BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany

[briantrumpet]

I worked in the charity sector for years. One thing that always stuck with me is a colleague that said the main aim of any given charity should eventually be to no longer be necessary. You identify the need, you address and eradicate it. However, as we also discussed most charity is born out of inequality so should not be necessary in the first place. The fact that it is renders it unlikely that you will ever fully address the need.

My major issue is how much the state now relies on charities and goodwill to address social issues that one could argue should be addressed by government; mental health, unemployment, recidivism and so on. In a properly funded democracy, these are the kinds of challenges that govt at local and national level should be resourced fully to address. Look at something like mental health and how terrible public services are through lack of money, and just how much they are propped up by charitable interventions. If you suddenly took all charities away it would be calamitous.

Not least hospices. Shamefully they've had their grants severely reduced and most are now running at a deficit and having to make cuts.

 

[briantrumpet]

People's doorbells in the UK aren't working because some computer problem on the East Coast of America.

 

[Ian H]

People's doorbells in the UK aren't working because some computer problem on the East Coast of America.

I just checked ours and it seems to be fine.

 

[briantrumpet]

I just checked ours and it seems to be fine.
View attachment 10610

That's a smart doorbell.

 

[briantrumpet]

Odd that Starmer was so quick to comment on the Maccabi football 'fans' when he was calling out antisemitism, but we've not heard a peep from him since Israel banned the match because of their hooliganism. Maybe he's asking McSweeney how it's polling this morning and what Farage has said about it.

 

[C R]

Odd that Starmer was so quick to comment on the Maccabi football 'fans' when he was calling out antisemitism, but we've not heard a peep from him since Israel banned the match because of their hooliganism. Maybe he's asking McSweeney how it's polling this morning and what Farage has said about it.

I suspect that the police concerns were about hooliganism from the israeli fans, but didn't dare say explicitly it lest they were accused of antisemitism. The ambiguous language allowed the professional semites to claim that Jews were being banned to placate "antisemitic" demonstrators, and we are where we are.

 

[Ian H]

I suspect that the police concerns were about hooliganism from the israeli fans, but didn't dare say explicitly it lest they were accused of antisemitism. The ambiguous language allowed the professional semites to claim that Jews were being banned to placate "antisemitic" demonstrators, and we are where we are.

When they were looking to reverse the ban, the Midlands Police said they could manage if they were given additional resources, e.g. from the Met.

 

[PurplePenguin]

Using snails as a tax dodge.

https://www.londoncentric.media/p/terry-ball-the-snail-farmer-his-mafia

 

[Psamathe]

My major issue is how much the state now relies on charities and goodwill to address social issues that one could argue should be addressed by government; mental health, unemployment, recidivism and so on. In a properly funded democracy, these are the kinds of challenges that govt at local and national level should be resourced fully to address.

Many years ago I noticed how charities seemed to be filling in what Government should have been doing. Back then I particularly noticed the far too common "Scanner Appeals". Local groups setting up charities to raise funds to buy their local NHS hospital a scanner. Back then always struck me that if the NHS hospital needed a scanner Government should be providing one not relying on charities. Plus such "provision" creates a postcode lottery as local charities in better off areas would raise needed funds and their local hospital get the equipment they need whereas charities in less wealthy areas would struggle and their local hospital wouldn't be getting any needed scanners.

 

[Psamathe]

Not least hospices. Shamefully they've had their grants severely reduced and most are now running at a deficit and having to make cuts.

Particularly after so many MPs (including Mt Streeting) who were against the Assisted Dying Bill were saying how hospice should "cover the need" and be properly funded.