WTF is happening in the UK?

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

The difficult but essential thing, as PN described, is writing in the style of the person you are drafting for, or submitting to, not your own.
The same applied to substitute teaching. It was a lot easier for your colleague if you taught in their style, as otherwise the students would be more trouble when the colleague got back. I had to teach French and Classics like an Emergency Drills lesson, as those teachers all appeared to be extremely strict.

[Sisemen]

The English Reference they issued to me on BSC has been extremely useful and, thanks to one of my cadets who washed up on the shores of BSC instructing I managed to keep up to date with that volume and the Service Writing; both of which have been invaluable.

[Pontius Navigator]

The difficult but essential thing, as PN described, is writing in the style of the person you are drafting for, or submitting to, not your own.

One of my very first trips on my first sqn was at such short notice that I had no prep time. It was early the next morning and I had yet to meet the rest of the crew. I was going to have to fly the plan. I met the sick one at 10 pm and took his nav bag complete.

Fortunately our procedures were pretty standard and I found all his target data where I expected.

Interesting though taking someone's work blind. Later though I had to take someone's lecture blind. That was far more difficult using his words whereas I would have used different ones. Ones I could actually speak

[BenThere]

Way back when I was selling computer systems and drafting proposals for $1 million+ my boss was a female, ex-English teacher who had an obsession with the word 'that'. A key part of my proposals was a narrative explaining the configurations of the system, why I felt they were right for the client, etc. I would submit the proposal for her review and she would mark in red just about every use I made of the word 'that'. It was a peculiar quirk, but after a while I came around to her way of thinking. Superfluous words should be shunned, and passive writing avoided.

The most important aspects to the art of writing to communicate, though, are organization of paragraphs, correct grammar and spelling, syntax and flow. Conveying your thoughts and words to your audience is always the objective, and if you master that I think you will be successful no matter what you do.

[Pontius Navigator]

Ben, and if your last, a computer is an invaluable tool. You can smash out the main points, rearrange them in a logical order, then check spelling and punctuation.

A computer, especially with predictive text and a word blind writer, can also reduce coherent prose to nonsense.

Doing my OU work I might draft and redraft an assignment until it was near perfect and then print it out. Then I could really correct the errors.

Many company letters I receive today are well written, are succinct and have accurate spelling. I wonder how many people vet each letter or have corporate skills really improved?

Email is something else. In response to a query to my broker I got a reply that 'I hope answers your query '. My response 'You have completely missed my point '. Another person responded so I have no idea whether Jonathon or Ramish ever got the message, or maybe no longer works there (I hope).

[Smeagol]

I have just returned to the UK after a stint in Taiwan where I have been assisting the employer to review and verify claims between contractor and employer on a construction project. This involved reviewing the claims from both a technical and commercial viewpoint and preparing formal, contractual responses to the claims.
The contractor is Belgian and most staff are 'European' so English is not their primary language. This has led to some interesting grammar but usually understandable. That is not to say I agreed with many of the claims!
My responses have been, hopefully, reasonably coherent and I have also acted as a 'sense checker' for my boss, the commercial manager, who is Danish and a lawyer by profession, for his letters when they have been expressing complex arguments. Overall they required little alteration, not quite how I might have written them, occasionally the odd cumbersome sentence but usually nothing significant requiring major changes.
Providing such documents are understandable and not contentious I cannot get to excited about correcting things particularly when English is not the native language 0f the
writer.

[Capetonian]

On the subject of business correspondence, I find hideous cringeworthy vomit-inducing USAmericanisms creeping into business correspondence in many countries, the one I loathe most is :
"Thank you for reaching out to us."
I also detest the use of the word "issues" for "problems".

[ian16th]

I also detest the use of the word "issues" for "problems".

Or the 'challenges' that politicians like to use!

[Capetonian]

A couple of years ago I contacted NatWest about a problem I'd had over my credit card due to their incompetency, which was compounded by the rude and dismissive attitude of a staff member, my CRM at the time.

My letter to the CEO's office was responded to with :
"Thank you for contacting us regarding the issues you experienced with your credit card ......."

My reply was along the lines of :

"I didn't reach out to you, I wrote a letter containing a serious complaint about the conduct of a senior staff member. That is not an 'issue', it is a problem that you need to confront rigorously.
You have ignored the component of my letter detailing my reasons for dissatisfaction with your employee Mr. X."

