If, like me, you've pulled your hair out trying to get anything useful from the bleedin' awful Abbey / Santander 'peace of mind' insurance service you may like me want to complain by email their exec team. Not too difficult to work out their email address (firstname.lastname@santander.com). Of course, they didn't reply or do anything about it, but it made me feel better when they dropped me in a smoking pile of the stuff.
So complaints to Abbey / Santander Insurance are generally ignored by them using the ole' "it's nothing to do with us as we sold you someone else's insurance you need to contact them" routine; and, of course, those third parties regulate themselves with their own "I don't give a stuff about you" mentality. These companies should be made accountable for their near scam activities and certainly they should not be able to claim the words "peace of mind" in relation to their insurance services.
My 2p worth - don't buy Abbey Santander Insurance - they've got it horribly wrong and offer terrible value.
Tuesday, June 22. 2010
I fear the budget will kill off Newbury area public services
In response to the Chancellor’s Emergency Budget announcement today, Green Cllr Amy Kennedy said:
“We are gravely concerned to see so many wide-ranging cuts to public spending. The effects of today’s announcement will have a massive impact on local government and communities, as we warned a few weeks ago.
“The enforced freeze on council tax is a crude attempt by central government to shift the blame for soon-to-be disappearing public services onto local government. Not only is the Government desperate to avoid criticism for their own ruthless economic policy, but they’re limiting the flexibility for local councils such as Brighton & Hove to be able to manage fairly the cuts the Government is demanding.
“The public sector pay freeze which will affect many at the city council, which on the face of it may seem reasonable to some, will in fact amount to a pay-cut to some of those on lower incomes once inflation is taken into account.”(1)
Adrian Hollister from the Green Party in Newbury agreed and said, "We are now at a point where everyone working in public sector is holding their breath for the pending cuts. Public sector employees here in West Berkshire are expecting to see job cuts and they are expecting to see services cut leaving them to hope and charity.
"The ConDem local government we have in West Berkshire will I'm sure keep up the pretence of being 'two parties' but in reality their leaders sleep in one bed and the Liberal Democrats must be ashamed that they have sold out their morals for a few years in power. How they are going to justify cuts in local services I just don't know - the Lib Dem's told the public during the election that they would protect people, they would represent families, they would represent the poor and build communities. Clearly they do not.
"I am not sure the people of West Berkshire have quite realised what monster they have voted in, but it is clear from today that the poorest and the 'middle class' are going to pay back the debt largely caused by the greedy rich few. I wouldn't mind betting rich Tory boy Richard Benyon is laughing all the way to the bank."
Notes
1) For example, the £250 year-on-year increase for an individual on £16,000 per annum actually only amounts to a 1.5% pay increase whilst inflation is expected to be between1.6-2%.
“We are gravely concerned to see so many wide-ranging cuts to public spending. The effects of today’s announcement will have a massive impact on local government and communities, as we warned a few weeks ago.
“The enforced freeze on council tax is a crude attempt by central government to shift the blame for soon-to-be disappearing public services onto local government. Not only is the Government desperate to avoid criticism for their own ruthless economic policy, but they’re limiting the flexibility for local councils such as Brighton & Hove to be able to manage fairly the cuts the Government is demanding.
“The public sector pay freeze which will affect many at the city council, which on the face of it may seem reasonable to some, will in fact amount to a pay-cut to some of those on lower incomes once inflation is taken into account.”(1)
Adrian Hollister from the Green Party in Newbury agreed and said, "We are now at a point where everyone working in public sector is holding their breath for the pending cuts. Public sector employees here in West Berkshire are expecting to see job cuts and they are expecting to see services cut leaving them to hope and charity.
"The ConDem local government we have in West Berkshire will I'm sure keep up the pretence of being 'two parties' but in reality their leaders sleep in one bed and the Liberal Democrats must be ashamed that they have sold out their morals for a few years in power. How they are going to justify cuts in local services I just don't know - the Lib Dem's told the public during the election that they would protect people, they would represent families, they would represent the poor and build communities. Clearly they do not.
"I am not sure the people of West Berkshire have quite realised what monster they have voted in, but it is clear from today that the poorest and the 'middle class' are going to pay back the debt largely caused by the greedy rich few. I wouldn't mind betting rich Tory boy Richard Benyon is laughing all the way to the bank."
Notes
1) For example, the £250 year-on-year increase for an individual on £16,000 per annum actually only amounts to a 1.5% pay increase whilst inflation is expected to be between1.6-2%.
Wednesday, June 9. 2010
The paper coffee cup, the craze of the noughties still with us.
One of the great areas of growth on the high street in the noughties was the boom of the American style cafe. The likes of Starbucks and similar brands popped up on every high street, in supermarkets, hotels, petrol stations and even pubs. With the American theme came the over disposable nature of American life. Throw away everything and, in the case of the tea and coffee drinks, throw away paper cups, paper cups selves and their plastic lids.
Of course, it's been like this for years before, but not on this scale. Cup sizes have increased from a what I thought was a standard tea cup size to something akin to a flask - all to add 'value'. Cups then went crazy with plastic coatings to improve the look, highly coloured prints, thicker paper, more more more. It's 2010 now and things are tough for everyone and a lot of the over marketing of a simple cup has disappeared almost as an affluent excess that turns people off the very product being sold.
The craze of putting these cafe facilities into businesses (as an effort to make a lot of money for the companies hosting these franchises) has just pushed further waste into companies that are not designed or largely required to recycle their waste. Almost every private sector company I visit has bins full of these cups, sleeves and plastic lids.
Clearly there are some big companies out there mitigating these excesses - IBM being one of them. Their introduction of recycling facilities at just about every office is a commendable first step. This is one among a few though. Even the most evangelical capitalist (or ConDem) would admit that Private Companies cannot be expected to 'do the right thing' and recycle their waste.
