Our society is broken

[OptimisticJock]

Healthcare - An underfunded and under supported NHS are on a hiding to nothing, hit with targets and then given no support to be able to meet them. How the healthcare professionals in hospitals and in our community keep getting up and going into work never ceases to amaze me

Public Services - Similar story, under resourced and blamed for everything

There's only so many hours I can spend playing ghost recon and pulling the heid aff it.

[Banquo]

I've only ever worked privately myself. And there are plenty of wastes of money walking around at all levels. And typically the main driver isn't customers, growth, efficiency, but simply meeting performance targets such that management bonus payments are made, even if the actions taken to meet the targets are illogical and counter productive as part of the bigger picture.

You've not been to the right places and become too cynical. So I've worked in three example environments; private sector where growth and customer focus were king- brilliant, and everyone working in the same direction, with aligned objectives and so on; ex public sector gone private, which still bore the institutionalised scars of the public sector (performance management non existent, targets only related to internal metrics rather than serving the customer, slow moving decision making, cost cutting by buckshot (everyone get 10% say lopped off, rather than looking properly at say opportunity cost, union consultation and opposition at every step); and as a non-exec with public sector, where financial consequences were either ignored, outsourced through bad contracts, or parked under 'transformation' next year with 'lets get some consultants in to run another poorly specified procurement'. As you say, a mix of good and bad....but I know where the worst issues lay, and why. I guess you don't remember British Rail, but I was working with them as they went into privatisation.....and did they ever need it.

I went on British Rail as a kid, but no I don't remember it. I do recall reading much later just how much the Conservative government underfunded British Rail to make them a more attractive target for privitisation. It was something one of my profs at uni had spent a lot of time researching, though he was very much in favour of such entities being made private and extending market liberalisations, he wasn't close to researching with a view to bringing things back into a state fold.

I would add in addition to British Rail being underfunded I don't doubt there were many instances of bad management decision, poorly trained workers, absurd union practices.

Alleged underfunding didn't made them that attractive to private ownership, given the amount of investment in (say) rolling stock the likes of Virgin Trains had to make, plus the level of subsidy the govt has had to put in to make some franchises more attractive; nor do I think much funding was put into rail in the 60's and 70's, given their plight then. I don't think the privatisation was well executed, but that's a different matter. For all the moaning- legit- about Southern Rail and other services, train services are much better and much much more used than pre-privatisation.

[BBD]

Healthcare - An underfunded and under supported NHS are on a hiding to nothing, hit with targets and then given no support to be able to meet them. How the healthcare professionals in hospitals and in our community keep getting up and going into work never ceases to amaze me

Public Services - Similar story, under resourced and blamed for everything

There's only so many hours I can spend playing ghost recon and pulling the heid aff it.

Would you be needing us to use the bigger font for yiz?

[kk67]

I'd love to hear Carol delivering BBD's rant.

'Sport - Too much money to over hyped prima donnas whilst the grass roots have to struggle and scrimp, not enough investment in our youth facilities.'

[Sandydragon]

I could listen to Carol all day long.

And Virgin Trains deliver a decent service. Most companies do, not all are like Southern Rail.

[kk67]

I could listen to Carol all day long..

She is lovely.

[OptimisticJock]

Healthcare - An underfunded and under supported NHS are on a hiding to nothing, hit with targets and then given no support to be able to meet them. How the healthcare professionals in hospitals and in our community keep getting up and going into work never ceases to amaze me

Public Services - Similar story, under resourced and blamed for everything

There's only so many hours I can spend playing ghost recon and pulling the heid aff it.

Would you be needing us to use the bigger font for yiz?

That's better cheers mate.

On a serious note though if I can get a better job (particularly one that doesn't involve dealing with the amount of shite I do and will probably pay better) I'll be off

[Vengeful Glutton]

I was watching the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. It seems so long ago. Society seems completely broken now compared to then, it's surreal...

We have extremists killing innocents... Islamic terrorism, far right terror... an increasingly dominant oligarchy, widening gulf between rich and poor (perhaps even underlying major tragedies), nationalist vs internationalist divide...

All combined gives me simply a feeling of despair at the direction we are going.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

[cashead]

Has the Great War started? Stay out of Vault-Tec vaults, lads. Trust me on this.

[kk67]

I bought myself a Saab 95 estate today. I'd love to say that I bought it because it wasn't smothered in the blood of innocents. But actually I just want to tell everyone because it's super lovely. (and not smothered in blood).

