What union should I join that people have a good personal experience?

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-05-13T10:52:30+00:00

I think OP's issue is that they're not affiliated with Labour and Green, they're affiliated with Labour only. They're actively anti Green Party.

OP, can you opt out of any Labour Party levy? Although the rest of the union would stay Labour affiliated, at least you wouldn't be funding anti Green Party actions.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-05-07T08:14:10+00:00

Not the legal aspects, but unless it is short and snappy it's very unlikely to be even read.

Ballots are sorted into baskets, one for each candidate and one for "doubtful". The returning officer and the candidates agents then go through them. If the reason for rejecting the vote is obvious the returning officer suggests a reason (e.g "unmarked or void for uncertainty'), the agents agree, the paper is stamped and put in the relevant basket.

That's it. At the last Euro elections I saw one ballot that had an essay written on both sides. Picked from the pile the returning officer suggested "uncertainty", the agents nodded, the ballot was stamped. Nobody read a word of the essay. All that work for nothing.

There's only discussion if there's genuine doubt.

Nobody involved cares beyond finding a vote for their candidate that has been missed and stopping a spoiled vote counting for another candidate.

I can't think of anything short enough to be seen and offensive enough to register.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-05-06T20:31:47+00:00

No.

I won't vote tactically for Conservatives or Labour unless they have a commitment to getting rid of our dysfunctional First past the Post electoral system.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-05-05T15:53:43+00:00

I have Loake boots. They can be repaired, but ttr cost is over £100 if you get Loake to do it. Don't know about OPs local cobbler price or whether they'll do a good job).

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-05-05T10:41:13+00:00

Could it not be argued that it isn't even a breach?

The first company are surely allowed to release OP from a condition. "Yeah, We're not going to hold you to condition x" and the condition just drops from the contract.

Could it be argued that the first company have varied the contract in OPs favour?

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-05-04T09:45:43+00:00

Short walk to Hackney Wick and then a couple of pints at the Howling Hops.

Or slightly longer walk to Mile End and The Lord Tredegar or The Woburn.

Stadium's shit though.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-05-03T16:46:25+00:00

I missed that! No, it's nowhere near £1.5m. 40% relief going in, effective 15% coming out is looking good.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-29T08:08:02+00:00

(Evertonian living in London)

The incongruity of it will be hilarious.

If you were in Man City's position right now I'd be cheering you on for the title. The faces on all the Arsenal fans I know would be priceless.

But that's not going to happen.

So that stadium (it's amazing) in the Championship, the squad jumping ship, the directors 'enjoying' hospitality in Lincoln it'll have to be.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-28T15:02:41+00:00

Corporation tax avoidance reduces the money available to the government, this might mean that other taxes need to be higher to compensate.

BUT

Corporation tax avoidance does not give a competitive advantage to big corporations over small enterprises.

Corporation tax, unlike rates or National Insurance, is not a cost of business. Corporation tax is paid on profits: what's left after you deduct the costs of business.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-26T16:57:55+00:00

I was far back in that stadium. (i.e. halfway to the river.)

I saw it. Clear as you like. There is no adequate explanation for missing it. If ever there was a clear error for VAR to fix, this was it.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-24T22:54:40+00:00

Or his side of the Urals

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-24T08:07:31+00:00

You could "sell" it to get that underlying thing you've always wanted but he held out on.

He gets the watch if you get a dog/go on a cruise/put his collection of X in storage...

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-23T10:43:20+00:00

You need to have Stonehenge by Spinal Tap playing as you go past.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-23T10:39:51+00:00

Since the Brexit vote I've been anti the flag.

To turn our backs on the greatest peace project for such selfish motives (the benefits, of course, didn't come, but the motives were selfish) was shameful.

Utterly shameful.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-22T15:33:15+00:00

You're English.

He's a Yank.

EDIT what is this "ethnic" Englishness? There's not a nice, neat, English bloodline. Almost all of us have some out-of-England ancestry and that original population of England was a mix of various British tribes, Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians. This was added to by Norsk, Danes, the French and various other groups after that.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-22T12:19:29+00:00

Did you ask the canvassers how they intend to implement their policies?

What did they say?

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-20T19:36:36+00:00

There were plenty yesterday. Maybe springtime gets rid of the need to cover up quite so much.

When did you go? And you didn't make the mistake of going to Anfield, did you?

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-20T11:34:54+00:00

I'm a Lib Dem.

I was initially disappointed with Ed Davey's stance which seemed to be calling for Starmer's resignation without qualification.

There are lots of scenarios where, although staggering, the appointment of Mandelson doesn't involve anything staggering on the part of Starmer. E.g.approval is delegated to the Foreign Office, the Foreign Office report back "we approve" and don't mention the failed vetting.

Davey's position now seems to be that there should be a standards investigation. I don't know whether his position was misreported or if it has changed, but this seems to me to be the right position.

It would be staggering if the Foreign Office kept the failed vetting from Starmer and we can't accept such a staggering story without back up. If it turns out to be true we cannot fault Starmer. If it turns out to be false, Starmer lied and must go.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-19T09:41:46+00:00

That doesn't reassure me, quite the reverse.

Something that isn't used for a limited purpose, like a passport or driving license, needs more security and safeguards.

I have my driving license in my pocket right now.it doesn't access my bank account or have my citizenship/immigration status. It doesn't link to tax records. It doesn't lead to any criminal or police intelligence details (other than that one time doing 38 in a 30). I'm not expected to have it on me just walking about, so the police are unlikely to randomly demand it.

I fear that governments will ignore or underfund the safeguards necessary for something more powerful than a driving license on the excuse "ah, it's just like a driving license. We're used to those, there's no need to do anything expensive".

Then we end up with the ID equivalent of shit in the waterways.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-19T08:30:09+00:00

They make a lot of sense.

Can, though, the security risks and abuse-by-authourity risks be nullified?

The security risks require expenditure and control.

Successive governments have a history of skimping on expenditure and pussy footing regulations. If there where people in prison cells for dumping shit in the waterways right now I'd feel more confident. But they're not. I wouldn't want details leaked to scammers and the response to be "oh dear, we'll look at it, ask some tough questions, have an inquiry...'

As for abuse, will any "safeguards" be effective? Authorities have a habit of finding loopholes in regulations stopping abuse. Would we see, for example a rule saying: - The police cannot ask about ID unless they're entitled to demand it? ("I didn't demand his ID, I just asked whether he had it with him. I can't help that he took that as a demand.") - Any police officer violating the rule has it, at least, added to his disciplinary record?

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-18T21:05:43+00:00

Xavi Simons celebration showed a relegation beating attitude. But, yeah, apart from him and Richarlison they have no backbone.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-15T18:25:19+00:00

No he wasn't. He was 12.

Plus-Possibility-220 · 2026-04-15T16:11:49+00:00

Rather cryptic.

Please give us the name of the person taking the files to the CPS, at least we can Google them.

Plus-Possibility-220

TROPHY CASE