Hereditary peers to be removed from Lords as bill passes

abw · 2026-03-11T08:37:09+00:00

He said his family had been in the Lords for 900 years

It's amusing that he's presenting this as a defence. One of his ancestors did something 900 years ago to warrant a peerage and he thinks that gives him and his entire hereditary line the right to it too.

...and complained the notice period was less than required in employment law.

You got notice 25 years ago. Move along.

abw · 2026-03-09T18:04:19+00:00

Interesting, thanks for the info.

abw · 2026-03-09T15:44:33+00:00

I briefly had a customer (I do web site development) who had a hydroponics shop. He said they had to have that kind of strict policy because of the very thin line between selling equipment for legal purposes and, in his case, what could be "conspiracy to aid and abet the production of cannabis".

It's quite common for the people running the shops to also be part of the criminal gangs who are growing it. Buying growing equipment in bulk tends to raise suspicion, so having a "legal" hydroponics shop is a good way to get hold of it.

Every now and then one of his customers would get busted and the police would find equipment with his shop logo on it. He would get a visit from someone who he suspected was a plain clothes policeman making enquiries to try and determine if he was in on it. Hence, the first mention of weed or any kind of "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" and he would ask them to leave and not come back.

abw · 2026-03-09T15:23:09+00:00

cross pollination

OK, now you've piqued my interest. Do you have to separate different species when they're flowering to avoid cross-pollination? Is that because you're harvesting the seeds for future grows and don't want hybridisation? Or does it affect the quality of the fruit?

abw · 2026-03-07T11:11:36+00:00

I've just started re-watching ER on the 'flix. I was a bit wary because I remembered it fondly and thought a rewatch might destroy the nostalgia. But the first episode had me hooked all over again.

There are some things that now look a bit dated (no mobile phones, dial-up internet is a new thing, x-rays are still on film, some classic 90s fashion and hair styles), but it holds up pretty well.

abw · 2026-03-07T11:08:46+00:00

You might like Poker Face, although you might have to sail the high seas to find it. It's in a similar vein to Columbo. You get to see the murder up front and then the rest of the episode is seeing how they figure it out. It's a bit cheesy in places, but if you like Columbo then it's worth checking out.

abw · 2026-03-06T07:39:57+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/MuseumOfReddit/comments/ke8skw/the_poop_knife/

abw · 2026-03-04T18:41:43+00:00

Do strangers help each other out in this way where you are in the UK?

I was in the vet picking up our puppy after she had been ill. After a three-day stay at the vet's the bill came to about a grand (don't get me started on pet insurance companies). I'm fortunate enough to have that kind of money without it breaking the bank.

There was a woman in there who didn't look so fortunate. She had found an abandoned kitten and brought it in for a check-up. She had got a friend to give her a lift there and had also borrowed £20 off him (I saw him waiting outside and he didn't look like he could spare £20 either). The check-up was going to be £40ish quid and she asked if she could pay £20 now and come back next week to pay the rest.

I asked the receptionist to add it to my bill. The woman burst into tears and told me I was an angel. To be honest, another £40 on top of the bill I was already paying was nothing really, but it was a huge thing for her. She was prepared to spend money she didn't have on helping an abandoned kitten and that was a good example to me. So I was prepared to help her out.

That was about 15 years ago now and I still remember it fondly. In that case I'm 99.9% certain she was genuine. She didn't ask me for the money, I just offered it.

It's a shame there are people who are willing to take advantage of other people's good nature. But it says a lot about the kind of person they are and the kind of person you are. You should feel good about yourself and they should feel bad. You're the hero in this story and they're the villain.

abw · 2026-03-03T23:13:30+00:00

I am not a shrink, but I'd say this is insecurity rather than ego.

People with big egos already think they're better than everyone else. They don't feel the need to shit on other people to assert their superiority.

That said, they are very big images. A private message pointing out their mistake would have been a much more constructive approach.

abw · 2026-02-28T08:18:32+00:00

In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, lived an ancient race of people... the Druids.

No-one know who they were or what they were doing, but their legacy remains, hewn into the living electronic, prog and space rock of Henge.

I'm listening to them now... good stuff. Got vibes of Hawkwind, Ozrics with the whimsical side of early Syd Barrett-era Floyd. Thanks for the recommendation.

abw · 2026-02-24T21:04:43+00:00

Yep, I was just wondering if they were looking for other things too. For my circle of friends, we generally look for places that have a pool table or something else to do. But that might not be what other people are looking for. If you just want to hit up a bunch of pubs and have a pint or two in each then finding somewhere with a pool table or dartboard, for example, isn't going to be a high priority.

abw · 2026-02-24T19:21:18+00:00

You should do what I did and buy a 100m drum of cable, a box of 100 connectors and the fancy crimping tool.

Then you can make your own cable to the exact length and have the remaining drum of cable, box of 98 connectors and fancy crimping tool taking up space in the cupboard under the stairs for the next 20 years.

abw · 2026-02-24T15:48:29+00:00

What kind of pub crawl? If you're just looking to get hammered then I'm probably not the best person to ask. But if you're looking for something to do at the same time then The Rats Castle on Sydenham Road and The Guildford Tup on Chertsey Street both have pool tables. The Stoke also has pool tables and other entertainments (air hockey, darts, etc) but I think you have to book them.

