The grumpy thread

[sporty-shite]

If any proof were needed about how the BBC is head and shoulders above the commercial broadcasters, they should look at children's TV.

 

I spend quite an amount of time watching cBeebies with the Junior Sportys. I have also experienced ITV and satellite channels at other people's houses, and the difference is massive. The commercial channels are full of American imported shoot-em-up cartoons and various series where the whole aim is to sell merchandise. These shows are then punctuated with adverts for more overpriced, poor quality merchandise.

 

The BBC have none of these commercials, and have a much better quality of programming, with an educational, but very entertaining bias. This is because they do not have to justify their content to advertisers, and have enough budget to commision or make their own programmes.

 

Personally, as a parent, I would pay the licence fee for childrens programming alone. It is that good.

[ashmicro]

I think Sporty's referring to the "pester power" element that full-on advertising aimed at kids can generate. Even so, my niece could say "Iggle Piggle" before she could say almost anything else.

[tonedepear]

If any proof were needed about how the BBC is head and shoulders above the commercial broadcasters, they should look at children's TV.

 

I spend quite an amount of time watching cBeebies with the Junior Sportys. I have also experienced ITV and satellite channels at other people's houses, and the difference is massive. The commercial channels are full of American imported shoot-em-up cartoons and various series where the whole aim is to sell merchandise. These shows are then punctuated with adverts for more overpriced, poor quality merchandise.

 

The BBC have none of these commercials, and have a much better quality of programming, with an educational, but very entertaining bias. This is because they do not have to justify their content to advertisers, and have enough budget to commision or make their own programmes.

 

Personally, as a parent, I would pay the licence fee for childrens programming alone. It is that good.

 

^ this.

 

'Specially Octonauts.

[sporty-shite]

I think Sporty's referring to the "pester power" element that full-on advertising aimed at kids can generate. Even so, my niece could say "Iggle Piggle" before she could say almost anything else.

 

This is it precisely, Ash. Norm, I understand that all children's TV has it's merchandise, and some of it is actually good, but the constant stream of adverts on commercial TV is astounding. Although maybe I shouldn't have been so judgmental of the origin of the imports, they probably aren't all American.

 

The commercial channels are full of American imported shoot-em-up cartoons and various series where the whole aim is to sell merchandise.

 

You're right there. I've never seen any merchandising of toys and commerical ephemera coming out of public TV's Tellytubbies, Thomas the Tank Engine, Sesame Street, The Muppets. No, sir. Nothing in the stores from those pure-as-driven-snow earnestly-for-the-chilren-nonprofiteering shows!

 

Seeing as this is also the pedant thread, Norm, three out of your four examples were aired on commercial TV

 

Oh, and Tone? I see your Octonauts, and raise you The Adventures of Abney and Teal. True children's TV.

[tonedepear]

Oh, and Tone? I see your Octonauts, and raise you The Adventures of Abney and Teal. True children's TV.

 

That's a new one on me. ms_tone has very strict rules about tv time for jr_tone, so my exposure to ceeebeeebeees is restricted to 7-8am and sometimes 4-5pm. Ish. I do hate Zingzillas though.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Sporty and Ash, it's cool. Just that I consider the entire Tellytubbies and Tank Engine to be a solid half-hour "info-mercial" for the marketing of their toys, videos, blankets, games, books, dolls, and on and on. In fact, in public TV contracts with "the talent", it is standard fare to accord the merchandising rights to the private production company doing the show FOR the public TV system. So it is nothing more or less than the use of public TV by a private company in subsidized competition with other private companies who must subsist in the competitive open marketplace of non-gummit TV.

 

Excellent point. Plus there's millions of pounds' worth of lucrative production contracts and consultancy assignments awarded in a not-too-transparent way, often with previous BBC experience counting more than ideas and potential (that applies to both companies and people...and that's not some Daily Fail drivel- I have friends who have done consultancy there and have told me first-hand). GR6 4 meritocracy and creativity.

