Re: OT grid near collapse. From www.thegwpf.com

Depends what you actually mean by the standard of living. Perhaps that is satisfied by having a mobile phone or flat screen TV.

With others, it might include a stable and satisfying career with a decent pension when you retire.

Well you're not thinking very hard then are you ?

Which admittedly is about par for the course, for you

About 40% of young adults cannot afford to buy one of the cheapest homes in their area even with a 10% deposit, according to a new research.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said house prices in England have risen by 173% over two decades.

Home ownership among people aged 35-44 has plunged - ONS Adults in their mid-30s to mid-40s are three times more likely to rent than 20 years ago

As I've said before the only real surprise is that young people aren't revolting; even more than they are.

Except for Greta and we all know what you "smugs" think about her.

There are plenty of quotes saying exactly the same thing from sites which are more to your taste "The Sun", "The Mail", "The Express" only they take ages to load; and while the numpties they're targeted at clearly don't seem to mind waiting, I do.

And before you come out with any old nonsense don't forget it was Margaret Thatcher who's avowed policy was to turn the UK into a "home owning" democracy while selling off council houses at the same time,

The result ? Few people nowadays afford to buy their own home and some people who were previously given council houses are now put up in hostels enriching landlords.

If you weren't trolling, I'd say people like you make me sick !

michael adams

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michael adams

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In the 70s, I was working as a lowly sound assistant at the BBC. Not a particularly well paid job. Bought this house as a first time buyer. The Director General of the BBC might find that hard to do today - certainly no one could do it on the money a sound assistant makes today. Which, I'm told, hasn't changed by much in over 20 years. Due to most being freelance these days.

Thatcher's main policy was to make the rich richer at the expense of the less well off. Same as all Tories want. Even the poor ones, like Turnip. Something I've never really understood.

Blair didn't much alter this trend either.

And given how the national wealth is now distributed, with some insanely wealthy, a few doing very well indeed and a great many near poverty, she got what she wanted.

Corbyn may have done something to reverse this trend - we'll never know. So we'll carry on with the lottery mentality. The hope that somehow we'll be very wealthy too.

As a sound engineer you must despair at the poor audio quality of tv interviews conducted from home which we get these days. I know I do.

You would think an interviewee realises a £3 microphone or one built into the webcam isn't going to do them proud.

Thatcher allegedly said anyone catching a bus over the age of 25, should consider themselves a failure.

Her successor John Major, then admitted he'd actually applied for a job as a bus conductor but was turned down.*

michael adams

• He was actually too tall

Major joined the Conservatives, so he claims at least, purely as a result of his encounters with Marcus Lipton his local Labour MP and the attitudes he espoused. According to Red Ken, as a fellow member of Lambeth Council Major was o.k. And Red Ken's word is good enough for me.

Unlike in Europe, in both the UK and the US, all "socialist" parties have never really succeeded in ridding themselves of the spectre of the Russian Revolution, Stalin, Communism, dispossession, punative taxation even down to a shortage of toilet rolls.

Even for people of limited means, desperate to hang on to whatever little they have left, voting Conservative at every GE is the only real means they have of staving off that threat. As they see it.

In addition there's the undoubted fact that people are more likely to believe that someone with an Etonian accent, wearing a Savile Row suit, turning up in a Rolls Royce, someone who's clearly done well for themselves* in other words - will be able to better look after *their* interests too. Than some scruffy bloke with a cockney accent who turns up on a bike.

michael adams

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• The fact that they're squillions in debt, and cocaine addicts to boot counts for nothing. Its appearances that count, and always have done.

If you're using Zoom, etc, you can record your own mic and listen back to it. And it is usually not too bad. But the Zoom transmission frequently ruins things.

Oh they were certianlty laughing at Obama, once they saw he was all mouth and no trousers. That became clear over the Syrian poison gas business.

Joined the BBC in '78 £2,500 + 15% IHW = £2,875 gross per annum.

Not convinced... B-)

My first Sky Premier League football Jan 2005 £300/day. My last Sky Premier League football Jun 2020 £380/day.

Both freelance and the same Sound Assistant (very experienced, not new entry level) role, fixed, buy out rates, for normally 0900 1800 on site. All expenses, travel time, hotel if required etc come out of that rate. No meal(s) provided. Ex VAT.

Digging about various "what's it worth" calculators the 2020 rate ought to be about £430/day.

The "Sky rate" is quite good for TV. Emmerdale where paying £230/day for a boom op in 2008, again not entry level and a buy out but for a harder longer day, 10 hours "on camera" but you did get fed breakfast and lunch when on location. B-) More for the convience of production that crew welfare though.