frazorth

joined 2 years ago
[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Its been ongoing in Birmingham for a long time.

https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/birmingham-binmen-earn-up-45000-3924252

There have been several scams over the decades, which put the council into bankruptcy. A Union isn't going to ever accept a potential paycut, so they are stuck.

Waste collection doesn't want to be scheduled for the full 32 hours they are contracted so they can collect the overtime, and the council don't want to pay overtime for people working their normal hours. The only thing the council can do is cut the folks being paid the most, but the Union won't let that happen either.

Just increase council tax in Birmingham and separate out the waste disposal as a line item so that the people can see where their money is going.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 5 points 22 hours ago

Not even in the slightest. Metallica went far above and beyond everyone else hunting down little old ladies to sue.

99% of bands didn't make money from album sales, which is what makes all the hand wrangling over Spotify funny. Musicians idolise a world that never really existed.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 1 points 4 days ago

There are 28 million families in the UK. [1]

Your article implies there are 25 million houses and 1 million is empty. [2]

The empty houses in the photos are not suitable for living in and should be condemned if they haven't already. Rebuilding a mid-terrace house is not simple and even after blow all of that we managed 1 million out of the 4 million required to at least have one home per family. That sounds like a terrible plan to work on the most expensive work and ultimately not make a dent in the issue.

[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2023#%3A%7E%3Atext=There+were+28.4+million+households%2C-parent+family+%2811%25%29.

[2] https://www.actiononemptyhomes.org/why-empty-homes-matter

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 5 points 2 weeks ago

Once again, LibDems giving the sane point of view.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

An unstable misogynist, anti-vaxxer making racist statements decides to make their own version of X11. With hookers and blackjack.

https://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-users/2025/06/06/msg032747.html

I wouldn't waste your time even reporting on it. All their submitted patches to X11 were just refactoring, and even then they managed to break tests and fail to compile.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

https://labour.org.uk/change/break-down-barriers-to-opportunity/#respect

We will also modernise, simplify, and reform the intrusive and outdated gender recognition law to a new process. We will remove indignities for trans people who deserve recognition and acceptance;

Hmm.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Its only an imaginary standard because its not been set further than "we should require people to learn some English".

We have plently of standards in schools throughout the so thats not the hard part.

Now its not anything I would touch because of the level of racists that attach themselves to this "issue".

Which turned out to be not very big.

Additionally, 1.5% (880,000) could not speak English well, and a small percentage (0.3%, 161,000) of the overall population could not speak English at all.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/language/bulletins/languageenglandandwales/census2021#%3A%7E%3Atext=Additionally%2C+1.5%25+%28880%2C000%29%2Cnot+speak+English+at+all.

161k people don't speak English? That sounds like a solvable problem, as thats not very many at all. The question would be how to identify them, and help them? My personal experience is generally elderly parents who have been brought here by someone acting as a carer, which puts it back firmly in "unsolvable". If they haven't already learnt it, and aren't necessarily here though choice, its going to be a challenge.

Knowing our current government though, it would probably be by copying Trump and sending the military door to door to ask everyone a simple English language puzzle.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 11 points 1 month ago

Citation for a kid in the UK getting shot by the police for kicking a ball at a "no ball games" sign please.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago

Weren't you in power over those 10 years?

Surely you should have done something about it rather than waiting until now to complain.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I didn't ever watch Jem.

Or that troll with the heart ears so I don't remember the name offhand.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (6 children)

She-ra in the top left. In front is a gummy bear (its still on Disney+), Rainbow Bright in the middle, a carebear to the left and Strawberry Shortcake on the right of the MLP.

 

Britain is a rich country with the world’s 6th largest economy and the highest tax income for decades, which raises a simple question - why do we seem so broke?

 

I don't want to stop interest in UK TV, however I have seen a few questions about UK TV recommendations (maybe not all in this sub).

I remember seeing this happen a lot in the UK TV subs on Reddit which always ended up being the same 20 shows giving a low signal to noise, so I was wondering whether we could preempt it by making a mega thread to point people to to improve the quality of recommendations. Perhaps have some rules, such as only a single show per comment so people can vote on what they did or didn't enjoy and end up with a ranked list?

Other thoughts I had were a mega thread per type of show, so popular sitcoms or police procedurals don't drown out interesting dramas, and therefore an index pinned to point people to?

[Edit] Maybe each comment should contain the location where it can be watched? Might be hard as region restrictions mean that folks outside the UK wouldn't add iPlayer URLs.

