Very early leaked documents suggest the new national policy statements will relax green belt protection. In what circumstances I don’t know. Whilst I wouldn’t normally support such a policy, if it can be used to benefit this case then why not use it.
New policy should be out later this year.

Prepared for comment on this but just for arguments sake..
If I’m correct the opinion here seems to be that those of us who are civil servants generally get a better deal than others and should be paying more for our benefits to bring us in to line with the private sector.
Relating that to the original question would it therefore be fair to say that nobody should be prevented from striking because public service no longer means anything and we should all have the same costs/benefits?
In that case why not outsource some of our work to other countries with a better work ethic/cost base such as has been mentioned about our Polish friends? That’s what a private sector company would do.

Me thinks we should organise a Key forum event locally and invite some friends to entertain us :dev2:

I have some very large twin blade helios training overhead during the hours of darkness at very low levels. The cats might complain but the missus and I don’t as we know they have a job to do.

Even my chickens don’t lay premature eggs that mess up the floor so the bit in a well known film isn’t correct.

First priority – welcome back GA.

As a civil servant I’m not going on strike tomorrow – I’ve emailed No 10 direct with my thoughts instead.

1. Working longer – well I can’t argue with that
2. Pension based on average career earnings not final salary – might not like it but can’t really find a justification for not accepting it
3. Paying more, another 3% phased in 2012/13 – Just can’t afford it with the current financial climate and the two year pay freeze we are on. If it has to come I suggest phased increase at 5 year intervals of 1% starting in 2015 as more affordable.

However please consider the bigger picture. We’ve vastly reduced in size recently and now our pensions which were a big incentive to stay are being reduced to the same as in the private sector. So when the recession is over and the private sector have vacancies at higher salaries what is the point of staying in the CS? I can see the better people disappearing and the CS struggling to cope.

On another matter. Interesting to see the unions posters solely blaming greedy bankers for the current financial crisis and no mention of a former government that spent money like Greeks.

We go to the Algarve about two weeks earlier than your dates. Generally very nice beach weather although you expect to lose the odd day to rain.

[QUOTE=BumbleBee

( Just as well too,since I made the mistake this evening of asking two nurses when I might expect Mum to stop asking the same questions every day.The answer,as if I didn’t know – never. **** 🙁 ).[/QUOTE]

Sorry to hear that mate. Not nice. All I can say is having lost one when they kept telling me everything was fine is that at least you aren’t being led up the garden path towards a shock at the end of it.

Eddie D

Welcome to the forum. Please feel free to give us the story as you saw it and heard about afterwards. You’ll find a lot of ex services people on here with experiences to share.

Regards

John

OK I’ll have my penneth worth then.
The Yanks (am I allowed to use that term?) won’t be interested in the film unless there is a love triangle between a US serviceman and one of the Brit airmen. The Brit doesn’t come back and the nice American looks after her as she sobs at the end of the film.
Call the dog Igger (or Iggy) and let people make their own choice as to what to put in front and what it means but include a shot of Niggers grave at the end of the film so people know where it originated.
Don’t bother remaking a perfectly good film, choose a new subject. Might I suggest Rowland Whites 607 book would make a great film. You could even include the original aircraft and crew for that one!