Well that wasn't too bad was it? Of course I mean The Budget, Reeves managed beautifully I thought. Yes I know there were things some people are cross about and apparently from what I have heard she did not go for more tax from the rich and you get a penny less on beer, tradition always goes down well with budgets.
Above is some of the photos I took of Hebden Bridge, as usual I was hurried on by my family. The above photo is of the park as we waited for the bus (20 minutes). As an aside Andy Burnham in Manchester has refused to raise the bus fare from £2 to £3 for Manchester, not following his government then.
I did not listen to the hee-hawing braying sound of parliament as the measures were enunciated. It is such a pantomime of excessive bad behaviour, that I wonder whether Rachel Reeves should have made some enforcing laws of good behaviour as well.
Happy Halloween everyone and remember to lock your doors!
“It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world." Mary Oliver
Hebden Bridge does look like such a nice town. In every direction there seems to be hills behind.
ReplyDeleteYes it is a very narrow valley with wooded slopes, so railway, road, canal and towns must fit in Andrew.
DeleteA lovely day yesterday in the sunny intervals. A fair and balanced budget I thought.
ReplyDeleteI thought she pulled it off exceptionally well, there are always going to be a few grumbles but to be honest it is a miserable job with everyone breathing down your neck. I do love this adjustment of governing that we are going through Tasker.
DeleteOur community owned and run village shop organises a Halloween trail for children to do with their parents during daylight hours where they visit about a dozen decorated venues including houses of folk who are happy to take part before returning to the shop for a treat. Much better than roaming a dark skies village in the dark. We used to cower in the dark in our Surrey village and refuse to open the door. I have deliberately avoided all media coverage of the budget (especially from self-proclaimed right wing pundits) and instead read Tom Stevenson’s excellent summary emailed me to last night. Tom works for Fidelity who look after all our ISAs and Pensions and which are all doing very well thanks to the Fidelity experts. We paid about a third of a million pounds in IHT on my parents’ estate in 2014 but my parents worked for the NHS and Southern Electricity Board (pre-privatisation in 1992 when my dad retired with a load of shares as part of his pension) all their working lives and both received generous workplace pensions as well as the full state pension. Also I and my two brothers and my husband all received excellent free state education to degree level and our two children received free state education from the age of three to the age of 18 and both children are educated to post graduate level, with daughter currently writing her PhD in Scotland and working as a nurse. Our son meanwhile has stepped off the wheel and is travelling the world for four months while still paying rent on a London house share. My parents born in 1926 and 1930 were not poor pensioners but they worked hard all their lives, my mother retiring in 1988 and my father in 1992 with my dad gaining a PhD and my mum a BEd as mature working people. Also we avoided the dreaded care home for my mum when she was so poorly and managed with all of us pulling together to look after her at home with wonderful support from the NHS and private carers. I have absolutely no complaints. Whilst on Crete the other week I did not see any overweight or obese Cretans or indeed any fast food outlets and neither did the supermarkets have whole aisles devoted to booze and cheap snacks. What a contrast to the UK. The 4000 population town we were staying close to also had a modern health centre, an archaeological museum, a library, tennis courts, basket ball courts, electric bike hire, a running and athletics track, children who walked to school, lots of immigrants who are fully integrated into Greek society and absolutely essential to the Cretan economy based on agriculture and tourism … as I say what a contrast to the UK, no wonder we are still known as the sick man of Europe. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteAlways a breath of fresh air Sarah ;) Tasker will also say he has done well with his pension, there are many that have escaped the change in fortunes that we have experienced over the last few years. But now the young adults must pay a large sum for university education and as house prices soar out of the reach of so many something must be done to control the ever upward trend. It is interesting in what you say about the difference between here and Crete society. The supermarkets here are given a free hand to sell a lot of ultra processed foods that are bad for people, though labelling may help, as a country we seriously lack the ability to teach children in school that cooking is good. I'm glad you enjoyed your holiday at least they have warm weather out there. Crete seems a good place to live, though in defence of this country voluntary work does run a lot of our societies.
DeleteI don't know anything about your country's budge but I am glad you are happy with the results, Thelma.
ReplyDeleteI will be taking 2 of my grandsons out for trick-or-treating in my neighborhood today. Haven't done that since my own were young so it should be fun.
Well I suppose it is the optimism Ellen that I like to see, it may not always pan out as they chatter at us. Hope you enjoy your trick and treating with your grandsons and I hope everyone's sweety boxes are full;)
ReplyDeleteI try to avoid commenting on other countries' politics. It seems to upset some. I will say that you're the first blogger that I've read that didn't seem to think that it was an outrage, for one reason or another.
ReplyDelete"Accentuate the Positive" is my motto Debby. Nothing will be done if it is all doom and gloom. I think people love to grumble, and probably there is plenty to grumble about.
ReplyDeleteHere is an economist on the subject..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VJ8hZZLtK0
Nice to see that Hebden Bridge was not flooded when you were there Thelma. We always knew that Labour had been left with a poisoned chalice so the first budget had to be a painful one to adjust the course of the ship of state.
ReplyDeleteThe last big flood was 2015 YP, I remember our friends telling me that they almost got stuck with their campervan there. Also, 'Slow the Flow' has been working on the tree lined slopes to guide the streams as they fall. This is done with building up small banks of branches.
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