 

Had it not been for th'internetz, I would be able to see the point of a state-owned TV network. But, given the free/really cheap access to massive amounts of content almost on-demand and from anywhere in the world, it's just an expensive relic from the past that makes a few people rich (or at least keeps them in comfort with wages that they would never earn in the private sector) at the expense of the majority and breeds a very weird organisational culture (see also the thuggish tactics of the TV Licensing goons who assume you're a criminal if you just don't have a TV) which invariably rubs off onto the programming.

 

Children's TV? For Christ's sake, this is Autoshite. There is enough stuff from the 70s and 80s alone to keep a child occupied until they're 15!

[Cavcraft]

This...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/bitsandbobs/

 

...is a good example of BBC kids telly. But if I don't know and you don't know, and you don't know and I don't know: do you know?

[pompei]

"Well done and Congratulations to the BBC! I would gladly pay twice the licence fee etc "

 

Anyone remember the Not The Nine O'Clock News spoof of Points Of View? Now that was bloody good television

[Negative Creep]

http://pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.as ... &mid=46688

 

What is the motoring world coming to?

[TimothyClaypole]

Actually had two days off work for a change, went back today... "Oh your department's closing in two weeks".

 

Thanks.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Following on from that, this jobhunting thing is merrily continuing seriously doing my head in.

 

Went all the way into London last week (that'll be 100 quid for LPG, parking and assorted rubbish) for an interview where I thought I did pretty well, in spite of the fact that they hadn't bothered with a proper structure which meant that it didn't last for more than half an hour. Got a reply today which probably is worse than a rejection:

 

After much consideration we have decided not to make an appointment at this time. We will, however, keep your application on file and hope to contact you in the near future.

 

There was another job with a semi-local charity that was being handled by an online recruitment agency. The agency told me that I had been selected for interview, asked me to fill in a massive form, then proceeded to ignore me for three weeks, even if I sent them an e-mail 10 days ago. Today I called the charity direct and they told me that they interviewed yesterday and had already offered the position without having ever seen my application.

 

And to top it all off, I didn't even get an interview for a temp job in Wakefield the pay for which barely exceeded minimum wage.

 

I feel it becoming a bit like a race against time...If I don't find a job soon enough, I will probably end up in the madhouse!

 

Meanwhile, middle managers in the public sector are struggling because of all the cuts. This job wouldn't pay more than 35k with a private-sector organisation:

http://www.jobsgopublic.com/jobs/hr-man ... ng_at/desc

[ProgRocker]

There was another job with a semi-local charity that was being handled by an online recruitment agency. The agency told me that I had been selected for interview, asked me to fill in a massive form, then proceeded to ignore me for three weeks, even if I sent them an e-mail 10 days ago. Today I called the charity direct and they told me that they interviewed yesterday and had already offered the position without having ever seen my application.

 

I bloody hate recruitment agencies for this very reason. Last year I was sent for a job interview in Norwich by an agency based in Essex. Went to the interview, seemed like a good place to work, got on well with the Manager wh interviewed me but he did ask me if I had a CV. I apologised, said I didn't have one but added that I would have thought that the agency would have emailed it to him. A few days later I tried to get some feedback of the interview but the gatekeeper of a receptionist/assistant said he would pass my message onto the main chap who ran the agency. He never got back to me. Emailed his telling him to remove my details and told him that he was incompetent (or words to that effect).

 

Well done Luxobarges on finding out exactly who their client is - usually a closely guarded secret. Even scorinng a job interview seem like an achievement in this climate.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Well done Luxobarges on finding out exactly who their client is - usually a closely guarded secret. Even scorinng a job interview seem like an achievement in this climate.

 

It hadn't really been hidden- it was a somewhat strange set-up with the agency only doing the initial screening. However, I didn't want to pester them too much, thought 'alright it's taking them a while to get everything sorted'.

 

I've said it before, but I will repeat myself just to vent. The job market is really weird, apparently there are scores of vacancies out there but it seems impossible to get an interview. Two degrees and 4-5 years of experience is much more than what's asked by the recruiters for most of the vacancies for which I apply, and my CV has been reviewed by two different professional career advisors at uni, but I'm still at about 1% (1 interview per 100 applications).