I'm back in the game.....of twats who love their cars. It's sadder than sad.

[J Dory]

Nothing wrong with it. My car is a dull as shit 7 seater people mover. I look forward to the day when I can have something I enjoy driving again.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[morepork]

Nothing wrong with it. My car is a dull as shit 7 seater people mover. I look forward to the day when I can have something I enjoy driving again.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

They've stopped making defenders, Rubis are geared towards cup holders and automatic transmissions, the HiLux is all faux steel and shiny shit. Ah well.

[J Dory]

Motorcycles are the answer MP. Lots of pratical bikes being produced for real world riding, cheap on gas, better for the environment and you're almost gaurunteed not to be a burden to society in your old age.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[J Dory]

Didn't see the link initially, classic.

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[onlynameleft]

Nothing wrong with it. My car is a dull as shit 7 seater people mover. I look forward to the day when I can have something I enjoy driving again.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

We have a funbus too which is massively practical but dull as to drive; should have got an S Max really but was £100 a month more on a lease. Still have a 'fun' car but nothing like the Caterhams, Racing Pumas or Sport Quattro of old. Kids, eh?

[kk67]

I've suffered 15 years of crap cars. It's odd.
The estate might be seen as a Granddads' vehicle but to me it's now my Millennium Falcon. Which is a problem because I now care about my car. I'm not suggesting we all live in a Huxley utopia of identical possessions,...but I'm less comfortable with caring about my car.
Ideally you want to come out of your house, realize the car's been stolen and say to yourself. 'Good'.

[Lizard]

I'm reluctantly coming around to the need for an estate (or "station wagon" in proper English). Will I feel better about it if I get one branded as a "shooting brake"?

[Mellsblue]

I'm reluctantly coming around to the need for an estate (or "station wagon" in proper English). Will I feel better about it if I get one branded as a "shooting brake"?

No. Either embrace it or don't bother. I used to have an estate and it was possibly the best car I ever had. It's certainly the only time I've ever done 100mph down the M1 with a bouncy castle in the back.
I've always wanted a Volvo t5 estate, the same model as was entered in the BTCC.

[kk67]

I'm reluctantly coming around to the need for an estate (or "station wagon" in proper English). Will I feel better about it if I get one branded as a "shooting brake"?

Anyone seen 'Harold and Maude'..?.

Harold.jpg

[Stones of granite]

I'm a big fan of estates and loved my Passat estate, which I sold on moving to Texas. I was a bit disappointed with the "station wagon" options there and went for a vanilla SUV instead. When I moved back one of the first things I did was buy another Passat estate.

[kk67]

In a desperate attempt to stay on topic I'd just add that with all the ugliness and travails in our world it's really nice to have a super pleasant place to sit and watch the horrors unfold on the other side of the glass. So it had to be an Alfa or a Saab.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Last week my 'company car' was changed over. I had been driving round in a fecking Fabia. Now if this isn't indicative of just how bashed up our society is, then what is?

I know that we all have to accept that corners must be cut if the spending deficit is to be kept in check, but putting public servants in Skodas?????

I also know that some would say that it is alright to drive a Skoda these days. They also say that it is alright to engage in buggery, but that doesn't mean you want to be doing it in public!!!!!

[Stones of granite]

Last week my 'company car' was changed over. I had been driving round in a fecking Fabia. Now if this isn't indicative of just how bashed up our society is, then what is?

I know that we all have to accept that corners must be cut if the spending deficit is to be kept in check, but putting public servants in Skodas?????

I also know that some would say that it is alright to drive a Skoda these days. They also say that it is alright to engage in buggery, but that doesn't mean you want to be doing it in public!!!!!

I'd take a Skoda any day over a Citroen (isn't that French for lemon? How appropriate). I had a Citroen as a rental car in France last month and it took me two days to find the volume control for the radio. Silly me, I hadn't thought to look amongst the heater controls.

[Numbers]

Last week my 'company car' was changed over. I had been driving round in a fecking Fabia. Now if this isn't indicative of just how bashed up our society is, then what is?

I know that we all have to accept that corners must be cut if the spending deficit is to be kept in check, but putting public servants in Skodas?????

I also know that some would say that it is alright to drive a Skoda these days. They also say that it is alright to engage in buggery, but that doesn't mean you want to be doing it in public!!!!!

A Skoda is basically a re-badged VW these days, does this mean VW drivers resort to private buggery or have I got that wrong?