30-Nov-2006
FarePak Thanks
In any event, I would like to thank anyone who contributed to the fund before the charitable fund closed to donations this evening.
Labels: charity, donations, FarePak
28-Nov-2006
FarePak Victims Charity Fund closing 29 November
If you can donate something to help these families enjoy the Christmas that they have already paid for, then that would great......but get your skates on!!
27-Nov-2006
FarePak Victims fund now open
Visit BBC News re FarePak to get the full horror of FarePak.
FarePak was an established company, operating in the UK selling gifts and food hampers since 1969; how could savers have known that the firm was in trouble. It is alleged that customers money was not ring-fenced in any way and that it was siphoned off to a parent company (European Home Retail) to help pay their debts. What an irony that the money was coming from people who are typically the poorest in UK society and were avoiding going in to debt themselves by budgeting and prepaying for Christmas.
The administrators have now set up a charitable fund to receive credit card donations here.
FarePak itself has only ~£2m (~$US3.6m) in assets to pay approximately 4p/£ to victims. Further pledges of ~£5m (~$US9m) have been made by businesses and ~£0.2m (~$US0.4m) from private individuals. With somewhere between £40-60m effectively handed over to FarePak, there is a considerable void meantime to fill.
With Christmas fast approaching, donations need to be collected in ASAP in order to avoid victims driving themselves into debt to keep Christmas special for their children - who can tell a 5 year old that Santa isn't coming this year? I know that it would break my heart if I had to do that.
So, a big request from me ..... if we can persuade as many people as possible to donate a small amount, say £1-2 ($USD2-4), then provided we get enough people to do it, then maybe we can all keep the Christmas dreams alive and get close to returning the cash these families put in.
So, whilst not matching the tragedies of Tsunamis and famines, I would ask that you distribute this post or make up your own email to as many people as you are comfortable to send it to, asking them to extend a small piece of their generosity at this holiday time.
If you want to construct your own email, the relevant links are:
A direct link to this post on its own page is http://davidcameronsdiary.blogspot.com/2006/11/farepak-victims-fund-now-open.html
FarePak Response Fund Page is here: http://www.farepakresponsefund.org.uk/donated.html
and donations can be made here: https://secure.efundraising.org.uk/tailored/donation.asp?charity=92443
Thanks for taking the time to read this. It would be great if I could start a viral campaign that grows and grows and means that everyone gets their money back.
25-Nov-2006
FarePak - a kick in the teeth
FarePak attracted customers that would typically not be able to or not wish to place their money in traditional financial products. These customers were typically in the most financially disadvantaged group, but wiselt decided not to build additional debt and instead chose to invest for a great Christmas in a product that ought to have ring-fenced their cash and avoided them withdrawing in advance of Christmas.
The Daily Mail is reporting here that to add insult to injury, complainants are actually being charged 30p of FarePak's debt/minute to lodge a claim.....in other words they are writing off ~£7 of FarePaks liabilities with every minute that they spend on the phone trying to claim a 4p/£ compensation.
I don't know how many people saw it, but I was absolutely disgusted by a representative of Motley Fool on BBC News this morning. That correspondent showed a complete disregard to the circumstances of the FarePak customers and the circumstances which led them to FarePak's door, implying that it was an easy choice for them to choose another Financial product.
Whilst most of us take Christmas and all its treats for granted, it seems clear that the majority of FarePak's customers do not. Being able to make weekly or monthly deposits on account without the ability to withdraw the cash in advance of Christmas and protecting that investment was an important draw to these customers.. much like Tesco or Sainsbury saving stamps.
I will not denigrate companies that have not contributed to the 'fighting fund'; however I do applaud those that have unequivocally decided to make a contribution to the fund, helping some of the poorest in UK society that did not have a great choice in preparing for an extremely commercial Christmas.
Motley Fool..... I am ashamed of your representative on BBC News today. He showed absolutely no compassion or even an understanding of the circumstances of the vast majority of FarePak customers and was no way an ambassador for your company; instead he came across as arrogant and ignorant.
Shame on you Motley Fool - I have always held your site in the highest regard, but no more......!!
Labels: administration, FarePak, Motley Fool
X Factor 2006 - Tartan army marches on.....
