[0762]

We were sadly "hammered" during the festive period by the Norovirus bug (the sickness/diarrhoea bug), a horrible "super-spreading" virus synonymous with the contamination of cruise ships. A lotta people affected due to one individual not following common sense to isolate/stay well away from other family members who could be badly affected, weakened and dehydrated. Not good I'm afraid!! Other family members I know who have had a bad bout of COVID and are on their 13th day of positive testing!!!!? Unbelievable!! But these individuals taking some responsibility and isolating in the best way they can.

[theo_luddite]

Had that Norovirus thing some years back. No fun rushing to the loo and not knowing which way to turn. 13 days of +ve tests is longer than anyone I know. They were 10 at the most.

[hibeejim21]

I've had an incredibly bad Flu for a week now, what a job i had trying to get someone to check out my breathing and get me a medical cert. Literally took the best part of the day.

I appreciate the system is struggling to cope but it really is getting a bit scary out there now.

[0762]

Sunak now bringing in new anti-strike laws in weeks?????????? What a good look eh!! A multi-millionaire who has an admiration for the arch enemy of trade unions and unionists - the hated Margaret Thatcher!!! One has to ask, "What RW Tory fascist is 'pulling Sunak's strings' this time eh"???? A case of eg "lets applaud our dedicated NHS nurses/workers, but now we'll suppress them because we don't like what they are doing"!!! How immoral these charlatans have become!! And there is definitely a huge element of RW politics in play to try to draw in other political opponents into the debate while placating Rufus of Tunbridge Wells and gleaning his support of their ailing, "tired" political party.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJYbFFFZwdE

I think this Strawbs' response is the most appropriate to this latest attack on workers' rights.

[theo_luddite]

The final throws of a desperate Government that knows this bullshit won't last 5 minutes once they are out. It's all about appeasing the Mail/Express reading racists and "scounger haters" who haven't a clue why they get
- paid Bank Holidays, (given they've just had one of the first ever)
- paid holidays (at least 4 weeks generally)
- sick pay from their company as opposed to SSP, or even SSP in the first place
- don't work weekends for the most part (they still do in India, especially Saturdays, which on my two visits made me think, what the Dickens? ... some factories are almost that modern)
- paid maternity leave
- overtime payments
- 35-40 hour working weeks
- topped up pension funds
- better than Government minimum redundancy pay (if it ever comes to that) or even any redundancy pay to start with.

"Annoyed of Penge" and "Cheesed off in the Chalfonts" of course never joined a Union, or made sure no funds went to the Labour Party if they did, but they never turned down the benefits that the Union's had negotiated on their behalf and were adopted by work places that "saw the benefits of offering the benefits" to attract the best they could find for the jobs they needed to fill.

---

PS Annoyed should say Pissed Off

[hibeejim21]

Another brexit benefit is of course in watching these chancers rip up worker and consumer rights, and paving the way for this predictable move.

I doubt it will survive the inevitable legal challenge but if it does then what ? Do we return to the old days where instead of legally balloted action we got blunt instruments engaging with the heads of factory owners ??

I doubt Sunak gives a xxxx either way, he is already showing himself as a completely clueless c*nt. 40 years of Neoliberal "reform" has been about the endless transfer of national assets and wealth to the private sector, squeezing money and power to the top, and then making sure its unchangeable.

[theo_luddite]

Like I said, he's from India where his and his wife's underlings still work a 6 day week and he sees no reason why we shouldn't as long as it makes him and his wife rich. As long as he can keep his swimming pool in Richmond, just about south of Darlington over the Scottish Border (so he thinks), warm he's happy.

[0762]

Add in his "five flimsy" promises for the year ahead theo!! The thing that really struck me re Sunak's announcement was that we were not watching good old smiley, smiley Rishi yesterday - his face was "tripping him" throughout his speech!!! Did he actually believe what he was saying to the Brit public???

[theo_luddite]

Well, he didn't say anything that won't happen anyway.
Inflation will come down, not through anything he's going to do. He likes to claim he wasn't responsible for it going up so how can he be responsible for it coming down?
Debt will be reduced as a result, even I can work that one out, but it won't be by much
NHS waiting times will be reduced - well, yeah, as a result of all the deaths waiting for ambulances/to be admitted/treated/stuck in ambulances and folk waiting to be diagnosed for other easily treatable stuff, pretty much along Covid lines. Hell they've only killed about 550,000 earlier than expected in 13 years, what's another 200,000 between now and the next election for the Party of Death?
Strikes? Covered above. You can only go on strike from now on as long as you keep doing the overtime.
Small boats - that's working out well, like immigration, numbers arriving keeps going up in spite of the offer of a free holiday in the sun in Rwanda.
Family? Er, what was that all about again? Must ask some chap called Harry about how that family thing works in real life. I'm sure we aren't quite as dysfunctional, but then again I don't have the Sun/Mail/Express asking a bloke with a long camera lens to photograph my windows every time I switch the bathroom light on in the hope of seeing my willy or (in his case) his wife's tits or otherwise picking my nose in public either. Not that our lot agree about everything. Oh and me and my brothers have never, ever argued, or had a fight, no never. Well not that we've ever put into print anyway and who would give a shit if we did? Oh, Sun/Mail/Express readers apparently! Ooo'd a thunk eh?
Never - pass the wine our kid. No, the red one you plonker.

[hibeejim21]

The final throws of a desperate Government that knows this bullshit won't last 5 minutes once they are out. It's all about appeasing the Mail/Express reading racists and "scounger haters" who haven't a clue why they get
- paid Bank Holidays, (given they've just had one of the first ever)
- paid holidays (at least 4 weeks generally)
- sick pay from their company as opposed to SSP, or even SSP in the first place
- don't work weekends for the most part (they still do in India, especially Saturdays, which on my two visits made me think, what the Dickens? ... some factories are almost that modern)
- paid maternity leave
- overtime payments
- 35-40 hour working weeks
- topped up pension funds
- better than Government minimum redundancy pay (if it ever comes to that) or even any redundancy pay to start with.

"Annoyed of Penge" and "Cheesed off in the Chalfonts" of course never joined a Union, or made sure no funds went to the Labour Party if they did, but they never turned down the benefits that the Union's had negotiated on their behalf and were adopted by work places that "saw the benefits of offering the benefits" to attract the best they could find for the jobs they needed to fill.

---

PS Annoyed should say Pissed Off

Yeah, but what did the unions do for us anyway ?
Used to really xxxx me off when you would get colleagues who wouldn't join but were happy to take the benefits of collective bargaining.