 

A multi-million pound theme park proposing to build a new site in Oxfordshire is formally "scoping opinions" and has revealed the earmarked location.

Puy du Fou declared its interest last year in wanting a site to be built in Oxfordshire near Bicester.

It currently has a site in Spain and France and is planning on opening two more locations before 2030, which includes the site in Cherwell.

The multi-award winning theme park has no rides. Instead, it is a unique concept which offers a multitude of live shows and immersive experiences, all set in historical time periods.

Savills submitted a "scoping opinion" report to Cherwell District Council on behalf of Puy du Fou earlier this month.

This follows public exhibitions held in Bicester in July, which gave residents, businesses and officials the opportunity to share their thoughts, raise concerns and to learn more about the theme park.

 

I'm always looking for ways to reduce my plastic waste, and manufacturer's always seem to be trying to find ways to trick me.

I normally get the Lidl dishwasher tablets as they are the only brand that appears to come plastic free, cardboard box, and tablets wrapped in a dissolvable cellulose film. However sometimes I can't get there as its not always convenient.

Latest was CoOp that sold a cardboard box of tablets, but then each tablet was bloody wrapped in plastic, which is probably worse than just a plastic bag of the bastards.

Does anyone else know of brands that are safe to buy because they won't try to trick you with hidden plastics?

 

Twenty firearms have been seized from a suspected gun factory and a man has been charged.

Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) recovered four Glock pistols, nine shotguns, six long-barrelled firearms and a deactivated Bren machine gun during a house raid in Kingsclere in Hampshire on Tuesday.

Philip Maylen, 57, of Penny's Hatch, Kingsclere, was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and was due to appear at Reading Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

NCA branch commander Chris Hill said it was "a very significant haul".

Officers also recovered 11 imitation firearms - an AK-47, an MP40 sub-machine gun and nine revolvers, along with a range of gun component parts.

The agency said tests were ongoing to verify if one of the Glocks and one of the shotguns were viable.

Mr Hill said the weapons "had the potential to cause devastation" within the community.

"This is a very significant haul," he continued.

"We've identified and prevented a large number of lethal weapons reaching the streets of the UK.

"Protecting the public from the threat of the criminal use of firearms remains a key priority and we work with partners at home, and abroad, to combat their importation into the UK."

 
 

How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk

Reporting Highlights

  • An Insurer Sanctioned: Three states found United’s algorithmic system to limit mental health coverage illegal; when they fought it, the insurer agreed to restrict it.
  • A Patchwork Problem: The company is policing mental health care with arbitrary thresholds and cost-driven targets, highlighting a key flaw in the U.S. regulatory structure.
  • United’s Playbook Revealed: The poorest and most vulnerable patients are now most at risk of losing mental health care coverage as United targets them for cost savings.

An article from a month ago about United Heathcares problematic coverage, which I believe is relevant again.

 

Typhoo Tea has been rescued by vape maker Supreme in a £10m deal which it said would keep the brand "in British hands".

The 120-year-old teamaker fell in to administration in November as its sales slumped and debts rose.

Manchester-based Supreme makes the e-cigarette brand 88Vape and distributes nicotine and home products to supermarkets.

 

Good news! Following up from this https://feddit.uk/post/18671151

The men's World Conker Championships winner has been cleared of cheating after a steel chestnut was found in his pocket.

 

Metal replica conker found in pocket of David Jakins AKA King Conker, first-time winner after competing since 1977

 

I was looking at a potential new job until it occurred to me to ask about dealing with "on-call" support.

As I work in tech, there is usually an expectation that some level of support is handled off hours in case systems go down. However this position didn't have any compensation for making yourself available and generally only 15 mins from a phone or computer to support the systems. The best they could offer was "time in-lieu" if you get called, which is basically saying they'll let you work your contracted maximum hours despite it being unsociable hours.

Fuck that.

After seeing elsewhere someone commenting that they would refuse to on-call if there was also a "return to office", because if they had to go to the office to work, then how could they possibly support it from home, it made me wonder what other things should I remember to enquire about when interviewing and asking the hiring company?

 

I'm replacing the light at my front door, and I dont seem to be able to find what I want.

My current light is solar powered, light and motion sensitive so it only comes on at night and dims when there is no movement. However during winter there isn't enough light during the day to charge it so that it lasts longer than a couple of hours.

I would like to replace it with a mains powered one, but keeping the only on at night, and dims when there is no movement so that it illuminates the house number. Everything I see appears to only have one or the other (unless they actually have both but the listing details are terrible), does anyone know the terminology I need to use?

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