I did say in my earlier X Factor blog entry that Ray had a winning genre and if he could demonstrate the talent then he would have the winning formula based upon the grannie vote.
Although Ray was favourite to exit the show tonight, had I been brave enough, I should have taken him as a good lay bet (taking bets that Ray would not be evicted) on the eviction tonight at odds of ~2/1.
Although a powerful stage performance with great stage presence tonight, Ray did not demonstrate great vocals, but he did pack a popular punch with a decent overall performance of an Elvis number and the popularity and age of the track (linking to the Grannies) was probably what carried him through.
However, my biggest regret and disappointment is that I did not follow my instincts and my heart as I discussed with my wife before the show..... that Ben was a value bet to be evicted. All polls show that Ben is in either in a "love him" or "hate him" category, suggesting that his vote would have been split. I thought that he could be a great bet to be in the bottom two at ~70/1 and that his current 5/1 odds to win the entire show would apear to offer poor value even although he had earlier superlative performances.
Ben is another act that is falling into the "one-trick pony" category and I think that will count against him. Given that he has ended uo in the bottom two (something that the MacDonalds have avoided to date), there must be a decent chance of him ending up in another sing-off next week.
Gutting it is, but had I taken Betfair's opportunity to bet in play, I could have bet at ~70/1 on Ben to be evicted and later to have layed at 5/1 during the sing off, converting a £1 bet to a ~£17 lay... making £16 on a £1 bet.
Why is hindsight such a wonderful thing?
The MacDonalds continue to power on fulfilling my suggestion of meeting the grannie vote...I also do not discount the power of any Scottish vote that may exist.....is there any coincidence that the MacDonalds have been the 1st act declared safe in the last two shows..... there are rumours that they actually ARE polling the highest audience vote perhaps as dissent to Simon's disaparaging comments....though I personally take that with a pinch of salt.
The MacDonalds cover of the Proclaimers "500 miles" track this evening was probably their best showing in all of the live shows and was sufficient to meet my criteria for the grannie vote. It was truly a great performance by the duo and as it is such a powerful and emotive Scottish track, then I would think that it has bought considerable Scottish favour too. Louis's comment that it could take them to the final may not be too far wrong and in my opiniomn it would be an opportunituy wasted not to place a bet on them winning the contest (even if you do intend to lay later).
My tip is to bet the MacDonalds down to ~5/1-6/1 because of the voting pattern so far. Ben was thought to be the sole contender to Leona, but tonights bottom two showing must be a wake up call to him and I cannot think that his own 5/1 showing is good value at all.... the English vote must be split across the remaining 3 acts whereas there must now be a strong likelihood that Scotland is getting behind the McDonalds following extremely strong performances over the last two weeks.
Leona has to be considered the outstanding cabndidate to win, but at odds of 30/100, I cannot consider her good value at this time.
For me, the best value now has to be the McDonalds; bet them down to ~5/1-~6/1 and look to lay them when their odds collapse after Ray (the "one-trick pony") is booted out next week.
As you will see from my side panel. I do recommend Betfair for a little home flutter, but like investments, only bet what you can afford to lose... at the end of the day, the bets you make are your choice and I don't want to recommend anything that should get you in any financial difficulty.
You should easily beat the odds available from the local bookie with Betfair ....combined with the opportunity to bet in play and "take your winnings" or "cut your losses" when things move against you, the day of the traditional bookie is dead in my opinion.
Bet wisely. not foolishly and you can have a little bit of fun...and should you have the courage of my convictions (that I neglected tonight) you might even make a nice little profit.
Labels: betting, MacDonalds, odds, Ray, value, X Factor
20-Nov-2006
The Wrong sort of Paper
Well, I predicted it in my earlier blog entry - David Cameron's Diary: It's a Rubbish Tax and an even more Rubbish Idea - you are trapped into fines or fees whatever you do with your rubbish. One of these councils (Northamptonshire) is actually my own authority. It is now reported in the Daily Mail here that many councils will no longer accept shredded paper as a recycling material. This is despite all official advice that we must shred documents that could be used to launch an identity theft.
So, what is one to do with personal documents but still behave in a green way?
There is no question about stage 1 - you MUST always shred your personal documents before disposing of them, but......
