informed and ticked off over something I can't control?

[Don Corleone]

Yanno... maybe government ought to outlaw pay-stubs (you know, the little slips explaining where your earned money went). We always look at the "gross income", then at "net income" and get all worked up over the difference. My 'net' is about 45% of my 'gross' - I just have to remind myself that although the Boss says he's paying me $30 per hour, I'm really only getting about $14.

Would I rather be blissfully ignorant, or informed and ticked off over something I can't control?

Why are you giving Nancy and Harry dangerous ideas?

Think about how many times people like Jag and Idaho have called take-home pay a government subsidy (because they didn't take 100% of your income, as entitled).

[Sasaki Kojiro]

See, this is why it's a good thing that America is more conservative than Europe. You guys are guinea pigs, your misfortune is our guidance.

[Fragony]

I'm really only getting about $14.

Que?

[KukriKhan]

Why are you giving Nancy and Harry dangerous ideas?

Think about how many times people like Jag and Idaho have called take-home pay a government subsidy (because they didn't take 100% of your income, as entitled).

Yeah. I should've used some kinda sarcasm smilie, huh?

The real insult in my outfit comes in September every year, when the HR guys send us our annual "what you cost us" listing. They valuate sick leave, annual leave, 401(k) matching funds, Soc sec contributions, uniform allowance and so on, and so forth. In effect telling me that I cost them $75k per year, whereas my gross is $55k, and I take home $22k. It drives me crazy contemplating that I should feel rich (and I guess I am when compared to a sub-saharan goat-herder), but don't.

[Fragony]

Weren't you kinda shot, how very nice of them. Military is just about the best paying job for a young adult here you will make more money than a docter and get any education for free.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I was so interested to see what he would come up with for Germany, only to get ... that!?!?

I must say I've had similar thoughts to his, I always thought there's a lot wrong in Germany but at least it's not as bad as Britain.

We even have less gun control than Britain, and when you have more gun control than Germany, you know it's pretty bad.* Otherwise great article.

*Though the 17 forms in triplicate applies to us at least as much as it applies to France.

[Louis VI the Fat]

I too long back for the good old days. When Britain was still Britain. When there was still an an Empire. When the entire island was still functioning. When there was social mobility. When the trains were affordable and ran on time, on schedule and on the track.

And when the highest bracket of income tax stood at 95%.

[Beskar]

Where did the Albanian comment come from, there are Albanians in the United Kingdom?

(Yes, I am aware there would be, but everyone always blames the Polish, Middle-Eastners and Black Africans, I never seen anyone blame Albanians, or even know an Albanian.)

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The "progressive" income tax is the worst of all taxes. It does not encourage thrift as does a consumption tax and does not tax wealth and thereby redistribute that wealth evenly. The PIT serves best to keep people where they are economically or to encourage only minor improvements save for a very lucky few.

[Strike For The South]

Your country can't go to hell in a handbasket, my country is going to hell in a handbasket.

WHERE WILL I MOVE TO

[Louis VI the Fat]

WHERE WILL I MOVE TO

Hey!


Did you not like that picture I send you of my sister after all?

[Strike For The South]

Hey!


Did you not like that picture I send you of my sister after all?

Oh don't get me wrong I loved the picture, it's just I don't speak French.

I guess if you promised her as my ahem translator for my first couple of months I'll buy the ticket today

[Louis VI the Fat]

No.

I told you to send us the ring first. Then she'll do, erm, some 'translation work' for you.

[Strike For The South]

No.

I told you to send us the ring first. Then she'll do, erm, some 'translation work' for you.

The ring? I thought this was a freelance gig!

You're lucky I had your translation work before her translation work

hairy, sweaty, rough and completely awesome.

[Pannonian]

I thought you might enjoy one of the great rants of our time.