[warren t claim]

^^Right. Coincidentally, Americans are starting to listlessly stir from their somnambulent state of slumber to the "news" that federal civil service workers earn an average of $120K plus bennies (including unlimited health care and a fat retirement). While the average private sector salary is under $50K. Duh. Wake up, folks. The tail is wagging the dog. Fire 50% of gummit workers and no one would ever notice the "quality" of service change one iota. They sucked 10 years ago. They suck now. And they'll suck 10 years from now. They work for a monopoly that reports to no one. Wonder why there are fewer jobs? The biggest employment sector IS government. Washington DC is the hottest place to get a job right now, because we're borrowing to pay people to "stimulate" the economy, uh, Greek stylee! Anybody been to Athens lately for a nice quiet vaca?

I agree that we could lose many public service staff or re hire them on a 6 month temp contract.

 

Our last Labour government was enthusiastic about hiring Diversity Managers and Community Outreach Workers that the country could ill afford but at least these people would almost certainly vote labour in an election so it was seen as money well spent.

 

Walk into any council or government office and you'd be surprised at the Fraggle Rock scene before your eyes, it's full of people who would be totally unemployable in the real world. If you were head of a private company would you have a receptionist who shakes and has no sense of making herself look presentable? This is the publics first point of contact! There's simply no enthusiasm for the job because there is absolutely no motivation for them to do the job effectively.

I really can't believe the amount of "Special Chair Staff" there are employed by my local DWP office, they all seem able to walk as well as the rest of us!

Taking six fucking months a year off on full pay for "stress" seems to be the done thing in the public sector and I'm pissed off with having to pay for it out of my taxes. I'm by no means a Tory Boy (I don't vote) but as far as I'm concerned the cuts don't go deep enough for my liking. We could keep effective public services for half the budget if we had a government with hair on its balls.

I pride myself on never crossing a picket line in my life but if the public sector decide to strike for their pensions, that are frankly pure fantasy for the rest of us, then they can fuck right off.

[M'coli]

Following on from that, this jobhunting thing is merrily continuing seriously doing my head in.

 

Went all the way into London last week (that'll be 100 quid for LPG, parking and assorted rubbish) for an interview where I thought I did pretty well, in spite of the fact that they hadn't bothered with a proper structure which meant that it didn't last for more than half an hour. Got a reply today which probably is worse than a rejection:

 

After much consideration we have decided not to make an appointment at this time. We will, however, keep your application on file and hope to contact you in the near future.

 

There was another job with a semi-local charity that was being handled by an online recruitment agency. The agency told me that I had been selected for interview, asked me to fill in a massive form, then proceeded to ignore me for three weeks, even if I sent them an e-mail 10 days ago. Today I called the charity direct and they told me that they interviewed yesterday and had already offered the position without having ever seen my application.

 

And to top it all off, I didn't even get an interview for a temp job in Wakefield the pay for which barely exceeded minimum wage.

 

I feel it becoming a bit like a race against time...If I don't find a job soon enough, I will probably end up in the madhouse!

 

Meanwhile, middle managers in the public sector are struggling because of all the cuts. This job wouldn't pay more than 35k with a private-sector organisation:

http://www.jobsgopublic.com/jobs/hr-man ... ng_at/desc

This advert is for a hatchet man to make cuts in children's services and where possible, shell them off into the private sector without caring who gets hurt (the children included) so long as none of the shit comes back to stick on the council - that is why the pay is so high.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

This advert is for a hatchet man to make cuts in children's services and where possible, shell them off into the private sector without caring who gets hurt (the children included) so long as none of the shit comes back to stick on the council - that is why the pay is so high.

 

But it says that the contract has already been given to SERCO (nice one!) and, from reading the ad, they're just after someone to have a few meetings with SERCO and make sure they don't dismiss anyone unfairly.

[warren t claim]

We need to look to George Bernard Shaw's theory in eugenics and stop no hair, kebab eating, benefit scrounging track suit trash from breeding.

 

Surprisingly enough I have no real problem with illegal immigrants making their way to this country to work in their uncles tandoori, they rarely claim any sort of incapacity/JSA or tax credits and usually keep themselves to themselves and work hard when they get here. I admit they pay no direct taxation but everything they spend money on in Britain is taxed to fuck anyway.

