There are two reasons why we have a shortage of lorry drivers in the UK. Both of 'em **** obvious.
The first is that we've got far too may lorries on the roads. That's because we did away with the formerly extensive freight rail network. One train can haul a couple of hundred 40' containers. A 44 tonne truck can haul only one.
The other is that UK employers pay so little to their HGV drivers.
Double or treble the pay of British, specifically British, HGV drivers and you will double or treble the number of British drivers. There will be no need for Romanian or Polish or wotevvah drivers in the UK.
One good way to ensure that the price of our goods is not competitive on the international market. What next? Declare oursleves an autoraky?
Not arguing that we shouldn't pay people a decent wage mind.
Country turning in on itself, like an ingrowing toenail, soon starts to hurt... and stink like a bubo, what with all the unharvested fruit and veg rotting in the fields... the hard times are a' coming baby!
The BBC seems to have focussed on the Jehovah's Witnesses in the coverage of the sexual abuse of children investigation. Why? Why not the CofE and RC's? Too close to home?
One good way to ensure that the price of our goods is not competitive on the international market. What next? Declare oursleves an autoraky?
Not arguing that we shouldn't pay people a decent wage mind.
Any increase in wages would make foreign goods just as "not competitive" as our own. The amount of exports is slightly outnumbered by the amount of imports, so the net balance would be in the country's favour in terms of balance of payments.
Furthermore, paying our lorry drivers properly would enable them to have more disposable income and therefore enable them to both have a better life and a higher level of disposable income and therefore better spending power.
One of Henry Ford's brilliances was to pay far more than 'the going rate' to his wage slaves. He wanted to pay them enough that they could afford to buy one of his cars. That's far-sighted thinking. He was a fascist American supporter of true national socialism. Got the highest Nazi decoration for teaching Nazi Germany how to do business y'know.
At a garden party I talked about this with the owner of an upscale bar-restaurant or two or three. I asked him whether any of his bar staff drink in his bar(s) when off duty. No, of course not, he said. The pints are far cheaper down the road at xyz pub. I asked him whether his kitchen porters ever eat in his restaurants on their days off. Same answer. I told him about Henry Ford.
He creased his brow in deep thought. D'you honestly think that I could increase my profits if I paid my staff more than the minimum wage? he asked. Yes, said I. And I explained how that could occur. He spluttered that if he did it for them then all the other restaurants would come under pressure to do it too. I smiled and nodded. Slowly, his face started to light up. He began to understand what I was explaining to him. If all the entrepreneurs in his line of work were to do so, the underclass whom they employ would become wealthier and would spend more in establishments like his.
Then he had a doubtful thought: wouldn't that be inflationary? No, I explained. Inflation is not caused by poor people becoming less poor and wanting better recompense for their labour. It's caused by rich people printing money out of thin air. So then I had to explain to him how the fractional reserve banking system works and how fiat money is created. He was astonished.
He's been in business for thirty or more years and is worth a couple million net, at least, but he just had never taken time off hard work to sit down and think out the bigger picture. Why are his kitchen porters as poor, or poorer, now than thirty or forty years ago?
He's promised me, and his wife has separately told me, that he had a bit of Scrooge enlightenment that afternoon in that garden party. I won't say here what his next step will be. I will confide here, however, that his Crimbo prezzie this year will be the oldest edition of A Christmas Carol that I can find.
Despite the UK Governmint insisting they were going to force Covid test prices down and chop the cowboys, it is once again a load of hot air, trying to look as if something was being done.
I have fortunately managed to get a Day 2 test for £65 next Friday, at a clinic close to where I'm staying. Alternative choice was to drive out to Eastleigh FC and a drive through test in their carpark at £191 or several pick up a test merchants,do test yourself and return it/post it to the clinic offers at £150 +
It is simply a rip off.
The Government should stop this test on the fully vacinated farce.
I have fortunately managed to get a Day 2 test for £65 next Friday, at a clinic close to where I'm staying. Alternative choice was to drive out to Eastleigh FC and a drive through test in their carpark at £191 or several pick up a test merchants,do test yourself and return it/post it to the clinic offers at £150 +
Don't look like we'll be going anytime soon, can't afford that. Looks like the only way back will be in an urn.
We are planning on three weeks holiday in December. Will be by train as usual. There are no controls Spain-France at 6am so have only France-UK to deal with. On the return France charges for tests but not if you have a global health card IF you claim to have been in contact with someone who tested positive AND been vaccinated AND have completed an Honour Statement. Yes, I know.
If you really don't want the vaxx just **** off and don't have it.
OK, it's going to be made mandatory for care home workers. But don't the patients/clients also have rights? The right to be tended by vaccinated carers should be as important.
Not blue rinse, but grey octogenarian. NONE! But then what did we expect? All the stramash about "election and manifesto promises" being broken - what do we expect of a politician's promises? SFA. I have NO idea who would do a better job than the present shower - I suspect none of them. I do despair.
I have never* voted in any state election and never will. That's why I never complain about anything the government I didn't vote for has done to me.
*Not true, now I consider it. I was a Crown Employee (Overseas) at the time of one election, until they found out I wasn't, and I did submit an overseas postal vote. A couple of weeks later someone realised they'd made a mistake and deregistered me. Anyway I've twice had to sign a form agreeing I would not participate in political activities. So there.
BoJo's 'get out of jail' card is a fraud. He said the increase in NI was needed because of the pandemic but that 'successive governments' have flunked the funding in the past. Since these successive governments' all pre-date the pandemic - explain?
"The NHS is hiring an army of 42 new executives on salaries of up to £270,000 each as Boris Johnson faces mounting anger over his tax rise to fund healthcare.
More than £9 million will be spent employing dozens of chief executives of new integrated care boards, each of whom will earn more than the Prime Minister.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, promised on Wednesday he would be “watchful for any waste” of the £12 billion a year tax revenue, but has yet to fully explain how the money will be spent."
The largest employers of people in the UK and Europe. The largest employers of "professional" people in the world!
An over managed, over unionised, incompetent organisation which has governments and opposition running scared of trying to sort it all out.
The incompetents who run it hide behind Competent Doctors and Nurses when things go wrong.
What a can of worms..