How to waste the time waster's time. Happened a couple of evenings ago.

Phone rings at 6.15pm, just as we're starting our meal, well it always rings then doesn't it.

A voice with a strange accent asks for me, feeling somewhat annoyed I decide to play along. "Ah you want my dad, hang on I'll call him".

"He won't be a minute, what do you want him for? Oh to discuss investments, blimey it must be your lucky day, I know he's looking for some help. An investment he made recently has just paid off and he's looking for advice what to do with the proceeds. What's the weather like where you are, where are you by the way? Mumbei, that's just outside Swansea isn't it, I thought you had a Welsh accent. Hang on I can hear him coming. The investment that came good? Oh it was a 5p each way yankee at Kempton Park".

I think the caller hung up because the line went dead.

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FACES,STREET,PROTEST & CANDID
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simonsgl1:

Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, and people who say "Viser versa" instead of "vise versa".

Ok, I'm on a roll now!
Si.

And folk who the letter H  Haitch instead of Aitch. Learn the language if you're going to use it.

By the way American folk, it's our language, we lent it to you, please give it back us in the same state. If I borrowed your jacket, you’d have every right to get annoyed if I returned it with different buttons or a picture painted on the back. The same goes for our language; it is in perfect working order as it is, let us keep it that way. So please American folk, I implore you to respect our wonderful and colourful (yes it has got a u in it) language. Have a nice weekend.

Cheers!

 

People who you're unlikely to ever see again saying 'see you later' as they leave. I always have the urge to say 'why, are you coming back?'

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Or even " Not if I see you first"

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Got a reminder this morning that I hadn't filled in a questionnaire sent to me last January about the efficiency of my GP's surgery. I've resisted completing it because it wants to know what my ethnicity is and I can't see what that has to do with my perceptions of my GP.

There's a form included with the bumpf saying that if you have difficulty completing the form contact so and so. This is also in the following languages,

Arabic, Bengali, French, Gujarati , Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Somali, Turkish, and Urdu plus a different telephone number  for each of the languages.

If such a form was not included I expect it would be deemed a breach of their human rights, so why aren't the Welsh included?

I think I'll bring Anne Robinson in on this one.

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At least there's plenty of work about for interpreters - good use of taxpayers money that! Not much incentive to learn English when everything's translated for you. And yes, if I moved to France or Spain I'd do an intensive language course before I went!

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ABERS:

I've resisted completing it because it wants to know what my ethnicity is and I can't see what that has to do with my perceptions of my GP.

The reason they want to know this is because, over the years, there have been a number of issues surrounding the treatment of different ethnic groups by the NHS, the most serious one perhaps being alleged poor treatment of african-caribbeans using mental health services.

On a more general level, if the results coming back do show a marked difference in responses between ethnic groups then someone needs to be asking why. Remember this could also include white people feeling they don't get a good service from a doctor of a different ethnic origin.

I presume it is anonymous?

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BPitW 9-10 June 2007.
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veggiesosage:

ABERS:

I've resisted completing it because it wants to know what my ethnicity is and I can't see what that has to do with my perceptions of my GP.

The reason they want to know this is because, over the years, there have been a number of issues surrounding the treatment of different ethnic groups by the NHS, the most serious one perhaps being alleged poor treatment of african-caribbeans using mental health services.

On a more general level, if the results coming back do show a marked difference in responses between ethnic groups then someone needs to be asking why. Remember this could also include white people feeling they don't get a good service from a doctor of a different ethnic origin.

I presume it is anonymous?

No it's not anonymous, each one has a unique reference number. I have also not filled in the questionnaire for similar reasons to Abers. Maybe a little paranoia is setting in, but there are a few questions that I dislike.. Although filling in the form is "completely voluntary" the powers that be are very persistent, as I've just received my fourth survey/questionaire.