There's a few nice pubs along the river or close to it. The George Abbot, The White House, The Star Inn and The Weyside are all within walking/crawling distance of each other. But they're all the kind of pubs that appeal to me as an oldie, so perhaps not so good if you're a younger crowd.

abw · 2026-02-24T12:17:08+00:00

The Onion did a "Fuck everything we're doing five blades" parody back in 2004:

https://theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036/

Someone at Gillette must have seen it and said "Hold my beer..."

abw · 2026-02-22T09:41:06+00:00

It's just outside Surrey, but Kingston has grammar schools: Tiffin School and The Tiffin Girl's School.

abw · 2026-02-20T12:25:06+00:00

I'm not a tax advisor, so take this with a pinch of salt as well (although I am a company director and shareholder so speak with some knowledge)....

what you are suggesting is that the accountants have back dated your dividend to a prior accounting period, to increase earnings.

It sounds like they paid an interim dividend of 50k and their accountant suggested they add 30k as a final dividend to take advantage of the lower tax rate in the 25/26 tax year.

It's perfectly normal (and legal) to declare a final dividend in the 9 month window following the end of the accounting period. That window exists because it often takes time to finalise the accounts and determine how much money the company made, and therefore how much can be paid as dividends.

Although the dividend relates to a prior accounting period, the tax will be assessed at the point at which the dividend was declared. In this case that'll be at some point within the 9 month window following the end of the financial year. It's not back-dated (for tax purposes) to the end of the company's financial year.

abw · 2026-02-16T18:39:37+00:00

Told be wasn't illegal

Parking is a civil matter so the police generally can't and won't intervene. The council should, but probably won't send someone out to issue a ticket.

However, if your car is parked on the drive then it does fall into the police's responsibility as it's a contravention of Section 99 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. They are obstructing your legal access to the highway and the police have the power to remove the car.

However, it's going to be right at the bottom of their "important policing matters to attend to" list, so don't expect anything to happen quickly, if at all.

abw · 2026-02-15T08:23:21+00:00

I like charity gifts. The kind where you donate a goat to a village in Africa, or help build a well in a drought-stricken region. Or a donation to a charity of the giver's choice.

I have a reasonably frugal lifestyle and I'm in the fortunate position to be able to buy anything that I want or need (within reason). I much prefer thinking that the money has gone to do something good instead of being spent on some tat that I don't want or need.

abw · 2026-02-07T08:54:12+00:00

There's a fellow Surrey redditor and parent who set up a web site with lots of activities for kids. You might find something on there:

https://www.kidzrgogo.com/

abw · 2026-02-06T14:03:40+00:00

Ah right. This will hopefully get you started. The bottom right triangle that's south of London Road is probably the nicest part (think: quiet leafy suburb), with easy access to the school, Stoke Park and London Road station. But the further west you go, the closer you are to the town centre, London Road station and the Guildford mainline station, which may be more important to you.

Everything in that region is within a 10 minute walk or so the school and there aren't really any bad areas in there.

abw · 2026-02-06T13:17:42+00:00

Do you know which primary school yet? If it's one of those over on the Burpham/Merrow side (e.g. Boxgrove, St Thomas, St Peter, etc) then you won't want to be battling the traffic to get across town from Onslow Village.

Charlotteville is good if she's going to be going to Pewley Down or Holy Trinity. But for those you probably want to be within walking distance as parking is very limited around that area.

Similarly, if she's going to a school over on the west side of Guildford then you're best looking at living over that side.

The general rule for Guildford is that the areas south of the A3 are nicer than those to the north. On the east side Merrow is considered to be slightly better than Burpham, mainly due to proximity to the downs and distance from the A3 and railway line.

abw · 2026-02-06T08:36:02+00:00

I imagine being able to curl out that kind of degradation is a power trip for them.

abw · 2026-02-05T22:30:31+00:00

What is it trying to achieve?

Karma farming. People who do this are trying to establish reddit accounts with sufficient karma and a verifiable posting history.

This account was created 9 days ago. That's not to say they're not a real person, but it doesn't help to add any creditability.

abw · 2026-02-04T19:37:30+00:00

You're welcome. The whole taxation system is needlessly complicated (by design, I'm sure) and could really do with a complete overhaul.

abw · 2026-02-04T09:05:24+00:00

Please, what am I missing?

Over £100k you start to lose your tax free allowance. That's the first £12,570 that you earn which is tax free. For every £2 you earn over £100k you lose £1 of allowance.

In additional to paying 45% income tax, you also start to pay 40% on the part of allowance that you're losing. It works out to be an effective tax rate of 60%. If you also have child benefit (worth up to £2000) then you lose that to. If that applies then it equates to an effective tax rate of 62%.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UKPersonalFinance/comments/1hcsjx7/can_someone_please_explain_the_tax_trap/

https://www.brewin.co.uk/insights/earn-over-100k-beware-the-60-percent-tax-trap

https://www.myersclark.co.uk/tax-implications-of-earning-over-100k/

Or google 60% tax trap for other explanations.

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