Safe Speed Forums

Possibly the shortest thread on Earth but I couldn't resist sharing this one my friend sent me tonight...

Ron Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN ) for 6am. While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG ).

He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA ), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE ) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA )

After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA ) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO ) to see how much he could spend today.

After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN ) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA ) he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY ) filled it with PETROL
(from Saudi Arabia ) and continued his search for a good paying BRITISH JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his Computer (Made In Malaysia ), Ron decided to relax for a while.

He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL ) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE ) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA ),
and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in BRITAIN ....

_________________
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Perhaps he should get a job designing alarm clocks, coffee-pots, electric razors , dress shirts, designer jeans, tennis shoes, electric skillets, calculators, watches, radios, Computers, sandals or TVs. When he came to arranging their manufacture he might find that, in order to achieve the low prices demanded by the conspicuous consumers in this blessed land he would have have to outsource the process to foreign climes.

If you want goods to be manufactured in the UK then you should be prepared to pay UK prices.

_________________
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

That's ridiculous! You're just spoiling for an argument because you're about to retire and trying to find a place to aggravate people, allegedly.

(You can say almost anything if you include the 'A' word )

It is not a level playing field and you know it isn't Mr Whaley!

You've got your naughty hat on again and I refuse to bite!

Edit to add: I reserve the right to be wrong you know?

_________________
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

OH,YES -there's plenty of (good ) paying jobs in the UK- but they're all self employed ,with Government backing -like the back street mechanics , who aren't available on set days (usually once a fortnight ,as the Jobcentre requires their presence) .Try asking the fraud line for help -usual answer is "problem getting evidence " -yet tonight in our local paper , debate on those who can use covert observation reveals that Benefit Fraud have the right ,yet don't locally use it -yet not so long ago used the legislation to hit a pub for smoking breaches ,despite the fact that the regulars wanted a smoking pub .


For more of this -Gordon has promised that things will continue.

Years ago -Moses said "Load up yer Camels and Asses - I will lead you to the promised land ".

Few years later , one UK PM said "unload yer donkeys, sit on yer Asses ,light up yer camels -this is the promised land "

Now Brown has said it again ,but it's sit on yer asses's ,light up yer Camels ( but not indoors) , those that work are donkeys and a bit on the side is ok .

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

And that's the truth Botach but I don't see it changing regardless of who gets in.

I agree with you too dcb, (soz if I jumped a bit quickly), but it's just that I think it isn't as simple as being prepared to pay UK prices because, as I say, it isn't a level playing field and as such we are screwing ourselves. Well, I would say the Government are.

I know because my friend has owned a garage and industrial door company for the last 30+ years and let's just say he's certainly not in it for the money. Much pain for little gain...

_________________
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

There are plenty of jobs available.
Three pages of them in the local rag.
2.9 pages in local gov (of one sort or another) and the remaining 0.1 was childcare.
Meanwhile, the jobcentre is offering jobs to people delivering pizza's and curries...low wage but commission...and self-employed, and is not telling them that, while they will have to use "own transport", their standard SDP/Commuting insurance will be invalidated...so that's 12 points and no licence if they get stopped (not forgetting that you also have to declare your self employment to HMRC or get fined a hideous amount )(3 months to do that)...and you also have to pay your tax up-front now !
Loads of those jobs.

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

True enough, but that's how capitalism works - we may as well get used to it!

When I was a kid all the cheap stuff was made in Hong Kong. After a while, they all got rich enough to afford the things they were making - so they had to get them made somewhere else. Even now China is brown-nosing various African countries like mad. They know only too well that in 20-50 years, their own population will have "developed" to the point where they won't work for buttons and they'll have to find another sweat shop to get all their cheap stuff made. Yes, there are jobs here designing stuff to be cheaply made elsewhere in the world where labour is cheap and safety/environmental standards are low....

...for now...

...but those will be the next jobs to go and then we'll REALLY be in the fertiliser!

In a way, it's only fair, I suppose. The gap between rich and poor countries will slowly even out. Better news for "them" than "us" though, but we've had a cushy time of it for several hundred years now, I guess!

The problem with the "Knowledge Economy" so prized by UK politicians is that, eventually, you will lose out and the country will nosedive.

Taken as a whole, humans are all around the same level of intelligence. Thus, what we can do now in terms of product design etc. will be capable of being done by the Chinese very soon. Their schools and universities already produce more and better graduates than ours when viewed in the terms of most use to the economy. (Not too many History of Art graduates, I'll bet.)

Pretty soon we will console ourselves that we have better and more relaxed lives than the Chinese with our higher level of social concern and understanding while we eat our gruel round the fire paid for by their foreign aid.

The bald fact is that you have to make stuff to survive.

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Yes, but Thatcher put paid to that IMO Well, and the British workforce ethic. There were more knock-offs coming out the back door of Longbridge Rover than machines coming off the track. And as for the quality of build?

I’d forgotten about that. It was always regarded as cheap plastic junk but look at them now! They are making motorbikes which are just like the Japanese opposition but almost half the price!

