Friday, 26 August 2011
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Dodgy Landlords - Part 1
Private rental prices in the UK are increasing rapidly and with wages and interest rates stagnant, this only makes it more difficult for people to find somewhere to live. Getting together enough money for a deposit takes many years of saving and whilst you’re saving you’ve still got to live somewhere. Unfortunately with rental prices somewhere in the region of 56% of gross pay, the amounts you can save every month are extremely small, making this a viscous circle of which only land and property owners are in control of.
The majority of landlords are respectable, with a reasonable moral compass as to their responsibilities; however there are many more that are not. And as rents increase, it is likely that more and more people will have no choice but to turn to these bottom end landlords. I have personal experience of the less scrupulous.
The first of which was either Russian, or at least eastern European and mostly seemed absolutely fine. In fact throughout the two years in which I rented the property I heard nothing from him. However, the problem was that the electricity board heard nothing from him either.
Shortly before I moved out a key meter suddenly appeared next to the electricity meter (strangely there was no key and with a large amount of credit showing), along with an open letter stating that over £2000 was owed for electricity. I should point out that my rental contract was an “all inclusive”, and so it was the landlords responsibility to pay all bills.
As time went on the credit slowly dropped, but a call the landlord went to voicemail and no response came. Finally the electricity disappeared completely, for a day or so, before more credit mysteriously appeared in the meter. Once more I called the landlord but with the same outcome.
I finally decided that I should move out and quickly, but with the haste that was required and the lack of funds for somewhere via an agency, I took the first reasonable seeming property that was available.
Now I phoned my landlord again to say I was moving out, several times, and even stopped my last months rent. Amazingly I still received no response and after leaving the property unlocked with the keys on the inside, I often wonder whether anyone else has moved in.
The majority of landlords are respectable, with a reasonable moral compass as to their responsibilities; however there are many more that are not. And as rents increase, it is likely that more and more people will have no choice but to turn to these bottom end landlords. I have personal experience of the less scrupulous.
The first of which was either Russian, or at least eastern European and mostly seemed absolutely fine. In fact throughout the two years in which I rented the property I heard nothing from him. However, the problem was that the electricity board heard nothing from him either.
Shortly before I moved out a key meter suddenly appeared next to the electricity meter (strangely there was no key and with a large amount of credit showing), along with an open letter stating that over £2000 was owed for electricity. I should point out that my rental contract was an “all inclusive”, and so it was the landlords responsibility to pay all bills.
As time went on the credit slowly dropped, but a call the landlord went to voicemail and no response came. Finally the electricity disappeared completely, for a day or so, before more credit mysteriously appeared in the meter. Once more I called the landlord but with the same outcome.
I finally decided that I should move out and quickly, but with the haste that was required and the lack of funds for somewhere via an agency, I took the first reasonable seeming property that was available.
Now I phoned my landlord again to say I was moving out, several times, and even stopped my last months rent. Amazingly I still received no response and after leaving the property unlocked with the keys on the inside, I often wonder whether anyone else has moved in.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
My Book - Flights of Mind
Time travelling artists, coffee shop romances and ghostly meetings are themes of just some of the stories, whilst personal reflections and observations in a modern, romantic and sometimes humourous style, form the poetry, in this collections of writings made between 2004 and 2010
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Riot of Questions
Luckily I was out of London during the riots a fortnight ago, and luckier still, despite living in east London, my home and area was not affected. However, it has not stopped me pondering them over the last two weeks.
Despite all that has been said in the media, there is still no particular cause cited and I doubt that there ever will be. After all, very little is being said now anyway since the news moves on very quickly these days.
That there is something inherently wrong with our society is obvious and as far as I believe, it is down to one simple thing and to many things all at once. The worship of money as the saviour of our souls is the problem, along with all that stems from it.
We are constantly bombarded with advertising for clothes and cars, possessions, status ideals, and it cannot be coincidence that the majority of things looted were fancy trainers and jewellery. It wasn’t the basics such as food. Is it no wonder that people feel like they’re failing in life if they do not have these things?
Money causes far more problems that it solves. Give someone money and it never be enough, they will always want more. Give someone a flatscreen TV and they want it with HD. Give them one with HD and they want it to be surround sound with 3D capability and a Sky subscription.
People also want to work. Some people think that they don’t, probably because they’ve seen their parents without jobs and never worked themselves, but deep down they want to feel part of society, to contribute, and surely the only way to do that is through work?