[M'coli]

And I'm weary of "the children" being used as an emotional battering ram for every dim-witted feel-good pogrom, er, program, concocted to swell the voter base of the libs. Their parents don't even care about them. The public schools don't care about them. Obumpass and the VietCong-ress don't care about them. But before I feed/clothe/house my own financially strained kids, I am supposed to care about them more than their own families? And I'm given no choice or say in the matter. In fact, if I don't pay up, my kids lose Daddy to the Workhouse for a year or more for failure to pay his taxes. We are quite generous via private charities (which are far more effective than government ever could be at food/clothing/housing aid) and that's how the vast majority of humane assistance should be doled. Via charities. Not via a criminal gun aimed at your head by zee Obergruppenfuehrers at Revenue.

FFS, if you're not happy about the way your own country is run, I don't think you have grounds to start preaching to us about how ours is run.

[simmo]

Actually had two days off work for a change, went back today... "Oh your department's closing in two weeks".

 

Thanks.

 

Totally empathise had this shit a year back, can you move within the company or are you facing redundancy?

[TimothyClaypole]

Might be offered something in the Returns Department (Ebuyer) which I'll take as it's work but it's twice the travelling which is why I left there 3 years ago and

the department is full of lazy weirdos who the manager puts up with as they get away with murder but don't cause her any hassle so she keeps her job.

 

In an ideal world I'd offer them £50 a pallet for the stuff I'm selling now and sell it myself. There's a 45 foot or thereabouts lorry full at head office but our manager told them not to send it.

 

They don't think anything through, this stuff will still be coming back only now it has no where to goto.

[simmo]

I hope it works out for you, its happened to me twice now and in hindsight its been for the best both times.

After a twelve year gap I am now back in the motor trade

[Cavcraft]

Ebay listing ended this evening. So far two utterly fucking stupid/pointless questions from the 'winning' bidder AFTER listing has finished. This isn't going to end well I reckon.

[Lord Sterling]

thought 'alright it's taking them a while to get everything sorted'.

 

I've said it before, but I will repeat myself just to vent. The job market is really weird, apparently there are scores of vacancies out there but it seems impossible to get an interview

 

Thats exactly what my current recruitment agency has said to me, when I first registered with them they talked about 'driving jobs' then they asked me about my CNC tubes machine experience and that they have ajob thats right up my road, but then they send to me to a warehouse instead. Its always been the same, they'll tell you one thing and do another I'm not complaining though, at least I've got a job that pays money.

 

Another recruitmant agency I was with for years have recently changed thier policy. Apparently you now need to have worked within the last six months in order to be able to be registered with them. I told them to stick thier policy and that I shant be using them again.

[Negative Creep]

Been back in the UK for a year today. The more i think about it, the less I've achieved since

[M'coli]

And expand your mind to brace that a person can simultaneously deride TWO nations' governments. It is do able: walking and chewing gum at the same time. My mind is up to the challenge of that, yours?

Aye, so long as you're aware that you're wrong!!!

 

What does make me grumpy about this "public sector workers and their 'gold-plated' pensions" smear campaign is that all the ones used as examples of how unfair it seems are the vastly overpaid non-jobs - as in those that qualify for the Torygraph's "non-job of the week" slot. The people who actually do the vital jobs - and there are a lot who do them with commitment, pride in their work and without the respect or reward that they deserve - that hate these non-job cunts just as much as the private sector does, just as they hate the toady areslickers that climb aboard the gravy train because they can't do the job in front of them, so bullshit and manipulate their way up the ladder, being promoted to beyond the point that they are completely incompetent for the role they are given but then shit on the workforce below them because they want to keep their own arse covered. These cunts can be identified as "company people", whereas those who actully get the job done are merely staff and thus expendable.

