Welcome to Rip-Off Britain

The main item on all news broadcasts and in the British media over the past few days has been the impending fuel tanker driver's industrial action, and the possibility of pumps running dry over the Easter period.

What was the reaction from our illustrious condemnation of a Government? They initially planned for members of the armed forces to be trained to take over the tanker driver's jobs, so that the supply of fuel would remain constant.

Francis Maude

Totally out-of-touch Conservative minister Francis Maude, suggested that we fill jerry cans with petrol and store them at home for future use, in case of a shortage. The fact that keeping this amount of petrol goes against all safety advice seemed totally lost on him.  

It has to be said that the Government has now distanced themselves from this ridiculous advice, but amazingly, "village idiot" Maude still keeps his job!

Maude's thoughtless comments have now sparked panic buying of fuel across the country, with long queue's appearing at many petrol stations and some totally running out of supplies.

I notice today that my local petrol station not only has cars queuing, but has also hiked up the price by 4p a litre overnight. A litre of unleaded now retails for £1.48, whilst diesel is 3p more at £1.51  A more obvious case of opportunist money-grabbing I have yet to see.

It doesn't seem 5 minutes since we were all bemoaning the onset of a litre breaking the pound barrier and here it is totally through the roof. 

As pretty well everything in the shops is transported by road, it will consequently mean higher prices, but do our leaders care? Of course they don't - it's not going to affect them now is it. 

The Unite union has today ruled out a strike over the Easter period and are to join conciliation talks. They have warned that if these break down, a strike would be likely after the holiday period.

Meanwhile Great Britain just spirals totally out of control, with a Government who truly haven't a clue what they are doing and are devoid of any constructive ideas to get us out of this mess. We certainly aren't very "Great" anymore.

So it's a warm welcome to all of you, here to Rip-Off Britain. We hope you enjoy your stay, but please remember to turn off the lights and leave the keys under the mat when you leave!

Royal Mail Announce Record Price Rises

A UK Postbox

It has been announced that the price of a first-class postage stamp here in the UK will rise on the 30^th April 2012 to 60p, from its current 46p (a 30% rise). A second-class stamp will also go up, from 36p to 50p (a 39% increase).  All other classes of mail will follow suit and suffer an hike in price as well.

The regulator has lifted the restrictions on prices and has allowed the Royal Mail to set its own prices. Apparently the future of the service was at “severe risk” without the relaxing of the controls.

Over the next seven years, the price of second-class stamps will be capped at 55p but this limit could rise with inflation each year.

Postman Pat will be utterly dismayed

However persons receiving Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance, or Incapacity Benefit will still be able to purchase 36 stamps at Christmas to send greetings cards at the same prices as last year. If they have more than 36 friends they’ll have to stump up the same as the rest of us.

"We know how hard it is for households and businesses when our economy is as tough as it is now. No-one likes to raise prices in the current economic climate but, regretfully, we have no option," said Moya Greene, chief executive of Royal Mail.

She went on to say: "Royal Mail provides one of the highest quality postal services in Europe for among the lowest prices for both consumers and business."

So is this another forerunner of the total privatisation of the Royal Mail? - Quite likely!

Will these price rises be reflected with a 30%+ rise in the efficiency of the service? - Highly unlikely!

Can I hear the Royal Mail's death knell beginning to toll!

The PPI Claim Circus Goes On

It was reported on the 6th March 2012, that UK banks had been instructed to write to millions of their customers, explaining to them how they may have been mis-sold Payment Protection  Insurance (PPI)  
(please click here for a consumer factsheet explaining the concept of PPI)

As the infernal advertisements being shown on TV by legal firms offering their services for compensation claims, PPI was mis-sold if the customer did not need it, want it or ask for it.

PPI, also known as credit insurance, credit protection insurance and loan repayment insurance was a product offered by financial institutions to enable their customers to continue re-paying their loan and/or credit agreements, should face any cicumstance preventing them from making the required re-payments (such as unemployment, illness etc).

The Financial Services Authority insisted that these letters be jargon free and should also:

• explain that the letter is important
• explain how they may have lost out financially and could claim for compensation.
• be written in a language, free from jargon and marketing.
• point out that there may be a time limit involved.

Meanwhile, the TV adverts and the cold calling telephone calls continue in abundance.

For example, I have received 2 calls this afternoon, both from the same company, offering to reclaim my PPI payments. Apparently they have information that I qualify for compensation and if I answer their questions, they could put in a claim for me (less the relevant costs of course).

So how does this work exactly I ask? I have not had any loans, credit agreements, credit cards etc throughout the 6 year period they are talking about, so where exactly do they get their information from?. 

When I put this to them, they end the call by hanging up very quickly. 

It is clear they don't have any information whatsoever and are just cold calling. 

You would have thought that the directive to banks to write to their customers, who they believed might be in a position to claim, would have at least slowed the commercial bandwagon down. But not a bit of it, it seems.

So whilst the British banks are at least resigned to paying out what is due, it is truly encouraging to see the integrity of some of the advertising, so-called legal companies,is as high as ever!

Harry Potter Actor Jailed

Jamie Waylett known the world over for playing the part of Hogwarts School bully Vincent Crabbe, has been jailed for 2 years for offences committed during the 2011 London riots.

Sentenced at London's Wood Green Crown Court, Waylett from the north London suburb of Hampstead, admitted to drinking from a looted bottle of champagne and was even pictured on numerous occasions holding a bottle full of petrol with a rag as a wick. Even though it was accepted that he had no intention of throwing the "device", he was found guilty of violent disorder.

22 year old Waylett had previously been in trouble with the Police, having been convicted for possession of cannabis, when being found to have grown 10 plants in tents at his Kilburn home. At that time he expressed his sincere apologies to all Harry Potter fans, cast and crew, but his "misfortune" continued to spiral out of control.

In mitigation, Waylett's defence lawyer Emily Dummatt informed the court that the actor had struggled with his fame, becoming a "withered actor by the age of 22". She went on to say: "Although he had the good fortune to be in the Harry Potter films, it turned out to be not so good fortune."

He will be eligible for release after a year behind bars.

Will the Olympic Torch Relay be Coming Near to You?

The 2012 London Olympics gets closer and closer and today the full route of the Olympic flame, when it tours the length and breadth of the UK, was revealed.

In a 70 day, 8,000 mile journey, the Olympic flame will travel to within 10 miles of 95% of the country's population. 

Dressed in Adidas designed outfits of white with gold piping, emblazoned with the games logo on the chest, 8,000 torchbearers will bring the flame to all parts of the UK and it will even travel outside the country to Dublin for some inexplicable reason. 

The journey will start at Land’s End on the 19^th May, ending up at the Olympic Stadium in the London East End suburb of Stratford, during the opening ceremony on July 27^th.

The Olympic Stadium

Throughout its 70 day journey, the torch relay is apparently designed to ignite interest in the games, but is this really the case? Many people I speak to are totally apathetic about the Olympics coming here at all and the latest opinion polls show more than half of the UK's population have no enthusiasm for the games whatsoever.

The ticket sales website was a colossal disaster from beginning to end and the news of the high percentage of tickets being put aside for corporate use has helped little in encouraging support.  

An average daily figure of 115 people will carry the torch on its relay and the organisers have confirmed that the route will take in many famous sports venues, historic sites and places of outstanding natural beauty on its journey

To check whether the torch will be coming near to you, click HERE to be taken to the interactive relay map site. 

Upon entering my postcode, I discovered that the flame will get as close as 8 miles from my house on July 8^th. 

Somehow however, I don’t think I will be bothering to go and see it.

“Beware the Ides of March!”

“Beware the Ides of March!”

This is best remembered as the cry emanating from the soothsayer in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, which ultimately resulted in the death of the Holy Roman Emperor. According to the play, Caesar met his end after being stabbed 33 times (three and thirty wounds).

La Morte di Cesare (Death of Caesar) by Vincenzo Camuccino - on display in the Italian National Gallery in Rome

The “ides” comes from the Latin word “idus” meaning “half division”, in relation to a month. The word was commonly used for the 15^th of March, May, July and October in the Roman calendar.

It is believed however that Caesar was only stabbed 23 times (the extra 10 were presumably for some kind of Shakespearean dramatic licence).

On the ides of March in 44 B.C. a group of approx. 60 conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus enacted the deadly deed, condemning Caesar to a somewhat bloody end.

Today is the ides of March, so it’s best beware I suppose (not that you see too many soothsayers around these days, or Holy Roman Emperor's come to that!)

UK Jubilee Towns Win City Status

City status has been awarded to Chelmsford, Perth and St Asaph (in North Wales) to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen in 2012 

(Queen's Diamond Jubilee Creates a new British City).

Chelmsford High Street

The 3 towns beat off competition from 22 others, including the likes of Doncaster, Bournemouth, Luton and Milton Keynes to gain the coveted City status. This status however is only an honourable award, confering no additional status, power or function.

Perth City Centre

Only 1 city was expected to be awarded status, but in order to recognise the significance of all parts of the UK and the high quality of all the bids, a new City was created in England, Scotland and Wales.





 

St Asaph Cathedral

City status is rarely awarded in the UK with only 14 new City's created throughout the 20th century.

In 2000, Brighton, Inverness and Wolverhampton acquired the status to mark the new millennium.