It is ridiculous to have a society where people flog away for 60 or more hours per week, while some do nothing. Surely it would be better for everyone if we all worked 25 hours a week and that it was enough to get by?
There is also too much expectation on people to be and have to be completely independent as young as possible. To have your own home, with all mod cons, at 21, along with everything your parents worked towards for forty years. Years ago children stayed at home with their parents until they married, contributing something towards housekeeping, and saving for the future. Now it’s all spend spend spend on themselves and living as far away as possible. Is it parents pushing their children out, or expectation on behalf of the children that they should have it all now? I don’t know.
I have posed more questions than answers, and the only answer I can come up with is that the only true way forward is a completely moneyless society in which people understand that as long as they have food in their bellies, a roof over their heads, a job to do, and family and friends nearby, that they need nothing else.
It must also be a society in which we are all equal, no matter what job we do, no matter whether we are male or female, in which there is also no concept of ownership, other than everything owned in common by all.
Unfortunately the recent experiments in Communism within Russia and China have shown that this can still go wrong, however those societies did not abolish money and ownership and perhaps that’s where they did go wrong?
I’m no expert in these things, I have no idea whether it would actually work, or how you would bring it about, and perhaps it’s nothing more than a utopian dream, but I like to think that it’s a dream worth having.
Despite all that has been said in the media, there is still no particular cause cited and I doubt that there ever will be. After all, very little is being said now anyway since the news moves on very quickly these days.
That there is something inherently wrong with our society is obvious and as far as I believe, it is down to one simple thing and to many things all at once. The worship of money as the saviour of our souls is the problem, along with all that stems from it.
We are constantly bombarded with advertising for clothes and cars, possessions, status ideals, and it cannot be coincidence that the majority of things looted were fancy trainers and jewellery. It wasn’t the basics such as food. Is it no wonder that people feel like they’re failing in life if they do not have these things?
Money causes far more problems that it solves. Give someone money and it never be enough, they will always want more. Give someone a flatscreen TV and they want it with HD. Give them one with HD and they want it to be surround sound with 3D capability and a Sky subscription.
People also want to work. Some people think that they don’t, probably because they’ve seen their parents without jobs and never worked themselves, but deep down they want to feel part of society, to contribute, and surely the only way to do that is through work?
It is ridiculous to have a society where people flog away for 60 or more hours per week, while some do nothing. Surely it would be better for everyone if we all worked 25 hours a week and that it was enough to get by?
There is also too much expectation on people to be and have to be completely independent as young as possible. To have your own home, with all mod cons, at 21, along with everything your parents worked towards for forty years. Years ago children stayed at home with their parents until they married, contributing something towards housekeeping, and saving for the future. Now it’s all spend spend spend on themselves and living as far away as possible. Is it parents pushing their children out, or expectation on behalf of the children that they should have it all now? I don’t know.
I have posed more questions than answers, and the only answer I can come up with is that the only true way forward is a completely moneyless society in which people understand that as long as they have food in their bellies, a roof over their heads, a job to do, and family and friends nearby, that they need nothing else.
It must also be a society in which we are all equal, no matter what job we do, no matter whether we are male or female, in which there is also no concept of ownership, other than everything owned in common by all.
Unfortunately the recent experiments in Communism within Russia and China have shown that this can still go wrong, however those societies did not abolish money and ownership and perhaps that’s where they did go wrong?
I’m no expert in these things, I have no idea whether it would actually work, or how you would bring it about, and perhaps it’s nothing more than a utopian dream, but I like to think that it’s a dream worth having.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Blades Breakthrough
A report taken from today’s Daily Satiriser…
Scientists were left celebrating and baffled by a major breakthrough this morning when it appeared that a fan of football club Sheffield United showed evidence of being able to send a text message.
“We didn’t even think it was possible for them to be capable of any form of communication other than inarticulate shouts and chants…” said a spokesperson today, and continued, “…this is a real breakthrough for half of Sheffield. We were hoping to have them capable of using computers within 20 years, but we might realistically reduce that to 15 now.”
The breakthrough in question happened during this morning’s broadcast of the Radio 2 breakfast show during a discussion about Pigfests. A United fan texted in to state that a Pigfest took place at Hillsborough in Sheffield every other Saturday, without it being picked up on by either the Producer or the Presenter, a Mr Chris Evans.
A fan of Sheffield Wednesday said “It seems quite fitting that the first thing they texted would be a comment against us…”
Neil Warnock was unavailable for comment, the reason for which was not understood.
