Hi Everyone
I like to think that I am a cup half full character so when I look for ideas for this Rubbish every week I try to entertain, make you smile, and enable you to agree or disagree with my comments. To make sure that I am able to clearly able to communicate, my cup is half full of water. This week however something stronger might be appropriate as nearly everything is doom and groom. Firstly, that cup of water might be a problem for nearly a quarter of the country's population as we discover that Thames Water, our biggest water company is £14 Billion pounds in debt with many other water companies also in debt but to a lesser degree. As you know I know nothing but how does a company that is a monopoly with no competition suddenly need to cry "help" when surely this situation has been developing for some time? Add to that there are the millions paid to shareholders, the fact that the company is part owned by Chinese and Dubai interests, and the half a million pound bonuses paid to management bosses of this failing company, you can see that there are many others who do not know much more than me. It's OK though. The company is too big to fail and the government will use some more of our money to prop it up with Rishi with his finger in the dam wall. By my calculation, with that and all the other gloomy news, he has not got many fingers left.
At the Fruit, Vegetable, Florist, Game, and Lolly shop, we had a telephone. That meant that the Senior Partner would never have to stand outside the nearest red telephone box with her handful of ten pence pieces. It was one of those large black telephones with a fabric cord that you could put anywhere as long as it was on the sideboard in the living room. It very rarely rang of course as hardly anyone else had a telephone and even those who had, would probably not want the phone the Senior Partner anyway. As the Senior Partner was, as you know, tight with money, any outgoing calls were very short. The only regular user was the Junior Partner who would phone the wholesalers to place an order and, for my part, even though the telephone was part of the furniture, I could count on two hands the number of times I used the phone and I cannot remember having to pay for the call. Just occasionally however some brave soul would come into the shop to ask if they could use the phone but they never dare to leave without leaving their ten pence pieces on the sideboard.
When Tony Blair became Prime Minister he uttered three words, "Education, Education, Education". Whether you agree with anything else he said is a matter of opinion but he was absolutely right about that. The future of our country depends on everyone recieving the best possible education. In this week's gloomy news, we were told that we are now spending 50% less on school buildings and maintenance since 2009 when this government came to power. In addition, something like 600,000 children are being taught in dangerous buildings either with decaying concrete structures or asbestos. Add to that teachers are striking due to what they see as their erosion of pay over the same period and you can see why it is hard to find good news this week. The good news is that some good will turn up next week, I hope.
Just a Thought:
My friend dug a hole in his garden and filled it with water. I think he meant well.
My friend's wife answered the phone. Her husband asked her why she had only talked for twenty minutes. His wife replied, "It was a wrong number".
I have a fear of over complicated buildings. I have a complex, complex, complex.
Brian
Comments