World Watching

If you have read my earlier post you already have an idea about who Jerry is. If not let me introduce him to you.

Jerry is a wheelclamper and has been for a number of years. He is 41, a white male and lives in the south of England. I have been talking about the coalition governments announcement that it is going to ban wheel clamping on private land whithin a few month’s.

author: Jerry, how did you get into clamping in the first place?
Jerry: It wasn’t a concious decision, i migrated into it from another sector of the security industry.
author: so not planned?
Jerry: No, definately not.
author: Do you enjoy your job?
Jerry: absolutely! i have a job where i get out and about, help people and have earnings directly reflecting effort put into the job.
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Yesterday i wrote about the news that wheel clamping is to be banned in new legislation as part of the coalition government’s Freedom Bill.

I have since writing the article, discussed the situation with a Wheel Clamper and a land owner who is plagued by unauthorised parking on his land. What i found out will i suspect if it becomes public knowledge kill off much of the celebrations as Parking Enforcement Companies are not it seems going away and will rise to the challenge with a number of resources in their arsenal.

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The Government has announced that it will ban wheel clamping on private land as early as next year.

The Legislation will be introduced to parliament in November as part of the coalition government’s Freedom Bill. If passed it could come into force as early as next year.

The news comes after a spate of high profile cases where people have been clamped after parking on private land without permission or authorisation.

While on the surface it looks like a good thing there is far more to the issue than just wheel clamping companies are bad people.

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A conversation with a close friend got me wondering, Has the UK turned into a nation of whingers in recent years? or have we just moved from the ’stiff upper lip’ mentality into a culture where we simply stand up for our rights more openly?

My friend was a service engineer visiting people in their homes and rectifying problems with their domestic appliances until recently when he quit his job stating he “could not handle the persistent whinging and the got to get something for free” mentality of the customers. He cites many examples of customers who would phone the company call centre within minutes of engineers leaving the property with the single minded mission to wriggle out of paying the bill, and if necessary resorting to fabricating a complaint about the engineer in question.

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While driving home an hour and a bit ago… i had the radio on in the car and quite by chance while searching through stations i decided to listen to the BBC World Service.

What do you think about Global Warming?

The feature was about Global Warming, Not unusual you may say.. given that the Copenhagen International Climate Change Summit is kicking off today. The key part of the feature was an international survey carried out by somebody (i forget who it was now) which recorded results that around the world there is far more concern within populations about global warming and its effects than there was last year.

Are you concerned about global warming?

What i couldn’t believe i had heard was that in two countries, China and the USA there are reported to be fewer people who are concerned about Global Warming than there were just 12months ago. China and the USA are also coincidentally the worlds two biggest polluters.

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Philip Laing, the 19 year old yob who pissed over a wreath on a First World War memorial in sheffield has escaped jail, but landed up with 250hrs community service.

Does community service really act as a deterrant to others in this day and age?

Philip, who was on a commercially organised pub crawl operated by Carnage UK, consumed copius amounts of alcohol at £1 a drink. The company was critised by the judge who suggested that maybe someone from the company should also have been in the dock.

Should Companies like Carnage UK be held to account for scenes like this and if so, to what degree?

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At least it appears it has said no on the piece of legislation used by the OFT. It also appears that the judge has hinted in his ruling that the OFT could potentially have a case however if it uses another clause in the Unfair Terms and Conditions in Contracts laws (UTCC).

Many who have been trying to reclaim bank charges levied against them by the banks to the tune of up to £40 for going even £1 overdrawn on their accounts were evidently disappointed but even more determined to carry on the fight.

One spokesman for the banks has been quoted as saying “enough is now enough and it is over”.

However the website moneysaving expert run by Martin Lewis has declared that although today’s judgement was a blow, that a ‘Phoenix has risen from the flames’ thanks to the judges hints.

• Should Banks be made to repay the charges?
  
• Should free banking for some be funded by those who can least afford it?

At the moment it sounds like the issue is far from dead in the water.

This time it’s in Switzerland, the reason? Street view! how long is it going to take for the morons and bone heads at google who dreamed up the concept of being an internet peeping tom to get it through their caveman like skulls that people don’t like the concept of not only themselves but their homes and children being photographed and posted on the internet.

The BBC is reporting that the swiss data protection commissioner Hanspeter Thuer is asking the Swiss courts to order the immediate removal of all Swiss images from street view until a judgement is handed down on the issue.

Caution: Critical comments ahead!

I have come to the conclusion that postal workers strikes make some of ebay’s sellers outright dishonest and lazy.

Just the mention of a possible strike is enough to have my inbox bombarded with messages from some sellers stating that they simply “cannot post an item because i might not get it”

What kind of muppet do these idiots think i am? do they believe that somewhere in the heart of every sorting office there is a mail munching troll that eats mail posted in the run up to/or during a strike?

That said, i have also had some of the most speedy deliveries during these strikes as well.. either the management are really pulling out the stops or support for the strikes has not been as strong as claimed.

Having had enough i replied very abruptly to one such work shy lackey, pointing out that if they got off their lead laden arse and posted the item first class as i had paid for, given that the strikes were not due to start for another 4 days i would receive it before any disruption started.

Guess what happened… It arrived in the post next day!

Having recently attended a Goals (Gaining Opportunities And Life Skills) course, which is touted as being a motivational course i have to say, i have never heard so much verbal diarrhea trotted out and represented as fact as i did during those two totally wasted days of woolly hat, politically correct crap and attitude.

Put it this way, If i had paid for that course myself.. i would be suing to get my money back.

Need motivation? My advice is go ask your boss for a pay rise in the middle of a recession… If the response doesn’t give you motivation then nothing will.