Scientists were left celebrating and baffled by a major breakthrough this morning when it appeared that a fan of football club Sheffield United showed evidence of being able to send a text message.
“We didn’t even think it was possible for them to be capable of any form of communication other than inarticulate shouts and chants…” said a spokesperson today, and continued, “…this is a real breakthrough for half of Sheffield. We were hoping to have them capable of using computers within 20 years, but we might realistically reduce that to 15 now.”
The breakthrough in question happened during this morning’s broadcast of the Radio 2 breakfast show during a discussion about Pigfests. A United fan texted in to state that a Pigfest took place at Hillsborough in Sheffield every other Saturday, without it being picked up on by either the Producer or the Presenter, a Mr Chris Evans.
A fan of Sheffield Wednesday said “It seems quite fitting that the first thing they texted would be a comment against us…”
Neil Warnock was unavailable for comment, the reason for which was not understood.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Scary
Came across something very scary at lunchtime...
...It was a CD...
...Of Margaret Thatcher's fifty greatest speeches...
...I shuddered.
...It was a CD...
...Of Margaret Thatcher's fifty greatest speeches...
...I shuddered.
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Ridding the Royals
Isn't it about time we got rid of the royal family in Britain? I know that many people would be simply aghast at this idea, but in my opinion for all the good that they (may) perform, it is far outweighed by the bad.
Those in favour of keeping them often trot out the same lines about them bringing in tourism and (at the last count) they don't cost more than two pints of milk per person. But would people suddenly stop visiting Britain if there were no royals? I seriously doubt it. For a start, no-one ever sees or meets them anyway, and there's nothing to say that we can't keep a few castles and palaces open for people to have a nose through. We'd even be able to open the whole of Buckingham Palace for the whole year, rather than just a few rooms for part of the summer. Plus there is so much glorious history and countryside here that we could spend money promoting that instead.
And although they don't cost much (somewhere in the region of £9m which is less than most MP's moats these days), its still a rather exorbitant fee for a handful of ambassadors. And in-bred ambassadors, with a decidedly dodgy family history at that. If they weren't born into it I'd be surprised if they could get through the job interview.
So in reality the only thing stopping us is a desire for keeping things the same. It is a fear of the unknown, especially for the upper and middle classes who know that if the royals go, then they could be next. While Her Majesty sits on her thrown they remain protected, but once she's out of the way, they are next on the list.
You see, the worst thing I think about royalty is not how much money they cost, or what they do with their lives, but the myth they perpetuate that it is possible to be simply born greater than other people. And this is what lends credence to those in power, a belief that simply because they were born the son or daughter of a politician/doctor/lawyer etc. then they have a birthright to hold power too. And somewhere deep down we must know that this is not true.
To be great you must have wisdom, not money. You must be intelligent, not connected. You must have humility, not extraordinary luck.
Your comments please...
Those in favour of keeping them often trot out the same lines about them bringing in tourism and (at the last count) they don't cost more than two pints of milk per person. But would people suddenly stop visiting Britain if there were no royals? I seriously doubt it. For a start, no-one ever sees or meets them anyway, and there's nothing to say that we can't keep a few castles and palaces open for people to have a nose through. We'd even be able to open the whole of Buckingham Palace for the whole year, rather than just a few rooms for part of the summer. Plus there is so much glorious history and countryside here that we could spend money promoting that instead.
And although they don't cost much (somewhere in the region of £9m which is less than most MP's moats these days), its still a rather exorbitant fee for a handful of ambassadors. And in-bred ambassadors, with a decidedly dodgy family history at that. If they weren't born into it I'd be surprised if they could get through the job interview.
So in reality the only thing stopping us is a desire for keeping things the same. It is a fear of the unknown, especially for the upper and middle classes who know that if the royals go, then they could be next. While Her Majesty sits on her thrown they remain protected, but once she's out of the way, they are next on the list.
You see, the worst thing I think about royalty is not how much money they cost, or what they do with their lives, but the myth they perpetuate that it is possible to be simply born greater than other people. And this is what lends credence to those in power, a belief that simply because they were born the son or daughter of a politician/doctor/lawyer etc. then they have a birthright to hold power too. And somewhere deep down we must know that this is not true.
To be great you must have wisdom, not money. You must be intelligent, not connected. You must have humility, not extraordinary luck.
Your comments please...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)