Bizarre Things You Are Paying For

[Steve]

Your licence fee at work, 8 MP's but the BBC wants to send 200 staff to cover the Lib Dem conference. Something tells me that there will be more reporters than attendees in total. 

Lets be honest here, it doesn't take a genius to work out in advance what the tone of the conference is going to be anyway. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3147347/BBC-plans-send-200-staff-scaled-coverage-Lib-Dem-conference-s-25-times-number-MPs.html

I thought they just sacked a load...?

...not enough obviously.... 

Is your issue the profile they are giving to a party that may end up in coalition before the next General election or the number of people it needs to generate as neutral a  view as possible of their conference?

Seems the BBC as we know it will be gone within the next 20 years.  With no benchmark to aim at then inevitably ITV and Sky news and current affairs coverage will go the way of the dire Fox and CNN news.  IMHO this will be a tragedy.

Am I the only one who finds Fox News very entertaining?

Everything you always knew was wrong with Yanks is laid out in a quite risible way.

A sort of rolling Yahoo Answers. 

Indeed it is.  Unintentionally at times but too often     

[Grumpmeister]

Your licence fee at work, 8 MP's but the BBC wants to send 200 staff to cover the Lib Dem conference. Something tells me that there will be more reporters than attendees in total. 

Lets be honest here, it doesn't take a genius to work out in advance what the tone of the conference is going to be anyway. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3147347/BBC-plans-send-200-staff-scaled-coverage-Lib-Dem-conference-s-25-times-number-MPs.html

I thought they just sacked a load...?

...not enough obviously.... 

Is your issue the profile they are giving to a party that may end up in coalition before the next General election or the number of people it needs to generate as neutral a  view as possible of their conference?

Seems the BBC as we know it will be gone within the next 20 years.  With no benchmark to aim at then inevitably ITV and Sky news and current affairs coverage will go the way of the dire Fox and CNN news.  IMHO this will be a tragedy.

My issue is that they are using in insane amount of journalists and support staff to cover a conference where they are likely to outnumber the attendees, at the licence payers expense while at the same time bleating on about how they no longer have the money to 'continue the service as is'.

[Barman]

Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.

I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room,  the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.

I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?

Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.

Twenty-nine million quid a year! 

Do read more... Clicky...

[Steve]

Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.

I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room,  the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.

I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?

Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.

Twenty-nine million quid a year! 

Do read more... Clicky...

    very thought provoking

She really does write some excellent stuff, her blog is one of my daily must reads even if I don't always agree with her.   And in the main on this issue I do disagree.  When so many of the population do have deep religious beliefs then in places of life and death it may be net beneficial to society for people to have easy access to a priest.  But in schools no, no, NO!

[Darwins Selection]

Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.

I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room,  the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.

I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?

Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.

Twenty-nine million quid a year! 

Do read more... Clicky...

 

I didn't know that.

I must look out my Jedi robes and get registered.

[Barman]

Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.

I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room,  the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.

I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?

Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.

Twenty-nine million quid a year! 

Do read more... Clicky...

    very thought provoking

She really does write some excellent stuff, her blog is one of my daily must reads even if I don't always agree with her.   And in the main on this issue I do disagree.  When so many of the population do have deep religious beliefs then in places of life and death it may be net beneficial to society for people to have easy access to a priest.  But in schools no, no, NO!

I can't agree...

I can't see why a request for a vicar on your death bed to tell you everything is going to be okay should be paid for by other taxpayers - including those who don't believe or believe in a different system...? Surely, the vicar should be paid from the subs you have contributed every week as a regular church goer or from your estate if you are a last minute convert...?

You could have a ridiculous scenario where somebody is denied taxpayer funded life extending drugs because NICE says they are unaffordable but is provided with a tax payer funded vicar when they die because of it....

[Darwins Selection]

Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.

I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room,  the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.

I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?

Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.

Twenty-nine million quid a year! 

Do read more... Clicky...

    very thought provoking

She really does write some excellent stuff, her blog is one of my daily must reads even if I don't always agree with her.   And in the main on this issue I do disagree.  When so many of the population do have deep religious beliefs then in places of life and death it may be net beneficial to society for people to have easy access to a priest.  But in schools no, no, NO!

I can't agree...

I can't see why a request for a vicar on your death bed to tell you everything is going to be okay should be paid for by other taxpayers - including those who don't believe or believe in a different system...? Surely, the vicar should be paid from the subs you have contributed every week as a regular church goer or from your estate if you are a last minute convert...?

You could have a ridiculous scenario where somebody is denied taxpayer funded life extending drugs because NICE says they are unaffordable but is provided with a tax payer funded vicar when they die because of it....