I know a thing or to about the foreign students because I am currently in the throes, (I'll never live that down ), of getting someone for my spare bedroom under the ‘Room for rent’ scheme. They are very keen and eager to learn but also have wonderful manners. I’ve learnt a new word already, Hong Kongese.

The International Student Manager made me laff.. She's Hong Kongese and said she doesn't know the etiquette between Saudi, Indian or Arabia etc.

She said they all look the same to her.



Very nice lady

_________________
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

AH yes - our Jobcentre - their skills are supposed to be matching the unemployed with jobs . Now I know we've got a wealth of Electronics /electrical blokes on here-so they'll be able to sit back and laugh with me at the jokeshops abilities .
About twenty years ago I went back to college - was about the time of the last recession - jobs were scarce etc etc -I had an equivalent HNC from a jobcentre course -but being jobcentre ,nobody would honour it -and getting a decent qualification had always been an ideal - so the HND course seemed ideal -HND in electronics and Comms .Couple of years later ,I registered with jobcentre - got some calls -they'd found some "Ideal " jobs ---


No 1 - Vending machine filler
No 2 - Fridge mechanic

There were others ,but these were the more memorable .I had to gently advise said expert that employer No1 might find an IEEE Inc Eng member( with over twenty years electronics skills) a tad over qualified ,and No2 consider me as a non runner in a very specialised trade .
In those days they were offering education sponsorship - but not for proper qualifications -like the offer I had from Aston Uni ( depending on sponsors) to do an MSC ,based on my HND results .

My youngest

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Yep, you got that right Botach.

I remember a short spell of unemployment in the 80s and, like you, I had many years in electronic engineering; testing and fault finding down to component level on complex RXs & TXs.

Anyway, a ‘suitable’ job was found for me down at the Austen Rover works and during the interview I was asked “Do you do ladder work?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed about a lack of knowledge in my education and desperately racking my brain, after a short pause I had to say “I’m sorry; I haven’t come across that term in electronics”. He replied “Do you mind working up a ladder?”

Who promotes these fools into management? I'd like to know where on my CV it says 'Changes fuses 50 foot up in the air' Talk about a square peg in a round hole! I did not get the job.

_________________
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

When it was mentioned to the JC+ person that j/seekers taking the job would be risking disqualification and a criminal record she was less than interested...stating: "My husband delivers phone books using our car and he has never been stopped"

My point being that these people do not know, or care, about the job THEY are doing, so how are they supposed to be able to help others ?

They also send j/seekers to other "specialist help centres"...to "improve their prospects of gaining employment".
there you are trained to write a cv, then trained in "interview techniques".
Writing the cv involves leaving out irritating facts, like your age/DOB (the employer is not supposed to ask that...its discrimination) (DOOHH....the employer has to ensure that the prospective employee has residence in the uk...so they ask for driving licences or passports as proof....both of which have the DOB on them !)
In another quirk, a new law has just been approved in which employers are not allowed to ask the candidate for a job questions about his/her health until after job approval ?
You cannot make this up and get a laugh out of it....
Oh, and you are supposed to send your cv to five prospective employers a week.....yes, flycving....as if employers didn't have enough to do chasing bad depts (most of which seem to be local authorities and government) and fiddling vat and tax !

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

TUT,TUT,JO- don't you know that the most serious crimes today in UK LTD are

Not paying Vat
Not paying Income Tax
Not paying Council Tax
Not paying VED
Forget fraudulently claiming benefit - too difficult getting evidence .

I haven't seen any more on giving bailiffs the right to break in - ( possibly that was to ensure compliance with council directives on council tax ) --suspect it might have provoked a few riots .

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I'm not sure this is right.

You are allowed to ask if the applicant is currently under the care of a medical professional. If the answer is yes, then you can ask why. If the job description requires a level of physical ability you can ask the applicant if they know of any reason why they would not be able to perform the duties as described.

You also are allowed to ask about disabilities for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of the applicant and other employees. It is also necessary to know about disabilities to allow you to make reasonable adaptations under the DDA.

I usually ask if the candidate has any other relevant information to tell us which might affect their ability to perform the required duties. One question I generally ask is for the applicant to tell me about themselves. Information volunteered in this way is easy to follow up as required.

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

At the end of the day, if you know that a person (using prescreening questions) cannot do the job but are prevented from using the answers to those questions to filter-out unsuitable potential employees then there would be no point in asking the questions !

You should probably not bother to read The Equality Act 2010 which became law on April 8th. With all-party support.

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Thanks for telling me not to read this masterpiece of governmental obscurantism.

I still think that no discrimination occurs in the circumstances described by me above.

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Oh, you are probably right.
But the JC+ staff know better.
Personally, being 60, I can tell from the interviewers face by now that are looking for "other" reasons to move-on...
There are not too many employers thick enough to say "get out lad....we don't take on blacks/gays/women.geriatrics" etc...
And at the end of the day....not many old[er] people want to do 60+ hour weeks...or younger, come to that.
Sigh......................

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing