Question Time

On doing a physical job. I did one in the oil industry until I was 34. Then made a big switch to an office based government job. That decision was partly based on the recognition that it'd become increasingly harder to compete physically with the younger guys. Honourable retirement of a half-decent No.10. And partly on it being easier to attempt to make a big change sooner rather than later.

But some jobs are certainly more physical than others. That's why the police and firefighters retire early. Did they join those professions thinking about that issue in their 20's? I doubt it. I just went roughnecking because it was a good opportunity at the time. So if society recognises the physicality of some public service jobs then they should recognise it more generally too.

 

They still have unions ... After Maggie decimated ours most builders generally regard them as leeches. Justified too as they've done nothing of note of since except welcome in more migrants (naturally only if they pay union subs).

 

I don't get what you're saying. Was this supposed to be a reply to another post of mine?

 

Police and Firefighters remember? Their unions negotiated their pensions/early retirement etc. and of course they are practically civil servants.
I believe the only thing the construction unions have successfully negotiated since the eighties is a pound over minimum wage for their members.

 

OK. Was it better before Thatcher's 'decimation'?

 

Yes it was in many ways, employers couldn't just take the pi55 as they do now and they fought against 'the lump' for the uncertainty and unfairness it causes.

(I'll explain tomorrow if I have time but right now my painkillers are kicking in and it's back to bed)

 

Sleep well!

 

Oh look another day of rain, that's only seven working days in a row ... hope it stops soon or I'll never reach my eighty thirty thousand pound target this year.

 

Does the rain close down your work? Genuine question ...

 

It certainly does. As much as is practical you try to leave inside work for wet days but it's rarely enough. There's also frost to worry about, under 4 degrees and it's touch and go whether the site agent will call a halt.

 

I see. Totally different from big oil then. That never stopped until it got to about a Force 9 when it became just too dangerous to be up the derrick. Mind you, you could have two big steaks for breakfast when you knocked off after nightshift. Reasonable compensation?

 

Contrary to what you might expect, the Germans are a lot less fussy about smeary blockwork as virtually everything is plastered afterwards anyway - That's why it has to be torrential before they actually make you stop.

Theoretically anyway because you wouldn't catch me working in it .... 'You're a long time dead' as my mum used to say!

 

OK. It never really bothered us offshore. You got all the gear - overalls, waterproofs, thermals, boots etc. you needed so never really got wet or cold whatever the weather. And you certainly ate plenty of calories! Only the wind at height made it dodgy (always wear a safety harness).

One day we had this kid from Louisiana came out though. His dad was big in the company or something. He seemed OK to start with then it started to p.ss down. After a bit he said something like "when ya'll gonna quit"? (Good ol'boy accent). We just laughed and carried on. So he said - "hell - I ain't workin' in the rain", walked off the rig floor, caught the next chopper back to Aberdeen and was never heard of again!

 

Moving back to Russell Brand - did anyone see he turned up at RBS with a megaphone and stopped workers going back to their desks after lunch. Unfortunately he just had the admin and analyst guys instead of the traders he was targeting after picking the wrong building. Idiot.

 

Despite my earlier comment there were still times when I had little choice but to work in the rain, usually because of schedules as cancelling cranes and concrete is expensive. The wet gear you mention only works to a point and is very restrictive, cutting our ability to earn and invariably I still ended up nursing a cold after working in it. On big jobs you might have drying facilities etc. but stuck out in the country building a house or a barn then the pub is always the better option.

 

For someone who purports to be very clever, witty and erudite, he does come across as a complete and utter moron sometimes.

It's not the bankers that were bailed out, it was the people who's savings they'd lost. Brand should spend a little less time critising people and a little more time coming up with the solutions. Put up or shut up imho. Preventing support staff taking their lunch break was a wonderful act of benevolence.

 

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/rbs-worker-from-northern-ireland-writes-hilarious-open-letter-to-russell-brand-after-publicity-stunt-interrupts-his-lunch-30844118.html

I found this funny

 

Moog my dear chap, you've just made my lunch.:sign15:

Be reassured it will be sufficiently warm.

 

clasic typical champagne socialist, wonder if would be so keen to give up his fortune like he thinks others should, what do women see in him??

 

I agree ... but unfortunately the poor ones aren't given any air time. Im just glad he's not a Lib Dem or I'd have to vote Ukip.

 

How appalling that GF's and my love-in re: working outdoors in the rain should be so rudely interrupted. I haven't been so annoyed since my lunch once got cold ...

 

you don't roustabout the bush do you?

 

Not yours anyway ...

 

Talking of UKIP, this picture epitomises what I have believed is their average level of general awareness or knowledge of - well most anything really.

 

Great shot. To be fair, this could just as easily be a low grade Tory or Labour voter. Seems to me this bloke is probably just racist if he is happy to leave a vague flag like this up which will offend other cultures.

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/116...angs_huge_flag_with_message_to_Santa/?ref=rss

He's a UKIP party member. The point wasn't the message per se, the point was this great patriot of Britain doesn't know which way his worshiped flag goes.

 

Oh. I didn't notice it.

 

Haha - at least he thought on his feet when his mistake was pointed out!

"It has been pointed out the the flag has been hung upside down, althogh Mr Miller says this is intentional to indicate his belief that the 'UK is in distress'."

 

Think you'll have to blame the printer for getting the flag wrong. mind you only a few people would spot it.

 

I can't see why it's upside down ... just wrong as it shouldn't be symetrical

 

Its actually printed back to front and not upside down

The union flag should have the thicker part of the white stripe on the upper side of the diagonal

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Know-if-a-Union-Jack-Has-Been-Hung-Upside-Down

 

Or even "his worshipped flag"
Good on the lad , rather him than a load of dribbling looney leftist appeasers determined to give the Country away.

 

The flag on the house would be correctly hung if it was rotated 180º on either a horizontal or vertical axis. The latter is the same as putting the flagpole on the right. However flags are always depicted with the flagpole on the left. A flagpole on the right would require any writing to run left to right towards the flagpole rather than away from it. You can't turn a flag upside down if it has writing on it or reverse it because the writing would be either upside down or the wrong way round. If the flag is transparent, if it's hung correctly, then it will be seen to be so from both sides. However, the writing would only run left to right on one side. I think that's all correct ...

Whichever way you look at his flag, in the season of goodwill to all men, the guy's a tw.t ...

Time for a lie down ... Merry Christmas All ... xx

 

Merry Xmas Kelso and to the rest of you on here , even the dribbling looney leftards among you :drinking: