| Topic: Starmer goes after dot net? |
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| 21. Author: veteraneastender Date: Sat 7th Mar 2026. 16:58 Sounds like the plot for an "invisible" man book - did Frederick Forsyth not go there in 1970 with his first novel ? Reply |
| 22. Author: Wotsit Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 18:44 You picked your year poorly. 1915 was the year that the governemnt lowered the tax threshold and hugely expanded the tax base to fund WWI. Do you want to change your year to 1914? Whether you do or not, your most recent caveat seem to be saying that contact with government needs to be conscious and cosensual contact, and with that you are also ruling out most of the contact we have with the government today, no? Is receiving a speeding fine through the post more or less contact than having your birth registered or appearing on a census? What about being recorded by CCTV on your way to Tesco? You could also move to a remote community in the Highlands and live off grid free of government interference if you feel the need, or you could buy a van with dodgy registration off some travellers and either join them or become like a modern day David Banner and go alone, hopefully without the anger issues. Mind you, even that`s becoming even more difficult due to cash in hand work being demonised since it is popular with folk who don`t have the government`s permission to work in the UK. Actually, most of the government over-reach we`ve endured of late has been enacted as a result of right wing hysteria over foreign people: whenever they are panicking and/or raging about terrorists or migrants, they gladly open the door to the sort of legislation that trades individual freedom for the illusion of security. Post Edited (Thu 12 Mar 18:45) Reply |
| 23. Author: Bletchley_Par Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 18:50 Topic Originator: Wotsit I never picked the year. The tax threshold was lowered in September 1915, after his death. So no, the year was chosen by the author wisely I see no reason to change it. Reply |
| 24. Author: Bletchley_Par Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 19:17 Topic Originator: Wotsit My understanding is the Post office is there to represent the "acceptable level" of state involvement, an undisputed good and pragmatic agreement between citizen and state. Is receiving a speeding fine through the post more or less contact than having your birth registered or appearing on a census? What about being recorded by CCTV on your way to Tesco? Quid pro quo Wosit, what conclusions have you reached on those examples? Reply |
| 25. Author: Wotsit Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 19:19 Fair enough, I stand corrected on my least relevant point. To address how this relates to the more pertinent point, I wonder how the government of the time justified raising the tax threshold? Mind you, the vast majority of the few people who were allowed to vote before 1918 wouldn`t have been impacted by it. Are we counting the increased votrer base as further government imposition on people by the way? I`m also concerned about your increasingly narrow definition of a man from 1915 (who died before september) who had a top class education but didn`t ever earn enough to reach the tax threshold when it was a mere £160 pa - not even a decent middle-class salary - with the average doctor earning around ten times that in 1914, and the Bank of England inflation calculator says it is £16,110.68 in today`s money. Presumably your guy never voted because he didn`t have enough means to qualify? By the way, how old was he when he died? “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” Reply |
| 26. Author: Bletchley_Par Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 19:41 Topic Originator: Wotsit Probably something along the lines of "save the empire from the abominable Boche." or some other cunning hook. I`m also concerned about your increasingly narrow definition of a man from 1915 (who died before september) who had a top class education but didn`t ever earn enough to reach the tax threshold when it was a mere £160 pa - not even a decent middle-class salary - with the average doctor earning around ten times that in 1914, and the Bank of England inflation calculator says it is £16,110.68 in today`s money. Presumably your guy never voted because he didn`t have enough means to qualify? Oh Wotsit don`t take on so, no need to fret. As was established earlier in the thread the man actually had to die before August 1915 to avoid the compulsory national register. The tax threshold is somewhat irrelevant although probably adds to the ethos of 1915 being the year "everything changed" and also cited as some as the height of the British Empire (argue to the wall over that one). He did not have to have a "top level education", he just had to attend a non-state school. Only 20-30% of schools from 1880-1915 were state schools, vast majority were voluntary or church schools, less than 10% "public fee paying" schools. So plenty of scope for our man to have a number of possible educational backgrounds. By the way, how old was he when he died? Well that`s the thing Wotsit and your not gonna believe this but he was 69 years 364 days old when he died....just one day short of the 1912 over 70s pension, can you believe it? *EDIT The percentages are not the number of state/public/indy schools but the percentage of pupils attending them. Post Edited (Thu 12 Mar 19:48) Reply |
| 27. Author: Wotsit Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 19:42 Quote: Is receiving a speeding fine through the post more or less contact than having your birth registered or appearing on a census? What about being recorded by CCTV on your way to Tesco? Quid pro quo Wosit, what conclusions have you reached on those examples? I don`t like any state over-reach, or any state at all for that matter so it is a moot issue for me. I`d bring the lot down in an ideal world, but I have accept that this position has some work to do before it is even close to being a real option so I have to have a somewhat more pragmatic outlook day to day. To answer your question though, I think they are fairly equal and, as a person who doesn`t enjoy the state imposing on me, and given the lack of conscription during my lifetime, I would much rather live now than in 1915. My point for you is that, since at least 2001, it has been manufactured hysteria against foreign people that has fueled the over-reach. Even the increased tax threshold in 1915 was justified by folk being hysterical about Germans. It goes back further than that too: for example income tax is only a thing in the first place because of manufactured hysteria against the French. Edit: this guy is getting ever more unique. There maybe was a guy like that in 1915, but there were probaly more travellers (who didn`t even register their births) who had literally zero contact with the state, just as there are today (albeit fewer than there were due to right wing hysteria against travellers.) Post Edited (Thu 12 Mar 20:01) Reply |
| 28. Author: Bletchley_Par Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 20:04 Topic Originator: Wotsit I don`t think we are having any great reveal that war is used to curb freedoms. I like your 2001 as a pivotal year and would add fear of crime also added to any safety hysteria that was used to curb freedoms. Post Edited (Thu 12 Mar 20:05) Reply |
| 29. Author: Dave_1885 Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 20:38 Anyway, back on topic about Mr Kier…….how on earth does he get past the latest scandal in the Mandelson mess? Reply |
| 30. Author: MikeyLeonard Date: Thu 12th Mar 2026. 23:53 After reading the above, is it one nil to Wotsit or one nil to Bletchley ? Fecked if I know. . . Reply |