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BaW's latest comments
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1 days ago
BaW commented on:
Win a 2025/26 Ashes Experience for Two!Would just love to join the Barmy Army! Such madness, and fun, together with top-flight cricket. Amazing prize.ViewDate:
23rd Feb 2025 BaW commented on:
Is it time to make National Service mandatory?I do think a national service would benefit many youngsters, and like the suggestion by another poster below that it could be mandatory if, after leaving education, no job (assuming jobs are available!) is achieved within a certain period, to prevent a life on benefits. Part of their service would teach practical skills they can use as a productive future or the knowledge accumulated in education could be usefully employed for the benefit of the nation.. But in order to recruit, there first needs to be legislation to guarantee servicemen will not be accused and dragged through court for doing their job.ViewDate:
17th Feb 2025 BaW commented on:
Do you support the proposed amendment to the assisted dying Bill?I am completely in favour of assisted dying, having watched three family members suffering ( 1 with dementia, 2 with cancer) and listening to them all saying 'enough' and they wished they could die. No quality of life; nobody hearing them. In fact, I would prefer this legislation went further, but understand why it will not be relaxed...the most cogent arguments being fear of coercion and getting rid of folk. . I have a Living Will, and my family know my wishes that I do not want to be institutionalised nor be a burden either emotionally or financially, and I would like to choose the timing of my own demise, but unless I am terminally ill, I would get no cooperation from the doctors nor the courts.. I appreciate the medical profession has its own opinions and ethical issues with assisted dying, but they are surely there to care for the best interests of their patients... both in terms of physical wellness but also mental anguish. Perhaps there should be an automatic earlier intervention - say for over-50s who are mentally capable - where their GP and partner/family all have a conversation to gauge end-of-life wishes and these are recorded and honoured at the time.ViewDate:
17th Feb 2025 BaW commented on:
Would you support compulsory digital ID cards?I am happy with the principle of ID for British citizens. I am not happy for everything about me to be on one item, for example a card or a mobile phone. I suspect all my info is already available somewhere online due to browsing, banking, etc, but I don't keep it all together nor linked between devices. As I regularly forget to charge phone or take it with me...wouldn't be much help. I also want to keep cash!ViewDate:
18th Oct 2024 BaW commented on:
6 key foods to have in your diet over 50Not sure about the salmon, if it is farmed, which most of our supermarket salmon is. Have you seen how they produce farmed salmon...take a look at WWF's webpage and you may never eat it again. Excessive use of chemicals, such as antibiotics, anti-foulants and pesticides...viruses and parasites. And then there's the biodiversity loss due to chemicals used and excess nutrients from food and faeces associated with salmon farms. Ugh!ViewDate:
8th Oct 2024 BaW commented on:
Do you consider 57 too old to get a new job?Sadly, it is the case that employers often prefer younger staff, particularly where their current employees are also young. Ageism is alive and well in the jobs market, but simply a challenge for older candidates to overcome. They must demonstrate their enthusiasm, their positive attitude to work, their commitment to doing the job, often lacking in some younger applicants. Experience and life knowledge is so important, but of course it depends on the job and having current skills to match the role.ViewDate:
27th Sep 2024 BaW commented on:
Would you support the law change to permit assisted dying?I helped care for my sister (metastatic breast cancer), my mother-in-law (dementia and rheumatoid arthritis), and my mother (lung cancer). They all sincerely expressed their wish to end their lives. In fact my sister starved herself to death simply by refusing to eat or drink because her medical team could not (would not) help her. (She had previously made an Advance Statement.) My daughter-in-law's grandmother and great grandmother both told me, at separate times, they wished they could end it. All these loved ones said they had no quality of life and they simply did not understand why the law in this country allows animals to be put down yet did not permit individuals to make that choice. I cannot bear the thought of being unable to look after myself properly, or living a life full of nothing but pain, unable to do things I enjoy. I want dignity. I don't want to be a burden on my family, either financial or emotional. They know this and have accepted it I think. I am determined to be as brave as my sister if necessary.ViewDate:
10th Sep 2024 BaW commented on:
Should the Prime Minister back down from proposals to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance?Don;t forget the £11.6bn commitment to international climate finance by Ed Milliband. That, with the public sector pay rises and pensions more than add up to the £20b 'black hole'.ViewDate:
10th Sep 2024 BaW commented on:
Should the Prime Minister back down from proposals to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance?Any Labour MPs who abstain or are 'elsewhere' should be asked by their constituents, why? Are they cowards or career brown-nosers? There should be a national campaign to oversee the expense claims - to see what energy bills they claim for - of all those MPs who do not follow their conscience. Even if there is no u-turn, there should be a solution found for those who rely on this payment. No need for the wealthiest pensioners to receive it, but decency says the poorer should not be penalised by wealthy politicians for whose expenses we pay tax.ViewDate:
4th Aug 2024 BaW commented on:
Is it right to impose an upper age limit in the House of Lords?I would prefer an upper limit on the number of failed politicians who are ennobled. The House of Lords is there to monitor, comment on and debate issues, supposedly acting as an intelligent and informed brake on the Commons, so having so many political appointees who are simply there to nod through ideological legislation is not what the system intended. However, there should be a reduction to the very generous allowances, paid for by the working taxpayers who cannot perhaps afford to eat and heat, and a tighter rein on the Lords members' attendance and work ethic. Those who do not work on committee or speak on issues should certainly be culled if all they do is log in and take advantage of the perks without taking on the responsibility. Perhaps an element of elected members, but also there should be members appointed for their knowledge and skills. Age affects different people differently...but how to manage that in terms of the Lords is difficult. Perhaps the national retirement age should be the norm with, as in HR practice, the possibility to continue if you show you are capable and prepared to do the job?ViewDate:
2nd Aug 2024 BaW commented on:
Win a £200 Seasalt Gift CardWould be great to win this. I just love Seasalt's quality clothes...and always buy my bamboo socks here!ViewDate:
15th Jul 2024 BaW commented on:
Do you feel optimistic about the outcome of the forthcoming General Election?And don't forget... NHS dentist's contract 2006... Blair also signed off on the £900million Post Office contract with Fujitsu in 1999 despite being warned that the firm's Horizon accounting software looked 'flawed'. He had close links with the firm going back years...private briefings with Fujitsu bosses in Japan in 1996, a year before he entered No10, and knowing its executives in his Sedgefield constituency. Fujitsu was also a supplier in the NHS IT system scandal initiated by Blair in 2002. And while he was in power Fujitsu were awarded several billion-pound Government contracts. Plus, current Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is claiming all the prison problems are due to Tory mismanagement! She needs to look to her history, When New Labour came to power in 1997, the prison population was around 61,000. By 2007 the figure hit more than 81,000; in November 2010, the figure in England and Wales was 85,393. (in 2024 it is currently around 87,500). There was a sharp increase in prison populations from the mid-1990s: more offenders being sent to prison; prisoners staying in for longer, and more recalls, largely due to 'indeterminate' sentences and recalls. And, of course, New Labour grossly expanded Private Finance Initiatives - spreading building costs and maintenance contracts over a long period (up to 35 years) which costs the taxpayers enormous sums (consider hospitals and schools still paying fees), The benefit to government budgeting is that PFIs are not accounted for in any publicly available figures.ViewDate:
2nd Feb 2024 BaW commented on:
Is it right to consider cutting postal deliveries to three days a week?The Post Office had many of the financially rewarding services removed and/or opened up to competition, which has led directly to the problems there are today. The postmen and women (and local post offices) do sterling work - it is not they who are at fault but the poor management, and govt ministers who have permitted the running down of what used to be a wonderful community asset. However, many councils, government departments, medical providers, etc, still send letters with deadlines (eg doctor, hospital or dentist appointments) which don't arrive until after the proposed event, so it is nonsensical for the PO both to cut daily deliveries and reduce its service. I wish the right hand would consider what the left hand is doing.ViewDate:
2nd Feb 2024 BaW commented on:
Do you bank online?I do bank online with some confidence in the processes, but would like to continue also having the option of face-to-face with my bank. I am not happy having to use parking apps. I installed one in late 2022 and, to date, have not been able either to get it to work nor to have any satisfactory response from the company about getting back the £25 I paid up-front to obtain reduced charges! So annoying. I don't go into the town any more!ViewDate:
5th Dec 2023 BaW commented on:
Have you adopted a ‘life is too short’ attitude?As so often, it is assumed that folk have the funds and the time to travel to wonderful places or attend pricy gigs. Even going to the cinema or the pub is expensive. But life can be just as rewarding and fun in your back yard...go gleaning to benefit the food banks, take part in village events and chat to strangers. Take walks (however slowly) in nature. Do all the things you enjoy while you still can, don't give up without a fight!ViewDate:
5th Oct 2023 BaW commented on:
Do you agree with the decision to axe HS2 northern leg?That's exactly right - there was no agreed costing or actual budget at the outset (nor, apparently was anything firmly set); most of the financial outcomes presented were developed on assumptions. Far too much was spent on consultants and, as we all know, management by committee takes too long and involves too many people - with the outcome that no decisions are made, consultants change, CEOs change and are paid off with huge sums; things drag on. Even in the HS2 cost and risk model report, wording was vague.ViewDate:
23rd Oct 2022 BaW commented on:
The Crown: Should Netflix do more to ensure viewers know it's fiction?They should not have made this in the first place. It is an unpleasant, inaccurate and insensitive series yet it is what people will view in future, and it will be taken as the truth because audiences are unlikely to verify the authenticity of what is being seen, so they will accept it. As The Guardian pointed out...'the series garnered plaudits for its acting and brickbats for its inaccuracies, almost all of them derogatory towards living or recently dead individuals...historian Hugo Vickers has already detailed eight complete fabrications in the new series, all caricaturing the royal family in the worst possible light...Fake history is fake news entrenched... To documentary makers for whom ordinary facts are not colourful enough, not sufficiently damning, fake history carries the magic trump card: artistic licence'.ViewDate:
14th Jul 2022 BaW commented on:
Should smoking be banned in beer gardens, cafe pavements and on beaches?My parents smoked. I worked in restaurants and offices when smoking was permitted. I stank of secondhand smoke a lot of the time. People are free to smoke if they choose to poison themselves, but even outside it is impossible to avoid the smoke if you are downwind. Vaping is little better. People's secondhand smoke-breath is not something I want to experience in a social setting.ViewDate:
14th Jul 2022 BaW commented on:
Would you feel comfortable interacting with a robot that looks and feels more human?With the on-going staff shortages in the care and nursing sectors, I think it is inevitable that this will happen. I would be perfectly happy with a humanoid robot.ViewDate:
14th Jul 2022 BaW commented on:
Who would you choose to be the next leader of the Conservative Party?I think there is a difference between leader of the Conservative party and the Prime Minister. I believe the PM does not need to be an MP - it is only by convention that this is the case. My vote for a Tory PM would be David Frost who led the Brexit negotiations. Honest, articulate, determined, an experienced diplomat, and with a clear conservative agenda. For leader of the Tory party we really need a good manager and closely aligned team to sort out the many issues of how the country is run and to regulate the way MPs behave; to work closely with the PM to drive forward the conservative policies and to ensure the staff, the civil service and all those involved in running the UK (including advisors and office staff of MPs) actually work together to do this, with no leaks, no undermining, no refusal to work, no need to whistleblow on poor HR practices or staff management...all the things that have brought down so many. We need to have a professional and experienced support team for the PM and the leader of the Tory party, something sadly lacking in recent administrations. My choice for leader of the party would be Penny Mordaunt.ViewDate:
28th May 2022 BaW commented on:
Would you be happy to eat gene modified food?I suspect we already do as there is lackadaisical labelling when it comes to soya, flour or other engineered products. I would not choose to eat either gene-edited or genetically-modified food. There is much celebration of the benefits such as quick growing/drought or pest resistant, etc, but where are the studies of long-term effects due to such editing on natural world biodiversity and human health?ViewDate:
1st Feb 2022
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27th Jan 2022 BaW commented on:
Are you ready to stop mask-wearing?I shall continue to wear my mask and to sanitise my hands before and after going into shops. There is no hope of social distancing in those areas now, so it's my choice to wear protection, as it is other people's not to wear theirs. I don't often go to restaurants and very rarely to pubs, but if I cannot sit outside, it's unlikely I shall. Last summer when restrictions were relaxed, my grandson went to a big (super-spreader) music festival and caught Covid. I doubt things have changed now that Omicron is amongst us, but hopefully the hospitalisations and deaths will continue to decline. Thank goodness (and the scientific community) for the vaccinations.ViewDate:
14th Jan 2022 BaW commented on:
Should the free prescription age in England be raised to 66?Hello MaryJ46 Let me say immediately that I sympathise with your situation. I, too, was in a position where I could not foresee retiring (I was in the first tranche of women whose retirement was postponed) and anticipated working on. Sadly, it was due to the deaths of my sister and my mother-in-law that circumstances improved slightly. You say your husband needs his medication; in reassurance, I believe the proposals published on 1 July 2021 are that existing exemptions from charges will remain in place, and that the raised qualifying age would be phased in by allowing patients aged over 60 years at the time of the regulation change to continue to claim free prescriptions. There will always, though, be individuals who fall through the gaps. I completely agree with your last few sentences, and would hope in future that those folk who can, would pay, although I don't foresee any government grasping the nettle and making everything means-tested, so it would have to be voluntary. I do, in fact, already pay for dentistry as there is no NHS availability in my area. I also have paid for medical treatment in the past when