I did get a 'phone call in response from someone pretty high up. I am afraid the poor woman didn't know what had hit her!

[Pontius Navigator]

The difference between the monkey and the organ grinder. I had done my homework. Went into a chain store, Scottish Power I think, and made an offer about 10% off and free delivery. The salesman, older than me at the time blanched and said no. I got ready to leave. He scurried across to the manager, younger than me, and returned, clearly gobsmacked that he had agreed.

[ian16th]

The difference between the monkey and the organ grinder. I had done my homework. Went into a chain store, Scottish Power I think, and made an offer about 10% off and free delivery. The salesman, older than me at the time blanched and said no. I got ready to leave. He scurried across to the manager, younger than me, and returned, clearly gobsmacked that he had agreed.

Particularly true when buying a car.

When the 'salesman' says the he can't improve the deal, ask to speak to the guy who can.

[Capetonian]

When I am confronted with : "I can't do that, don't have the authority .... etc" I ask to speak to the person who has got the authority or knowledge. It invariably works.

[Stoneboat]

On the subject of business correspondence, I find hideous cringeworthy vomit-inducing USAmericanisms creeping into business correspondence in many countries, the one I loathe most is :
"Thank you for reaching out to us."
I also detest the use of the word "issues" for "problems".

Another one that makes me grind another molar into dust, is this one at the start of a radio or TV interview.
Announcer: "Thank you for appearing on our show."
Interviewee: "Thank you for having me."
The correct response, you asshole, is "You are welcome" or even "You are very welcome."
After that exchange, whatever that dumb sob will say goes in one ear and straight out the other. I used to think it was just me who thought that way, but I recently re-read When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops by the late George Carlin, and he had a few paragraphs on that very subject. (He didn't like it either.)

[Bob]

Revealed: Police raided council-run travellers' campsite after Pc Andrew Harper was dragged to his death

The call came through on Pc Andrew Harper’s police radio just before midnight. Suspected burglars had been spotted breaking into a nearby farm. Minutes later, Pc Harper was dead; his body dragged down a country lane and left abandoned in a ditch.
.............

Pc Harper was an experienced policeman who had performed hundreds of traffic stops. He got out of his car, approached the vehicle and challenged those inside. But something went wrong. The suspect car shot off, dragging Pc Harper behind. One source said the policeman may have been attempting to grab the driver’s keys. In a desperate effort to escape, the driver refused to stop even as Pc Harper was dragged for hundreds of yards along the tarmac. Behind, his colleague pursued in their vehicle.

Within an hour, officers descended on Four Houses Corner, a council-run travellers’ site around three miles away. “Everyone was ordered out of the caravans, including the women and children,” one source said.

At least in the UK police do something after an incident with travellers. Here police did nothing after two officers were attacked, and a police car destroyed, because a traveller they stopped recognised one of the officers as being responsible for the traveller's imprisonment.

Where is "here" ?

[Rwy in Sight]

Greece.

[Woody]

I am referring specifically to the murder of PC Andrew Harper on Thursday. The killers were from a community of so-called 'travellers' who have lived in the same filthy festering 'camp' for 50 years. Travellers? They are pond-life who want all the benefits of society without putting anything into it. They refer to the police as 'pigs' and worse, but you can be sure that if they were under attack by a vigilante group, they would be calling for police protection and then for the judiciary to punish their attackers.

Three more charged with PC Harper’s murder today, I used to live in the area and a source told me the name of who the Police were after two weeks ago, extremely well known family, don’t want to say anymore due to legal reasons.

[Stoneboat]

All England will sleep easier tonight.

Britain's first stab-proof knife launched in bid to combat knife crime.

[Sisemen]

The RAF got there first!

[Capetonian]

Effing idiotic. Instead of tackling the problems (lack of education, opportunity, parenting, and policing), they are tackling the symptom.

Anyone can turn a table knife into a stabbing weapon, even if as crudely as by grinding it to a point on a brick or concrete wall. Are they going to ban screwdrivers and have an amnesty so that anyone who owns a set of screwdrivers has to hand them in?

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Government setting a great example, that is. Nothing they do has any real point