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Billythequiche's bio
Retired, active, married for over 52 years. -
Billythequiche's latest comments
ViewDate:
4 days ago
Billythequiche commented on:
Have you got 'stove stigma'?I have no axe to grind as we do not have one and do not live near a household that uses one. As there are many of them, either by choice or fashion, it is time for a proper and factual debate and recommendations, some hope. Calling for a ban is as senseless as banning gas boilers when the majority of people would find it impossibly expensive to change. Milliband's virtue signalling sounds silly against Trump's aims. I hear what you say about freedoms, it is the greatest danger we face today.ViewDate:
15th Jan 2025 Billythequiche commented on:
Would James Norton get your vote to be the next James Bond?To follow a manual they would have to read, doubtful; watching the film doesn't count as it would have been sanitised and have a trigger warning. How many of our "Brave New MP's" will have read Huxley or Orwell; how many have an interest in the area they represent other than a tax payer funded second home. You only have to watch students on Pointless, showing their shocking lack of literary knowledge. It makes me very sad that my grandkids barely read anything. Apart from the wonder and pleasure of books of all genres, they miss the self-education and balance of literature that makes you think.ViewDate:
14th Jan 2025 Billythequiche commented on:
Would James Norton get your vote to be the next James Bond?You tell it like it is. We are in danger of becoming "Grumpy Old Buggars.ViewDate:
13th Jan 2025 Billythequiche commented on:
Would James Norton get your vote to be the next James Bond?I greatly admire the stand Barbara Broccoli has made against the "studios". Integrity has been subverted in the modern movie industry. Personally, I would like the visions that Fleming created in his books to be more prominent, the main characters, like Bond, M and Q should be strong; but that is the view of a 75 year old male. I go to the cinema to be entertained, thrilled, moved and even shocked occasionally. I do NOT go to be lectured about gender, race, politics, diversity or to view various bedroom antics. Yes, agreed, I do not need to go and the TV has an off button, I am not setting agendas for others, this is purely PERSONAL. We have Unlimited passes and go to the cinema a lot. It doesn't matter if the film is not as good as its hype, often they are better than critics allow; but blatant lecturing or virtue signalling is off-putting. My favourite example of the critics/awards hierarchy being in a different world to the public is the comparison between La La Land and The Greatest Showman. One was lauded and awarded and quickly faded from memory. One was criticised, and ignored but mesmorised audiences, produced iconic show music which is regularly played now. One last gripe. How can you have a Best Picture Oscar if the film can only be seen if you pay to subscribe to a download provider? If necessary, have a separate award. Look at the health of Cinemas and the profits of the streaming companies.ViewDate:
19th Dec 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Should Waspi women be entitled to compensation?Difficult one this. My wife was affected by the changes but has always insisted that she was fully informed and aware of what was to come. It comes down to fairness and there are many examples of this. For instance, the two tier old pension and new pension. Those on the new pension have made less in contributions than those on the old. Why not have everyone on the new pension? The most disgraceful aspect of this is the statement that it is unfair to taxpayers. Having shamefully used these women as props in virtual signalling, political weapons when in opposition, to state this when in power is hypocritical to the Nth degree. There was no mention of the tax payer when settling blackmail claims to some unions and undeserved rises to indolent civil servants.ViewDate:
19th Dec 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Would you ask guests to contribute to your Christmas meal costs?Has our society disintegrated so far? Do manners no longer matter? If you could not afford to host, and many cannot, you would find a polite way of not inviting. If close enough to know your position, an offer to supply something would be gratefully received. We are going to one of our daughters for a few days and when first invited, we insisted on supplying the turkey cheese and wine (we have expensive tastes in wine). This was politely accepted in the knowledge that there will be other treats. It always seemed to us that that there are diverse reasons to give invitations: religious, family, social, seasonal or charitable. None of these involved asking for money; but then again we are old and these sort of values are not fashionable.ViewDate:
11th Dec 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Will you be sending Christmas cards this year?I know exactly what you mean. It's not just about irresponsibility and indolence, a part of our community and country is being abused and insulted (led by the Oxford Union and the Labour Party) in a way I haven't heard since the fifties. I do not need to spell it out to you but to voice it these days invites investigation for a hate crime. Doesn't seem to work both ways. What's next, book burning? Hang tough, stay healthy.ViewDate:
6th Dec 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Will public control of the railways get them back on track?The only ones to benefit will be those in the rail unions, paid for by the rest of us.ViewDate:
6th Dec 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you support the farmers' protest regarding the government’s proposed tax changes?Just another example of the politics of envy.ViewDate:
28th Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Will you be sending Christmas cards this year?Absolutely right, in general as well as detail. You are spot on with youngsters, and sometimes not so young, promoted way beyond their level of competence. They are often the braying voices of the "woke/gender/decolonialist" minority who specialise only in virtue signalling. The NHS, the civil service, senior police management, the judiciary and even the government; actually especially the government. I fear we will have a generation who; Will be unsackable, Will only work when and where they want, Will have no accountability, Will have no skill in their jobs, Will have no regard for securing their old age.ViewDate:
27th Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Will you be sending Christmas cards this year?Yes, but a great deal less than we used to. Between the unreliable deliveries and the cost of stamps it is becoming almost unusable. I used to decry the thought of using emails or social media as cold and impersonal but it is becoming more thinkable. The postal service used to be just that, a public service, not a private money maker. Personally I think the rot set in in the early seventies. My father was a postman when they were taken out on strike for more money and to stop modernisation. After it was over, he calculated that it would take nearly 5 years to recoup what it had cost him in lost wages. Quick tip on stamps. Buying in bulk from Costco is economic. I recover my membership fee on cheap fuel alone.ViewDate:
22nd Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you like the new Jaguar rebrand?Absolutely not. Thank goodness they are no longer British. I always aspired to own one, not now. It's like Morse has gone woke.ViewDate:
18th Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Are you concerned about proposed Post Office closures?Of course, we all should be. With the decline of bank branches, plus free ATMs disappearing and supermarkets phasing out cash-back, the loss of local post offices could be a disaster. The postal services appear to be in a death spiral. It's not just the facility for getting cash, or even local businesses depositing, it's about those who need help with pensions, form filling, savings, bill paying and the advice that was always the heart of local post offices.ViewDate:
18th Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?Ha ha, you are right that we would disagree on a lot of things , but that is healthy. We must protect our rights to disagree and express our disagreements from all sides. It is more than a shame that the NHS only becomes a major issue when a) there is a scandal, b) there is industrial action or c) it becomes political as during electioneering. If I had a wish for the future, it would be that the next outbreak was one of common sense. A multi-party, multi-discipline team would make serious long term plans for the nations health care. I doubt I will be around to see that.ViewDate:
16th Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?It doesn't read like a lecture, I admire your erudition and willingness to defend your opinions and your experience. You asked about my idea of basics, controversial and wide ranging is the best description. Too controversial perhaps for this forum. The healing of the sick, the saving of lives and the education of health practices would be the primary roles. Everything else would have degrees of importance depending on the budget. Also, dare I say it, only free to those entitled to by birthright or having paid National Insurance. Equally contentious is my opinion that minority views, on gender for instance, are kept as private opinions, expressed freely as individuals but not passed off as NHS policy. I believe that the NHS is beyond medication and in need of surgery if the next generation is to inherit something worthwhile. We must avoid the debacle brewing in America as an "anti-vaccer" and conspiracy theorist is appointed as the medical supremo.ViewDate:
15th Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?As usual, you speak with authority from real experience. I would ask a couple of questions though. Would you defend an obviously incompetent manager? I am not talking about a medical professional pusuing solutions to almost impossible problems. I am talking ones who would put politics and career above patient care. Ones who would spend huge amounts on diversity and inclusivity projects/education while not supplying medical staff with the needed equipment. Ones that would spend time and money deciding on pronouns and if men can breastfeed and not enough on sufficient nurses to prevent the over-use of agency. You are right that league tables have been tried and failed. I do not have the answers. I am convinced that a limitless supply of money is not the answer. I am convinced that the NHS should be rationalised down to basics until it is better managed. I believe that managers should be held to account for their decisions just as doctors are held to account for their clinical work. There must be scrutiny of how and how much the costs are for the supplies. I must stop, I am just spouting my opinion and like bums, everybody has one. I would like to issue a plea for common sense to outweigh dogma.ViewDate:
4th Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?Probably the same as they are doing now.ViewDate:
3rd Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?Can’t add a smiley , hm, it appears can, but the thought of dumping 30% of civil servants is delightful.ViewDate:
3rd Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?Apart from some very erudite comments on the defence aspects of this budget, there seems to be little from the more vociferous contributors to the site. Perhaps there is nothing in the budget to bludgeon the previous administration with.ViewDate:
3rd Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?Interesting thought isn't it? Perhaps the can of worms that is procurement could also be opened for the Armed Forces, HS2, the civil service and anything else where public money is spent with only rubber stamp oversight.ViewDate:
2nd Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?Absolutely. I have a fantasy, no not that one. I would like to be in a media studio, with the health secretary strapped into a chair and unable to leave without straight answers. I would ask the following questions: For the top five NHS trusts acquiring an intubation set: How much would each pay? Which supplier? Who makes the buying decision? Are there multiple quotes? Are they fit for purpose? Is there a national inventory? Is there communication between trusts on suppliers and costs? If not why not? If you extrapolate the answers to encompass all the supplies requirements for the NHS, would you find a real "black hole"?ViewDate:
1st Nov 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
What the budget means for you - is it better or worse than you thought it would be?The foul taste of the politics of envy. A poorer Christmas if you have savings or sacrificed to get a small pension, we already new about losing the fuel allowance. We also new that the state pension would increase by 4.1%, compare that with the living wage increasing by 6.7%. No end to the freeze on personal allowances means more tax and more dragged into paying it. Much was made of alcohol tax saving 1p a pint, the pub trade forecast that the NI changes, the wage increases and the plan to make it almost impossible to fire incompetents, will probably mean an increase of 40p! Hidden in the small print was a swingeing increase in rail fares and the the elderly/disabled rail card; this after reducing the discounts from them. Still, it will keep the railway workers happy. Like her predecessor Brown who virtually killed the Final Salary schemes for those of us who were paying for one, she has targeted those who try to take responsibility for their own welfare in old age. Except for those in public service of course. It even seems that there are plans for their increase in costs to be funded by the tax payer. I know that there are Silversurfers out there who are better informed than I am. Throwing money at the NHS would seem a good idea but not if the bulk of it goes to grossly over funded inclusion/diversity courses and mandarins who contibute nothing to patients. Having a standing army less than Wellington's and a forces bureaucracy exceeding the manpower of the RAF and Navy combined is sheer lunacy. Take on Putin or China? we can't even take on the French in the channel. I am heartened to see that I was correct in predicting the huge number of new applications for a benefit of any kind that will allow a fuel payment. Judging by the millions paid out to " M.Mouse" and "D.Duck" during Covid, good luck checking all that lot. Never mind, fuel duty didn't go up, until the other measures get to the suppliers. Bit early, but we wish all Silversurfers a health and happy Christmas and also to the editors and moderators of the site.ViewDate:
18th Oct 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Is it OK to banter about baldness?Only if the target is known to you and will not take offence. I have no sensitivity to my lack of locks but I am aware that some do. A thinning or bald pate is always a better look than a comb-over.ViewDate:
4th Oct 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you own an air fryer?I am not sure we would have bought a stand-a-lone air fryer. We have a Ninja multi cooker. Wow. It has virtually replaced a steamer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, combi oven and deep fryer. The included instructions are minimal so research plus trial and error is important. The best thing I have found to download is a comparison chart for time and temperature for oven, fan oven and air fryer. The steamer is our most used, with minimal water and time it is excellent. The combination cooking using pressure then air frying is a bit fiddly but the results are superb.ViewDate:
13th Sep 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Would you support a smoking ban in public outdoor spaces?No. I am a non smoker but you can only limit personal freedoms so far. Personally I do not enjoy walking out of a pub/restaurant into a fug of smoke or vape, but it should not be legislated against any more than B.O. or cheap aftershave. Outdoor eating perhaps could have a separate area but decided by the venue.ViewDate:
13th Sep 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Should the Prime Minister back down from proposals to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance?Of course they should have a re-think. A fairer, more graduated way of calculating fuel allowance is needed, not a spiteful, unthinking strike at a vulnerable section of the population. Council tax band or income would be simple. It cannot be moral that Train drivers, Ukraine and selected public sector get huge rises without strings and pensioners get a cut. They shout about a £450 increase in pension but not about how many it will push into tax for the first time and more tax for those already paying it.ViewDate:
13th Aug 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you go for the cheapest toothpaste or the one that claims to give you maximum protection?Wise man as usual.ViewDate:
13th Aug 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you go for the cheapest toothpaste or the one that claims to give you maximum protection?Most toothpastes are very similar and as long as they contain enough fluoride all are acceptable. I use Sensodyne as I experienced sensitivity after a deep clean and the dentist recommended it. They provided samples and I liked it.ViewDate:
13th Aug 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Electric Toothbrush vs. Manual Toothbrush: Which do you prefer?We are lucky that we still see the dentist every six months that we have seen for over 40 years. They recommended an electric toothbrush years ago and we would not change now.ViewDate:
5th Aug 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Speakers Corner CommentsMay I be the first? You are correct in that quite a few people use private chats to make comments or personal contact that they would prefer private. But there are countless people out there that are happy to put their opinions out there for public scrutiny. There is a huge variance in views and some very eloquent and/or well informed posters around. The beauty of this site, is that however the diversity of the views, spite and ill will rarely make it to print. There are lots of us on site who love to "cross swords" on different sides of arguments. The golden rule is never to disparage a fellow poster. You will find that views and debates get quite heated but mutual respect is usually maintained. There is one who brings me up very short if I get facts wrong. There are many whose debating skills would grace parliament! Feel free to comment on anything I post, I have a very thick skin and welcome opposing views. I promise to reply. Please believe that many people skim through the site and "cherry pick" subjects to react to. Some times, not knowing the sex/gender? of the person online makes some reluctant to comment. It's a pity that the current state of society hinders honest dialect between men and women for fear of offending. Goodness knows how users manage on dating sites. Stick with it, Silversurfers are nice people.ViewDate:
2nd Aug 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you think winter fuel payment should be means tested?Sorry no. I do not accept that they did not know. They are liars. The Labour Manifesto was a tissue of obfuscation to hide the true aims of this government. There are many areas were money could be saved and even a superficial investigation would show the need for levels and/or grades of eligibility, not just a blanket ban at poverty level. We were warned before the election that Reeves and co. were "coming for your pension", now we know it's true. Check your source of information and you will find the huge number of pensioners who are eligable but not claiming is astounding. A local organisation that aims to help these people claim was working with a union retired members section until a few days before Reeves announcement when it would only help members. Premonition or pre-warned? Some of these people, are haunted by "means test", or standing in a separate queue for free school meals; some just a feeling of self respect for providing by sacrifice during their working life. I would have no compunction in passing on ways of applying or means of disbursing small savings. As for the Just stop oil loonies as suffragettes, the very idea is ludicrous. Do you seriously equate the strugglers for women's right to vote with vandals, who would despoil precious works of art and hinder/harass the public? Would you still do so if you missed a funeral, a vital cancer treatment, a loved one's last breath, a holiday of a lifetime? When are we going to hear their plans to bring the world's biggest oil users to the table in the UK just because they cause trouble in this country? I despise "champagne socialists" who target areas to penalise that has no effect on their own life styles and I include civil servants working from home or even the beach. What's next? Concessionary travel? Free prescriptions? Triple Lock? A secondary tax on drivers over 65? Charging at the surgery for age-related conditions? I would have laughed at such suggestions before, but not with this government. I detested Corbyn, but at least he was honest with his opinions, except anti-semitism of course: because that is against labour policy, isn't it? I hd better stop before I say something that can't be printed, soon that will be so much more.ViewDate:
1st Aug 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you think winter fuel payment should be means tested?I find it hard to believe that she was "unaware". I do believe that the intention was to promise enough to win the election and then renege on everything, including freedom of speech. For a so called "socialist party", to make their first target pensioners is spiteful in the extreme. I should not be surprised, Gordon Brown's last disgusting act was to virtually destroy Final Salary Pensions, except of course in the "blob". You are always the voice of reason but there is no reasonable excuse to target pensioners in this way. labour thinks that we are an easy target as we have no trade union and the greediest have the biggest. They should not underestimate the numbers there are and how much local influence. if action is necessary, it would have a better mandate than the "just stop oil" loonies. A tsunami of people claiming benefits that they have never claimed before would test any economy.ViewDate:
31st Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you think winter fuel payment should be means tested?Not to the extent of excluding those on benefits. We are already paying more tax because personal allowances were frozen. Again the politics of envy is aimed at those who sacrificed some luxuries to pay into a small pension. The "scatter gun" approach doesn't just help those in most need, it encourages the idea of abandoning self responsibility and reliance on state benefits as a lifestyle choice. The political argument of not knowing the state of the economy doesn't really wash, all info avaiable from the OBR. It does show the priorities of these hypocrites: Appeasing the unions but only the big ones Dreams of a super quango controlling power bills, subject to the market of course Putting illegal immigrants and foreign aid before UK pensioners Bowing the knee to the EU Restricting free speech. All these and more are put before pensioners who worked for 50+ years to get dignity in retirement. There has to be limits and/or a sliding scale, you cannot equate a millionaire with a benefit receiver, but to just cut off this bonus is irresponsible, vindictive and cruel. It will not affect civil service pensions, or the cost of WFH, only those with fixed incomes. Some of us will still be alive at the next general election and will remember this betrayal. Do you think because we cannot afford to change our older car, boiler, or even enough heat in the winter we will just be quiet and die to release funds for your preferred projects? We are old, not gutless or stupid.ViewDate:
23rd Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Has Strictly Come Dancing become tarnished beyond repair?It is not possible to make a sensible judgement when all we have is bile filled accusations and PR speak responses. We are very short of facts. here are some of the questions a would like answers to: Why did it take so long for these complants to be made? Why was it necessary to solicit others to support the complaints? Were these "celebrities" so naive that they did not realise the extreme training it would take? Were the complainers just sore losers when faced with their limitations? Can you really get PTSD from a few weeks of intense training? Do the BBC really have no involvement in "duty of care"? I fear that a more "woke" Strictly" would be a pallid series of snowflake publicity appearances for the "celebrities".ViewDate:
19th Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Speakers Corner CommentsIt's leeks for me. You are rightfully worried. The definition of what you can say is being decided by ever more minority groups. You are effectively barred from having an opinion. "Unconscious Bias", "Micro Agressions", what on earth are they? They appear to be labels that a few people attatch to those who have a different view. I accept that some people have different view on gender but unless I physically threaten them, the have no right to silence me. I would go further and say that hate speech should have a more serious category for conspiring to harm someones reputation or career success by an online conspiracy. Any loss of freedom of expression or freedom of the press should fill us with fear. Leaving party politics aside, we should hold the feet of all government, national and local to the fire to maintain our basic democratic freedoms.ViewDate:
12th Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you feel optimistic about the outcome of the forthcoming General Election?Sounds like a book for my wish list. Most of the way through Abyss by Max Hastings. There was much more politicking, in many countries, before, during and after the Cuban Missile Crisis than we knew at the time. Trump and Biden seem as bad as Kennedy and Krushchev.ViewDate:
11th Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you feel optimistic about the outcome of the forthcoming General Election?We shall have to agree to disagree, as politics in a democracy should be done. I have to admire your fortitude in reading the Boris book. Having sampled political tomes in the past, I found them at best dry and often pathetic. I do not think that they are as well reseached as books by such as Max hastings, or as even handed. On that subject, I must again refer to your command of pertinent facts and figures. I believe you said that you were in the NHS? Were you also in local politics or even in the judiciary? Perhaps in a debating society? If not, they are the poorer for not benefitting from your talents. If you are unhappy with the question, I apologise. If you are unhappy with the comments, I apologise. I am a bit past "chat up lines" and the wife would kill me anyway. I know it isn't done these days to offer a compliment on looks but I am not sure about intellect. I am only a man you see.ViewDate:
10th Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you feel optimistic about the outcome of the forthcoming General Election?Mea Culpa. I admit to prejudice against her, politicians of all flavours set thereselves up for it. I do not have sufficient empirical data to back up the assertions and it is a "gut" feeling. I still harbour feelings of hypocrisy against those who persisted with the campaign to discredit Boris Johnson while thumbing their nose at criticism of their own actions.ViewDate:
10th Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you feel optimistic about the outcome of the forthcoming General Election?Absolutely. The inevitable result of freezing the Personal Allowances in line with inflation, was that more people at the lower end of earnings would be brought into paying tax. In previous "rants", I have said that a sensible way to safeguard retired incomes would be to have a special Personal Allowance rate for those of pension age. To ameliorate against those with "super pensions" benefitting unfairly, a limit on earnings of say £30,000 could apply. This would also reward those who sacrificed some luxuries to pay into a pension scheme.ViewDate:
9th Jul 2024 Billythequiche commented on:
Do you feel optimistic about the outcome of the forthcoming General Election?Can't remember ever having read The Telegraph. Have to admit that your knowledge of Raynor's details exceeds mine. I react badly to hypocrisy and she seems to have blatantly done things that she decried previously. Perhaps an independent force should have investigated. Time will tell on this government but I still fear for our standard of living and our democracy. -
Billythequiche's latest forum subjects
View subject Posts: 5 Billythequiche, 25/08/2023 13:02:32 started a new subject:
“Lessons will be learned”.View subject Posts: 14 Billythequiche, 19/07/2023 15:03:17 started a new subject:
Inclusion versus decency and equality. -
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