 

The question that is never asked by the instigators of the smear campaign is: "Why don't private sector workers have as good pension rights as public sector workers?" The answer is that the Tories allowed the ptrivate sector to take a "pensions holiday" and spunk their workers pensions on dividends. There are some private firms who realise the benefits of offering pensions to their workforce and are filling in the hole in the pensions fund that they were allowed to accrue, but I doubt if there are any who do this in the service sector - the sector that the majority of public sector jobs will be sold out to.

 

As an aside, I attended an engineering recruitment fair yesterday - most of the starting salaries are greater than I was earning after 10 years as a civil servant. Was I overpaid? No, I don't think so.

[Craig the Princess]

I've said it before, but I will repeat myself just to vent. The job market is really weird, apparently there are scores of vacancies out there but it seems impossible to get an interview. Two degrees and 4-5 years of experience is much more than what's asked by the recruiters for most of the vacancies for which I apply, and my CV has been reviewed by two different professional career advisors at uni, but I'm still at about 1% (1 interview per 100 applications).

 

I really don't want to critise, but at that sort of percentage I'd have a look at CV and application technique (I'm honestly not trying to stle you here fella). My Dad's rally hot on this (he's being made redundant in November) and his advise really helped me a couple of years back. He used to work in a Remploye office in the early ninties and hammered into me how important a good covering letter is, a point proved by my wife advertising a job as an account assistant - 85 applicants in a week, 25 had a covering letter the rest hadn't bothered, 20 of those were awful, text speak isn't going to get you that job (not you Luxo - I'm sure your covering letters are beautiful) so the other 5 got an interview. That's a whole other story.

[chaseracer]

I pride myself on never crossing a picket line in my life but if the public sector decide to strike for their pensions, that are frankly pure fantasy for the rest of us, then they can fuck right off.

OK, enough. I haven't risen to this yet, but my button has been pressed.

 

If anyone thinks I'm just going to roll over and NOT fight to defend my future deferred salary, and object very strongly to paying an extra 50% in 'pension contributions' that will go not into my pension but straight to the Treasury to pay for the bank bailout, then THEY can fuck right off.

 

http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/myths.asp

[Cavcraft]

I pride myself on never crossing a picket line in my life but if the public sector decide to strike for their pensions, that are frankly pure fantasy for the rest of us, then they can fuck right off.

OK, enough. I haven't risen to this yet, but my button has been pressed.

 

If anyone thinks I'm just going to roll over and NOT fight to defend my future deferred salary, and object very strongly to paying an extra 50% in 'pension contributions' that will go not into my pension but straight to the Treasury to pay for the bank bailout, then THEY can fuck right off.

 

http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/myths.asp

 

Hallelujah brother.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

What does make me grumpy about this "public sector workers and their 'gold-plated' pensions" smear campaign is that all the ones used as examples of how unfair it seems are the vastly overpaid non-jobs - as in those that qualify for the Torygraph's "non-job of the week" slot. The people who actually do the vital jobs - and there are a lot who do them with commitment, pride in their work and without the respect or reward that they deserve - that hate these non-job cunts just as much as the private sector does, just as they hate the toady areslickers that climb aboard the gravy train because they can't do the job in front of them, so bullshit and manipulate their way up the ladder, being promoted to beyond the point that they are completely incompetent for the role they are given but then shit on the workforce below them because they want to keep their own arse covered. These cunts can be identified as "company people", whereas those who actully get the job done are merely staff and thus expendable.

 

I certainly didn't want to imply that public sector workers in general are overpaid- this is a gross exaggeration possibly blown up by media tied to the corporatist agenda of the Sercos of this world (see argument on pensions just above this post). However, you will find plenty of cushy non-jobs as well as a lot of overpaid 'specialists'/middle and upper managers, plus a number of apparently more honest roles that are closed to 'outsiders'- e.g. HR/Finance/Marketing jobs unjustifiably requiring 'previous local government experience' and, the most outrageous, relatively well-paid admin work in the NHS for which you won't be considered unless you have previously worked with whatever database they're using this week (you may have created databases out of zeros and ones and/or worked with a million different systems, but you can't get the job unless you have used MEGAFAIL 3.7).

[The Moog]

My tyres reached a total of £3.20 on ebay with 5 watchers so i pulled them.

 

How much should I be asking for them