Interesting about the VAT…the consensur seems to be that the lack of a VAT regime is the one thing holding Jersey back from the next big growth era.

Maybe the “limited” VAT for healthcare funding will actually be full VAT by the back door?

You meant objective, I assume 🙂

To be fair Ian, the IOM and CI just tend to chuck money at their health systems and it sorta trundles along better than in the UK as a result.

In the IOM’s case I don’t really think it is possible to say how much we each contribute, beause a huge proportion of government revenue is based on VAT receipts, unlike the CI.

Don’t be ridiculous, do you think that anything we say here will help a terrorist or a spy any more than any old bar conversation?

Does anyone remember the pilot/ATC sketch in Airplane

Something along the lines of:

Roger, Roger, what’s our vector, Victor?

In theory, I am proud of the British system. In practice, it is badly run and to a certain extend underfunded.

Actually, not that I want to kick off a debate with Kev, but the problem isn’t too many managers, but too many useless ones, especially petty little beurocrats and “suddenly, just because I’m a doctor, I must also be a manager” types.

They need to attract a higher calibre of person to manage the NHS.

Yes, I agree about the “on the hoof” nature of diversions and the need for speed.

I would guess the corporate card idea is a must. Also, as a congtingency, why not store a suitable sum of cash (say USD 10,000) in the flight deck?

I am fairly certain that the RAF give their pilots cash in a similar way (though it is in gold coinage or Kruger Rands or something like that).

The Wolfowitz plan all along was for a rolling campaign against the “axis” with Iran presumably next on the hit list.

In such an eventuality, Arab sentiment would be utterly anti-US anyway, so who cares if they are a little upset before hand?

I do agree that Syria and Russia have every right to sell to whom they will without US “permission” and inevitable anti-US sentiment will only rise more in Damascus (but who cares?) and Moscow (they bloody well should care!).