Cop26

[MR]

You think too much! 

[LeeB6430]

re COP26: While consuming the aforementioned beverage (Pam,s new email address thread) the thought occurred to me - if we reduce, or indeed cancel, the use of fossil fuels and thus save the planet and grow more trees, what do we end up with? Answer: more fossil fuels.

[MR]

Careful with your pension, Terry - I've been getting about 96 quid a week UK pension since I applied 13 years ago (age 65). In April 2020 I received a letter completely out of the blue, saying, "From April 2021 we will no longer pay a dependent spouse supplement. You may need to discuss with your pension provider in Australia". That was it, full stop - and we were already stranded in Vietnam by then so wasn't able to discuss with anyone! I'll certainly follow it up if we can ever get back downunder because I'd accepted their offer to pay extra for a bigger spouse supplement, but hardly expecting a refund! If I ever hear a politician say, "Trust me", I'll die laughing!

[Terry W]

Cant be bothered with politics these as long as I receive my pensions each month and who ever is in power dosent mess about with them then carry on screaming at each other, a bit selfish i know

[MR]

Similar situation in Oz - a governing party led by "Scotty from Marketing" (one of the nicest nicknames for the lying, arrogant git I call Scumbag), but an opposition party almost totally devoid of anyone you could remotely call a "leader". Neither party seems to have any real policy about anything other than staying in power.............  I sometimes think I've spent too much time in Communist Vietnam. The gov't here has slowly evolved into a sort of "Commie-Marketing" mix (a euphemism for Commies who've realised that it's a nice life when you've got lots of money!) - but there's no doubt they've got the people under control(!), and life is very predictable in a single-party state: as long as you've got a few good guys near the top, they can get many things done that so-called "democracies" can only dream about (because the opposition parties invariably block every move the gov't tries to make).

[PamMcD]

Is your Labor like our useless Labour party?  It is a shame and will upset many old proper Labour voters and not the left wing luvvies living in London.  That is why there was such a swing to the Tory's last election, well the lefties and Brexit, but I don't think the "red Wall" as they call it will vote Tory again.  The Red Wall being constituencies who have always been Labour back in the history of voting, but they voted with their feet and left the silly lefties.  I have been Tory for a few years now with the advent of the Momentum, an extreme left group who supported Corbyn.  I am forced to vote Tory but Boris is going the wrong way these days, but where can I turn?  Nowhere because I will not vote for the silly Lib Dems.

[MR]

No idea, Pam - but most likely related to the fact that Oz doesn't have a workable climate policy and he probably wanted to avoid embarrassment. The media constantly criticise Scumbag (my term of endearment for arrogant "smirk and mirrors" Oz PM) but I rarely read the small print about climate change because you just don't know who to believe anymore, and I'm v.hopeful we'll have a different gov't downunder soon, so whatever this one does won't matter for much longer. I don't necessarily think the opposition Labor party will do any better than the incumbent LNP, but from a selfish perspective we've got a much better chance of being recognised as Sunny's legal guardians with a Labor gov't (we have legal guardianship in VN but that's not automatically recognised elsewhere).

[PamMcD]

Simon told me that the Aussie PM walked out of the assembled gathering.  Love to know why Lee or Martin or Ken?  I haven't taken much notice of it but I will do what ever I am asked to do.  Must say Greta speaks absolutely perfect English and I love to listen to her, so I wonder if all Danish children learn English so perfectly.