It's the simple paper cup waste that says it all for me. We have soaked up the throw away society slowly over the years. Adopted the American disposable culture and largely forgotten the cost of this excess. Cost in the creation of the product - paper from trees, plastic from oil and coal; cost in the disposal of the product; the cost of our greed over farming areas to produce parts of our consumed product; the cost to people in our ignorance of their lives and working conditions; the cost to our future and future generations. The true cost of our excesses will far out strip the financial troubles in the world. Let's hope that we are not hated by our grandchildren for our ignorant consumer 'bliss'.
Of course, it's been like this for years before, but not on this scale. Cup sizes have increased from a what I thought was a standard tea cup size to something akin to a flask - all to add 'value'. Cups then went crazy with plastic coatings to improve the look, highly coloured prints, thicker paper, more more more. It's 2010 now and things are tough for everyone and a lot of the over marketing of a simple cup has disappeared almost as an affluent excess that turns people off the very product being sold.
The craze of putting these cafe facilities into businesses (as an effort to make a lot of money for the companies hosting these franchises) has just pushed further waste into companies that are not designed or largely required to recycle their waste. Almost every private sector company I visit has bins full of these cups, sleeves and plastic lids.
Clearly there are some big companies out there mitigating these excesses - IBM being one of them. Their introduction of recycling facilities at just about every office is a commendable first step. This is one among a few though. Even the most evangelical capitalist (or ConDem) would admit that Private Companies cannot be expected to 'do the right thing' and recycle their waste.
It's the simple paper cup waste that says it all for me. We have soaked up the throw away society slowly over the years. Adopted the American disposable culture and largely forgotten the cost of this excess. Cost in the creation of the product - paper from trees, plastic from oil and coal; cost in the disposal of the product; the cost of our greed over farming areas to produce parts of our consumed product; the cost to people in our ignorance of their lives and working conditions; the cost to our future and future generations. The true cost of our excesses will far out strip the financial troubles in the world. Let's hope that we are not hated by our grandchildren for our ignorant consumer 'bliss'.
Monday, June 7. 2010
Are special advisors just more consultants that should be cut?
Given the current fascination by the ConDem government for cutting out consultants, I just wonder if special advisor's who are just political consultants should be included in the cull? Every department seems to have droves of them wandering around with no fixed agenda (sic). I note in the recent question to the minister in charge of DEFRA, her bag boy Richard Benyon replied with some basic stats, but interestingly the special advisor seems to have been excluded from the pay grades.
I'm guessing this is because they are not full time civil servant, nor a full time politician, so they must be a consultant.
If we are to have a fair system and all consultants are on the ConDem hit list then special advisor's should be top of the list. If they are consultants earning special pay grades then their wages should be published just like everyone else.
So, ConDems, I call on you to openly publish the cost of special advisor's and be open and fair around their cuts from all pay grades.
I'm guessing this is because they are not full time civil servant, nor a full time politician, so they must be a consultant.
If we are to have a fair system and all consultants are on the ConDem hit list then special advisor's should be top of the list. If they are consultants earning special pay grades then their wages should be published just like everyone else.
So, ConDems, I call on you to openly publish the cost of special advisor's and be open and fair around their cuts from all pay grades.
Thursday, June 3. 2010
Will the oil spill in the gulf help people and business realise that oil is not sustainable?
People also are quick to judge BP for the disaster, especially in the US where blame is always the first thing sought. I wonder how often the people directly affected in the US blame their own consumption of oil? their own disproportionate need and greed for energy? without their need these companies would not have been financially inspired to go and get the oil from such risky places.
I can only hope perhaps that With the ever increasing oil spill in the gulf, that it is the oil industry itself that will recognise the risks taken by the business to produce a product ultimately in decline. BP has over the years diversified into areas outside of oil production, but more recently has scaled back it's investments into renewable and alternative energy systems.
It surprises me that the opportunity for our UK oil barons to become 'clean energy' leaders has been lost. Simply investing their vast profits into the badly needed next generation of energy systems would ensure that their business is sustainable going forward. They risk their corporate future by doing so and squander their profits to meet the chairman's perceived 'immediate needs' of shareholders.
With ConDem Right/Centre Left coalition in the UK it is unlikely that significant investment in renewable energies will come from the centre, but it is likely that they will look to business to be the pioneers. This perhaps is where the likes of BP can regain it's reputation.
I do hope BP survives. There are a lot of good people at the company, these people have shown innovation and I'm sure if put to the right use BP and our other dirty oil giants could be world leaders but in my opinion they should be world leaders in renewable and sustainable energy systems and help us all wean ourselves off our oil addiction.
I can only hope perhaps that With the ever increasing oil spill in the gulf, that it is the oil industry itself that will recognise the risks taken by the business to produce a product ultimately in decline. BP has over the years diversified into areas outside of oil production, but more recently has scaled back it's investments into renewable and alternative energy systems.
It surprises me that the opportunity for our UK oil barons to become 'clean energy' leaders has been lost. Simply investing their vast profits into the badly needed next generation of energy systems would ensure that their business is sustainable going forward. They risk their corporate future by doing so and squander their profits to meet the chairman's perceived 'immediate needs' of shareholders.
With ConDem Right/Centre Left coalition in the UK it is unlikely that significant investment in renewable energies will come from the centre, but it is likely that they will look to business to be the pioneers. This perhaps is where the likes of BP can regain it's reputation.
I do hope BP survives. There are a lot of good people at the company, these people have shown innovation and I'm sure if put to the right use BP and our other dirty oil giants could be world leaders but in my opinion they should be world leaders in renewable and sustainable energy systems and help us all wean ourselves off our oil addiction.