Good point, well made.

Bless you

Invoice in the post

[Barman]

Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.

I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room,  the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.

I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?

Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.

Twenty-nine million quid a year! 

Do read more... Clicky...

    very thought provoking

She really does write some excellent stuff, her blog is one of my daily must reads even if I don't always agree with her.   And in the main on this issue I do disagree.  When so many of the population do have deep religious beliefs then in places of life and death it may be net beneficial to society for people to have easy access to a priest.  But in schools no, no, NO!

I can't agree...

I can't see why a request for a vicar on your death bed to tell you everything is going to be okay should be paid for by other taxpayers - including those who don't believe or believe in a different system...? Surely, the vicar should be paid from the subs you have contributed every week as a regular church goer or from your estate if you are a last minute convert...?

You could have a ridiculous scenario where somebody is denied taxpayer funded life extending drugs because NICE says they are unaffordable but is provided with a tax payer funded vicar when they die because of it....

Good point, well made.

Bless you

Invoice in the post

Thank you your vicarness... 

[Darwins Selection]

Follow the money is a popular retort. I’ve been chasing taxpayer’s money into some very odd corners.

I’m indebted to the National Secular Society for first alerting me to something quite mysterious. Those priests you occasionally see darting along hospital corridors, on their way to administer the last rites to some poor soul; the Iman arriving by taxi to make his incantations in your local hospital’s nice new Muslim prayer room,  the Vicar emerging from a chat with a lonely old lady at her bedside – I had imagined I was witnessing the true selflessness of their vocation, how they spent the hours over and above that required by the regular services in their church or mosque, an example of their dedication to the souls of their parish/whatever.

I had no idea that they too, were dipping heavily into the NHS funds! What business does the State, on behalf of taxpayers of all creeds and religions have, to subsidise the already wealthy religious organisations?

Heavily indeed! According to the Royal College of Nursing, there has been a reduction in nurse staffing of around 5,780 between May 2010 and June 2012 – yet hospital trusts continued to employ almost 500 hospital chaplains.

Twenty-nine million quid a year! 

Do read more... Clicky...

    very thought provoking

She really does write some excellent stuff, her blog is one of my daily must reads even if I don't always agree with her.   And in the main on this issue I do disagree.  When so many of the population do have deep religious beliefs then in places of life and death it may be net beneficial to society for people to have easy access to a priest.  But in schools no, no, NO!

I can't agree...

I can't see why a request for a vicar on your death bed to tell you everything is going to be okay should be paid for by other taxpayers - including those who don't believe or believe in a different system...? Surely, the vicar should be paid from the subs you have contributed every week as a regular church goer or from your estate if you are a last minute convert...?

You could have a ridiculous scenario where somebody is denied taxpayer funded life extending drugs because NICE says they are unaffordable but is provided with a tax payer funded vicar when they die because of it....

Good point, well made.

Bless you

Invoice in the post

Thank you your vicarness... 

Most welcome you are

[Steve]

  both

We'll have to agree to disagree BM.  I will say that when my father died the very last thing on my mind was a priest but then I'm agnostic with little time for organised religions.  But a lot of people are religious and the practicality of that is it may be a lot cheaper for a hospital to guide them to a room with someone that can handle their emotions than have them getting in the way of medical staff

IIRC even our privately owned airports have faith rooms

[Grumpmeister]

Here's one for you, some bright spark in the gubberment decided that we needed to be made more aware of pensions and so after much research and brainstorming, came up with this...



Because whenever you see a hooooge friendly purple monster the first thing you think is "Oh fuck I don't have a pension" 

[Steve]

Here's one for you, some bright spark in the gubberment decided that we needed to be made more aware of pensions and so after much research and brainstorming, came up with this...



Because whenever you see a hooooge friendly purple monster the first thing you think is "Oh fuck I don't have a pension" 

But how to make people save for their old age?  We could have a compo for our best offering

How about a "Save or when you're poor we'll turn you into Pies" campaign?   No?  Shame.

[Barman]

Here's one for you, some bright spark in the gubberment decided that we needed to be made more aware of pensions and so after much research and brainstorming, came up with this...



Because whenever you see a hooooge friendly purple monster the first thing you think is "Oh fuck I don't have a pension" 

[Grumpmeister]

It could be argued that compared to everything else the council has wasted money on or completely buggered up this is small fry but it's still little more than a bloody expensive vanity project. £180k to promote a language that only a couple of hundred people are fluent in. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3306652/Pana-skollva-s-waste-CORNISH-Outrage-council-spends-180-000-promoting-dying-language-just-300-people-speak.html

[Nick]

The Welsh are even worse