the alternative was a many-month wait (as I know is the case for so many), having a large cyst removed from my eyelid (for vanity rather than necessity). I am currently in the fortunate position of being able to do this. I do, however, accept free prescriptions for life-sustaining medication. There is so much argument around the NHS and it being free to all, but I do think there are elements of provision (such as vanity surgery) that should be paid for, and tightening up on health tourism. And prescription costs should be charged in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also, as these devolved countries are subsidised by the English taxpayer. So many savings could be made if companies were more ethically-minded, such as the huge repayments health trusts have to make due to Private Finance Initiatives, and the excessive prices charged by Big Pharma and other suppliers to the NHS - as well, of course, as the enormous profits made by some during the Covid pandemic. But until there is acceptance that things are not manageable as they are, we soldier on.ViewDate:
11th Jan 2022 BaW commented on:
Should the free prescription age in England be raised to 66?I have questioned for many years (I am in my 70s.) why free prescriptions are provided for over-60s; it is just another cost the NHS cannot afford. Of course, if the medication is essential for life, it should be free. And there should be free prescriptions for those who cannot afford the cost, based on individual circumstance. There are already large swathes of the population who qualify for free prescriptions. But if I accept a prescription for something not life sustaining, why should others pay? And then there is the question of medicines which are prescribed but cost far more than they do over the counter, aspirin for example. As the population grows, the NHS really needs to be pared back to essentials and not be expected to provide everything that everybody wants, rather than what some people need.ViewDate:
6th Jul 2021 BaW commented on:
The benefits of herbal and green teaI believe Clipper are the only brand with plastic-free bags! Their green tea is great, too!ViewDate:
17th Nov 2020 BaW commented on:
Take a look at what series four of The Crown has in store for usI think it is completely wrong to make such a series without the express permission of those whose reputations and lives are being affected by the programme's implications and innuendo. This may be good viewing, but inaccurate portrayals of individuals, imagined-but-presented-as-'factual' story-lines, and social biases aplenty are prevalent, Sadly this will be how many viewers will remember the royal family and other characters.ViewDate:
8th Aug 2020 BaW commented on:
Are you inclined to take up the Government's offer - 'Eat Out To Help Out'?Currently in my part of the world we are inundated with tourists, many of whom say they have come here 'to get away from the social distancing and coronavirus restrictions'. So, no. Not going out. I find it quite strange, in fact, that the government on one hand is saying we need to lose weight, yet they are permitting the fast food outlets (few of which use local suppliers and few of which provide 'healthy' low-fat options) to participate in the scheme.ViewDate:
15th Jun 2020 BaW commented on:
Will you be venturing to the shops this week?Which is it...follow the science or shop for England? Want a little clarity. Personally, I would rather listen to the scientists than the politicians and business. No, certainly won't be visiting any 'unessential' shops for the foreseeable future.ViewDate:
10th Jun 2020 BaW commented on:
Should controversial statues around the country be removed?I am glad to have been born in a country where we are able to have this debate, rather than in one of the many places where dissenters are 'disappeared', imprisoned, intimidated into retraction, or worse. The issue of police brutality in the USA – focusing on the black community rather than perceived police brutality in general – seems now to have segued, at least in the UK, into the issue of slavery, again focusing on black slavery. This ignores the fact that for aeons there has been tribal and religious rivalry, invasion, rape and pillage across Eurasia as well as Africa and the Americas. Britain, as with many African nations, has experienced inter-tribal, and religious, warfare and has also been invaded (think Vikings and Romans to name but two). Britons have been enslaved within their own countries due to warring tribes, and also by external aggressors. Slavery was wrong and is wrong, but protesting about what happened in history to one element of humanity when ignoring similar atrocities seems naive. Perhaps it is right to remove some statues of controversial (mainly) men and put them into museums with explanation of the context of their time. But to use violence and cause damage to other people's property? To injure innocent police doing their job? Absolutely not. Martin Luther King rightly called for social justice; he also denounced physical violence.ViewDate:
13th Feb 2020 BaW commented on:
Have you been affected by the shortage of HRT products?Having friends who had bad experiences with HRT, I declined it, but did change my diet to include the Linda Kearns HRT cake. This really helped me through - providing estrogen, vitamins and other nutrients to help manage the effects of menopause. The cake is more of a bread-pudding-style texture,and I added cherries and/or cranberries, or spread cream cheese on a slice. I believe there are now many more recipes to help balance hormonal changes, and would recommend trying this HRT cake. Am still baking it 15 years on...ViewDate:
