O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Andy_Faber]

Sorry Andy, but something’s changed and I don’t think it’s me.
You’ve been well and truly rumbled on at least three occasions this week.
Your point about extrapolation and risk made little sense and even you had no comeback when the error of what you had written was pointed out. Your point about the ‘underclass’ this morning was just recycled sh1t stirring which led to you clearly contradicting yourself prior to taking refuge in pedantry, and your barbed comment at Swale over your description of the poor/underclass ‘playing the system’/‘defrauding the system’ was just a piece of slightly malicious foolishness.
I’m sure GP will now try and jump to your assistance with some smart arse piece of nonsense as is his way but, although I’ve regularly disagreed with you, I always, for what it’s worth, respected Andy Mk1. Have to say that sadly I’m struggling with the new model, which seems to have swapped common sense and respect for bitterness and an overwhelming desire to be right about everything. None of us are fellah...and you’re certainly no exception.

I’ve just spent 10 minutes drafting a detailed response but then deleted it, Because I really don’t think you read what I or others post carefully enough so I don’t see the point. Your response re ‘working the system’ is a case in point, GP understood exactly what I meant, I don’t get how that can be misinterpreted. Sorry. And There’s no mk11 here

[Geoff Parkstone]

Hmm I think perhaps it is you that has changed, rA. You've always been opinionated (who on here isn't) but you have morphed into someone who takes every slight disagreement with your views deeply personally and a challenge to counter attack or claim not to understand the points made. It's both unseemly and boringly repetitive of late.

Never thought I'd do this to the old rA, but onto ignore you go

[ramAnag]

I’ve just spent 10 minutes drafting a detailed response but then deleted it, Because I really don’t think you read what I or others post carefully enough so I don’t see the point. Your response re ‘working the system’ is a case in point, GP understood exactly what I meant, I don’t get how that can be misinterpreted. Sorry. And There’s no mk11 here

I suspect you spent time ‘drafting a detailed response’ but actually found you had no answer...so ‘deleted it’...and to suggest something was a reasonable response because ‘GP understood exactly what I meant’ isn’t really any sort of a defence when you look at much of what he’s written recently.

Taking just the the one example...I mentioned - quite some time ago and sensibly I thought - the difficulties posed by the ‘underclass’ with regard to getting everyone vaccinated. This is after all the ‘Covid’ thread.
You immediately jumped on your high horse and suggested there was no such thing.
When corrected, and when it was defined for you - and not just by me - there was some sort of grudging acceptance before you, yesterday, started it all off again by your out of the blue comment about the terms ‘underclass’ and ‘difficult to reach’ being so ‘nebulous as to be meaningless’.
You then criticised the group we were talking about for ‘working the system’ which apparently - according to the accountant speak of you and GP - doesn’t imply any sort of moral wrong doing or benefit fraud whatsoever...before, when Swale picked you up on it, rudely denied knowing what he was talking about and made some fatuous comment about Brexit in a lame attempt to make him look foolish.

In the meantime any sensible and adult discussion is punctuated by GP’s repeated and frankly irritatingly juvenile comments about ‘rA’s favourites’ or ‘rA’s underclass’ while you eventually concede that all you really meant was that you weren’t actually denying the existence of an ‘underclass’ and would just like to substitute ‘hard to reach’ for ‘hard to convince’.

This typifies the sort of pedantic, contradictory and inflammatory tone that has, imo, come to be synonymous with the posts of someone who used to be reasonable and logical. Just read back some of the arguments you have made and ‘lectures’ you have given recently if you really don’t believe me...and the fact that GP is apparently now ignoring me comes, I have to say, as nothing more than a blessed relief.

[swaledale]

Sorry I don't understand the relevance of your last two paragraphs at all. I must have voted Brexit

Edit, I think you think that mean defrauding. No,I just meant exploiting it to its full extent.

Sorry come again? How if someone is claiming legitimate benefits to which their entitled are they "exploiting" the system?

Are you suggesting that the system is too generous? if so I'd suggest you actually look at what anyone is entitled to, the system is far from generous and fiendishly complicated.

You do seem to have swallowed hook line and sinker the common right wing trope that focusses on the "undeserving" benefit claimant who games the system, however casual research will show this isn't the case.

There were 20 million people claiming DWP benefits at February 2019. two thirds of benefit claimants are of State Pension age (13 million). Source (because I know your so keen on this) DWP - governments own figures.

Those bloody pensioners eh? Exploiting the benefit system to its fullest extent!

The fact that £18 billion of benefits to which people are entitled to aren't claimed each year, shows that contrary to your statement, many people don't claim everything they are entitled to, or indeed anything.

£70 billion in tax avoided annually, might the public's ire be better directed to this? What does that say about a society and the people within when there is a false assumption that many claiming benefits are "exploiting" the system but very little is said about tax avoidance?

Hope thats made things clearer for you.

[Geoff Parkstone]

That reminds me, time to get my winter fuel allowance claim in!

[Andy_Faber]

Sorry come again? How if someone is claiming legitimate benefits to which their entitled are they "exploiting" the system?

Are you suggesting that the system is too generous? if so I'd suggest you actually look at what anyone is entitled to, the system is far from generous and fiendishly complicated.

You do seem to have swallowed hook line and sinker the common right wing trope that focusses on the "undeserving" benefit claimant who games the system, however casual research will show this isn't the case.

There were 20 million people claiming DWP benefits at February 2019. two thirds of benefit claimants are of State Pension age (13 million). Source (because I know your so keen on this) DWP - governments own figures.

Those bloody pensioners eh? Exploiting the benefit system to its fullest extent!

The fact that £18 billion of benefits to which people are entitled to aren't claimed each year, shows that contrary to your statement, many people don't claim everything they are entitled to, or indeed anything.

£70 billion in tax avoided annually, might the public's ire be better directed to this? What does that say about a society and the people within when there is a false assumption that many claiming benefits are "exploiting" the system but very little is said about tax avoidance?

Hope thats made things clearer for you.

****sake Swale, you are dense as well as bitter.

[Trickytreesreds]

In lighter news, I'm off back to Hua Han in a few weeks for a couple of months.
Sun /sand/crystal waters/ palm trees and beautiful people. Hasn't that made you all feel a lot better?





Jingle bells, on sea shells, Santas on his way.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Jesus, 2 months in Lagos Tricky. Sooner you than I

https://ofadaa.com/lagos/restaurants/hua-han

Google gives no other plausible options, but from past history, is it actually somewhere in Thailand that google hasnt heard of?

[swaledale]

****sake Swale, you are dense as well as bitter.

Ah that old chestnut, be abusive when your wrong! Dense? Blimey it takes one to know. As for being bitter, I suspect you would know more about that than me given the things that seem to upset you I mean from benefit claimants "exploiting the system to over representation of people from an ethnic background on the BBC you must spend a great deal of time tut tutting!

[Trickytreesreds]

Jesus, 2 months in Lagos Tricky. Sooner you than I

https://ofadaa.com/lagos/restaurants/hua-han

Google gives no other plausible options, but from past history, is it actually somewhere in Thailand that google hasnt heard of?

Oooooooooooops spelling mistake, Hua Hin. See you there xx


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/...7!4d99.9576888