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MY GALLERY

And, of course, there will soon be the expensively produced survey of local housing which will also entail a 'voluntary' questionaire for us all to give all sorts of personal details including, I believe, things like income and sexual orientation. I suggest everyone simply writes Mind Your Own Business in large letters over the questions and uses the the bit marked 'other' to write in any thoughts or problems they may have. I'm aware that most of my details are already not as private as in the past but i'm damned if I'll help them gather even more! Just don't get me started on ID cards etc. Radio 5 asked people to complete the sentence 'I want an ID card because...' and text in - the one i liked best was 'I want an ID card because it will be easier for the government to lose all my details if they're in one place'!

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Harry Shepherd:

No it's not anonymous, each one has a unique reference number.

Right, so presumably it doesn't have your name and address on it which means it is anonymous. When you go to vote the voting slip has a unique code on it but we generally accept that as being anonymous.

I presume the need for a reference number is so that the results can be put into a database and checked back to the paper results if the survey is ever audited.

At the end of the day they already have your health records which is about as intimate as it gets, not to mention your NHS number so if you think your doctor's are the kind of people to play silly b*ggers with your data a little survey is the least of your problems.

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BPitW 9-10 June 2007.
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veggiesosage:

Harry Shepherd:

No it's not anonymous, each one has a unique reference number.

Right, so presumably it doesn't have your name and address on it which means it is anonymous. When you go to vote the voting slip has a unique code on it but we generally accept that as being anonymous.

You might accept that - the more cynical amongst us... well lets not go there

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Paul Montgomery:

veggiesosage:

Harry Shepherd:

No it's not anonymous, each one has a unique reference number.

Right, so presumably it doesn't have your name and address on it which means it is anonymous. When you go to vote the voting slip has a unique code on it but we generally accept that as being anonymous.

You might accept that - the more cynical amongst us... well lets not go there

Yes let's! I can remember when, way back, someone raised the point in the press that your vote is not secret because your electoral roll number is pencilled in on the counterfoil of the voting slip that you are given by the clerk at the polling station. Therefore it would be possible to trace how you did in fact cast your vote.

The article went on to say that during the height of the cold war, suspected communist sympathisers did in fact have their votes checked by the spooks that were in charge of keeping them under surveillance.

Just remember we are at war with the terrorist threat that currently exists.

I also seem to remember reading when it was proposed that people could express their disgust with politicians that they should write-"none of the above" on their voting slips. Some government spokesman stated that if this became widespread they would consider making it illegal to spoil a ballot form. It it's secret how would they know who didi the dastardly deed?

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Oh I'm sure its technically possible for it to happen, I just don't think it really ever does, bearing in mind the number of bits of paper they'd have to sift through matching up numbers...

Of course, there have been a number of suggestions that it should be possible to vote via the internet or text, would be much easier to sort through electronically.

But just to be sure, I've been voting Liberal Democrat the last few elections to put them off the scent. There's no way anybody will suspect me of having dangerous opinions of my own with that voting record

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BPitW 9-10 June 2007.
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...well...if you're left wing, the Libdems would appear to be the only choice these days!

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Grump No.1

If by left wing you are referring to communist doctrine we’re sort of half way there already. We already have a system where the ruling party take the majority of the worker’s hard earn cash and redistribute amongst…. well themselves really. It’s a sort of reverse Robin Hood theory; robbing the not so rich to give to themselves in pay rises and unaccountable expenses. In a world where health and law enforcement services are be cut hand over fist, the armed services are woefully under funded considering what is being asked of them and vast sections of the workforce are uncertain about what their future pension rights will be (if any) we continue to allow MPs to vote on what they think they deserve in pay awards. The nanny state continues to press on towards total openness in all aspects of our lives, the actions of the elite few become more and more hidden beneath the cloak of sleaze.

 

Grump No. 2.

Apparently we’re not going to get the promised referendum on the European constitution (or whatever they are disguising it as now). Now there’s a surprise, politicians promising something they have no intention of honoring. Perhaps they should pass a high profile bill banning hunting with dogs or teaching gay rights (just and example incidentally, no offence meant if caused) at pre-school so as to mask the fact that they’re fleecing to populous for their own financial benefit.

 

The only thing worse than a politician is and ex-big-brother winner z list celebrity