14th Jan 2020 BaW commented on:
Speakers Corner CommentsRegrettably, this was one of the outcomes of demands by the feministas for equality. The issue was not anticipated by those demanding equal rights, but inevitable. I, too, was affected, and consider the change was done too hurriedly as it gave very little time to adjust plans, However, I felt I was well-informed about the changes so, if you were not, then your company's HR department was lacking. I was lucky enough to be in a job I enjoyed even though it was low paid, but was happy to continue throughout the additional years and, in fact, deferred my retirement so that I then enhanced my pension income. Have you spoken to your company about flexible working, so that you can spend precious time with your new grandbaby and help out your family; they may have a policy?ViewDate:
14th Jan 2020 BaW commented on:
Speakers Corner CommentsTV news channels and presenters seem to be broadcasting their own opinions more and more. I would like to see them all simply report the news rather than speculating and - endlessly - giving their own interpretation of events. The news is what is or has happened, not what might be. If a programme is advertised as 'news', it should be: a simple report of fact. If broadcasters wish to make assumptions or outline personal theories, then perhaps the programme should be put out as a 'talk show', fronted by the presenter.ViewDate:
27th Dec 2019 BaW commented on:
Do you believe in setting New Year's Resolutions?For 2019, my resolution was not to procrastinate...still working on it.ViewDate:
8th Nov 2019 BaW commented on:
Would you like a ‘standing’ GP appointment?When I saw the headline, I thought...yes, good idea...having a regular appointment every 6 months like a dentist, with emergency appointments if necessary? But then I read the synopsis of the suggestion. It would feel more like an interview with a headmaster! I can see where the concern is, but perhaps like all other sedentary workers, the GPs could make the effort to get up and move around occasionally take a walk at lunch time and coffee breaks.ViewDate:
30th Jul 2019 BaW commented on:
Is July too soon for shops to be stocking Christmas products?I think Christmas should only be for December, with a big splash of magic to excite youngsters: from Advent calendars to letters to Santa, and definitely including the nativity. We need to get away from the horrendous over-commercialisation and make sure children (and adults) in this country - of whatever race or religion they may be - continue to understand that we are basically a Christian country - and that without Christ there is no Christmas.ViewDate:
8th Jun 2019 BaW commented on:
Would you buy your supermarket produce loose, out of packaging?I voted yes, and take my own bags to put things in if they are available without plastic packaging...but do have concerns over other people's fingers on fresh produce...ok these items are washed before use, but I shudder at the thought of a fingernail breaking the skin of an apple or whatever. Soft fruit or other such vulnerable produce would need to be in cardboard perhaps. There are alternatives to plastic for wrapping...the National Trust send out members' magazines in a fully biodegradable envelope made from potato starch...and there are possibilities using hemp.ViewDate:
14th May 2019 BaW commented on:
Would you drive an electric car?I'd be happy to use an electric car...if: (1) the infrastructure for recharging and travelling distances is in place, which in rural areas it certainly is not; (2) I could afford one; (3) the batteries didn't use lithium and cobalt and other metals mined under appalling conditions for those mining it, and the dire effects of the mining process on the environment.ViewDate:
14th May 2019 BaW commented on:
Will you be voting in the European Elections this month?The Brexit Bus said: 'We send the EU £350 million a week. Let's fund our NHS instead.Let's take back control.' It was always clear that this money would only be available if we left the EU. It was also a correct 'gross' amount, before the UK's rebate is applied, and any subsidies received. However the rebate and subsidies are all paid in arrears, so the bus statement may be accurate! However I completely agree with your last sentence about voting for the Brexit Party in these elections.ViewDate:
14th May 2019 BaW commented on:
Will you be voting in the European Elections this month?Don't quite understand why the parties are campaigning for European election on stopping Brexit. Surely that should be their campaign for a UK election. It is the UK Parliament that has let us down and is likely to stop Brexit - unless the EU kick us out because they are sick of it (unlikely because of our financial input!). However, if as I expect, a true Brexit does not happen for whatever reason, we shall be tied to Europe and will need to be thoughtfully yet strongly represented rather than having a school-yard attitude of 'yah, boo, sucks'. If we are still in Europe, we need people who will work for our best interests in what is likely to be a hostile environment. I shall not be voting for any of the Remainer parties, and think that (in my area) independent candidates are the way forward, as they can consider and vote for policies they actually believe in and want to enact rather than following any party whip. I hate the PR system. There are several good candidates – one is the first-placed Tory, but they are allied with some pretty hopeless ones on the same party ticket. I wish I could select the several individuals I wanted rather than a party list.
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