Then you have the chaps and chapesses who can’t stand the constant raids on their wallets and their privacy. They can’t understand why they are taxed at 50% on their income and then taxed again for driving into the nation’s capital. They can’t understand what happened to the hunt for the weapons of mass destruction. They can’t understand anything. They see the Highway Wombles in those brand new 4x4s that they paid for, and they see the M4 bus lane and they see the speed cameras and the community support officers and they see the Albanians stealing their wheelbarrows and nothing can be done because it's racist. And they see Alistair Darling handing over £4,350 of their money to not sort out the banking crisis that he doesn’t understand because he’s a small-town solicitor, and they see the stupid war on drugs and the war on drink and the war on smoking and the war on hunting and the war on fun and the war on scientists and the obsession with the climate and the price of train fares soaring past £1,000 and the Guardian power-brokers getting uppity about one shot baboon and not uppity at all about all the dead soldiers in Afghanistan, and how they got rid of Blair only to find the lying twerp is now going to come back even more powerful than ever, and they think, “I’ve had enough of this. I’m off.”

The worst of it is, that it's all true.

Out of all these, the campaign against hunting with dogs can be pointed to as the result of the liberals. The economy can be argued to have been mismanaged, although how it could have been managed better is uncertain. The rest, however, is the result of populist and popular policies (other than the hunt for WMDs, which was the result of going step by step with US foreign policy). The congestion charge was aimed to keep London's streets clear for Londoners - suburbanites may not like the charge, but they don't live in London. The roads and ever more extravagant cars are a continuation of Thatcher's policy of a car for every family and more. Conservative Britain will not allow an easing up on drug laws, while taxes on drink and cigarettes have been an accepted constant for decades. Train fares? Blame privatisation. The Albanians? The usual complaints about a misbehaving social underclass, except that the ranter has thrown in the racial stereotype as well.

If he doesn't like these things, he should wear a badge and knock on doors, because most of it is the result of government policies that were popular with voters, and continue to be popular with voters.

[HoreTore]

Who the hell ever drives in a city with more than 300.000 inhabitants anyway?

Designing a city for 10 million with enough driving and parking space for everyone - now that is true waste.

[Pannonian]

Who the hell ever drives in a city with more than 300.000 inhabitants anyway?

Designing a city for 10 million with enough driving and parking space for everyone - now that is true waste.

Design, logic and waste had nothing to do with it. The suburban middle class has money to spend on cars and themselves, therefore it's their right to drive themselves anywhere they wish. And not just in a literal sense. Other than themselves and their material needs, what matters most in this world is their children. They will drive their children everywhere, and they will drive society anywhere that is necessary for their children's welfare, or their vision of their children's welfare. Anything that impinges on their children's right to do whatever they want while being free from whatever the real world may impose on them (such as reality) has to change. They are the ones driving Britain towards authoritarianism, not any single political party. New Labour has wholeheartedly pandered to their interests, partly because they are a sizeable constituency that is guaranteed to vote in numbers, and partly because they are so politically active so as to make it political suicide to ignore them (and the Tories won't ignore them either). Such is the result of Thatcher's politics of coupling the middle class, family over society approach, and the me, me, me attitude.

[Beskar]

Hey!


Did you not like that picture I send you of my sister after all?

Why didn't I get to see?

[Kralizec]

Funny.

I can't stand the guy when he's on TV, though.

[CountArach]

Clarkson should stick to Top Gear...

[Subotan]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Design, logic and waste had nothing to do with it. The suburban middle class has money to spend on cars and themselves, therefore it's their right to drive themselves anywhere they wish. And not just in a literal sense. Other than themselves and their material needs, what matters most in this world is their children. They will drive their children everywhere, and they will drive society anywhere that is necessary for their children's welfare, or their vision of their children's welfare. Anything that impinges on their children's right to do whatever they want while being free from whatever the real world may impose on them (such as reality) has to change. They are the ones driving Britain towards authoritarianism, not any single political party. New Labour has wholeheartedly pandered to their interests, partly because they are a sizeable constituency that is guaranteed to vote in numbers, and partly because they are so politically active so as to make it political suicide to ignore them (and the Tories won't ignore them either). Such is the result of Thatcher's politics of coupling the middle class, family over society approach, and the me, me, me attitude

.

*APPLAUSE*

[InsaneApache]

Can't wait to see what Clarkson has to say about that disgusting letter our Great Leader sent to the bereaved squaddies mam. Not to mention that he seems incapable of bowing his head at the Cenotaph.

Turd needs more polish.