Make sure that it is a cross-cut shredder - that means that it will cut the paper in two directions. Earlier shredders cut in single direction strips creating a reatively easy jigsaw puzzle for the determined identity hijacker. If you click on the picture or here, it will take you to Amazon where you can buy a decent shredder for your home.
Stage 2
Option (a) Provided you can set aside an area of your garden, then maybe you should do what I do and that is to compost my green waste - including non-coated paper (after all, it came from trees). Unfortunately, I had to buy a compost bin myself as my Local Authority is not one that provides compost bins as an alternative to roadside collection of compostable waste. This is a strange omission considering that this is an authority that refuses to recycle shredded paper and instead suggests that we compost it. ...... yet another demonstration of the lack of joined up thinking whereby different authorities will provide a composter either free, subsidised or not at all.
If you click on the above picture of a compost bin, you will be taken through to Greenfingers gardening site - this bin is available at £40 and I think represents good value (update - this carries extra value - the price is on sale at £30 at time of writing - 21 Nov 06), but do shop around - this is not a recommendation of Greenfingers as I have not used them before, but I looked and they had a few different types and costs to choose from.
Option (c) You can take small pieces of paper to paper banks - the processes used to recycle from those containers are quite different and shredded paper can be recycled this way.
Option (d) Make fuel briquettes to help start your barbeque - they can be made from paper mache and left to dry out.
Option (e) If all else fails, put it in your ordinary domestic waste - you have little choice by this point. It may not be too environmentally unfiendly provided your local authority operates an Energy Recovery Incineration system.
I hope that the above has helped in some way. If you want more information on recycling, here are a few places to look for extra ideas:
- http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/ - information
- http://www.actionaidrecycling.org.uk/ - recycle for charity
Please follow up with your own postings with recommendations for other useful sites, especially if it can lead to product re-use or charitable donations.
Labels: charity, composting, paper, recycle
Hospital Reforms for the Better.....or not?
Today brings the news that Hospitals will spend precious financial resources on marketing their services to GPs in an effort to persuade patients to use their particular Hospital.
Did you ever hear such nonsense? I want my GP to be objective in any clinical recommendations; I don’t want him swayed by marketing spin and the prospect of golf outings with a Hospital Chief Executive.
The NHS has been a jewel in
Well, for sure medical advances mean that there are ever more cutting edge procedures and pharmaceutical treatments are much more extensive than they have ever been. Nowadays the complete range of potential treatments must put a strain on finances.
I could tell you one horror story involving a close relative and I am sure that many people can also say the same. That is not to denigrate the tremendous dedication shown by our medical and nursing professions whereby the mast majority of patients are cared for adequately and leave hospital in better shape than the way we went in.
I talk to professional failures only to highlight that there will always be a need for more money to be spent directly on patient care, not less; the idea of diverting precious cash in order to market hospitals that are not getting enough patients through their doors is bizarre. In practice, because of their personal circumstances (e.g. family network), most patients will not have a viable choice of hospital anyway, and for those that do, they will pick the best trust for them based on performance figures, not marketing hype.
David Cameron’s blog message?......... ”ditch the marketing idea and use the money wisely on making hospitals better!!”
Labels: Hospital, marketing, medical, NHS reform
19-Nov-2006
It's a Rubbish Tax and an even more Rubbish Idea
What an insane idea to be taxing us all for the amount of refuse we don't recycle.
I want to recycle, but the instructions as to what we can and can't recycle are a mess - and there is no joined up government on this. In one area a fruit juice carton may be recyclable, yet in the next county they don't have a contract in place for that, so it must go into landfill.
If one authority can put a contract in place, then why can't all?
My parents have very clear instructions relating to plastics PET numbers and making it clear what they can put in for recycling. I have basic instructions only that leave me scratching my head.
I could be hung out to dry either way - if I contaminate my recycling bins, then I will be fined and if I err on the side of caution and put it in my ordinary bin, then under ideas under review, I will have to pay extra to take it away!! Either way, I pay for something I am already paying for!!
And what about the Retail world? The things I throw away don't just land mysteriously at my house - they are sold to me and with ridiculous amounts of packaging - why does a swede need to be vacuum wrapped in polythene? Why do manufacturers encase their products in that plastic cage that is bloody impossible to open and turns into an instrument of torture when you try and squeeze your fingers in to extracate the product from the biggest hole that you dared make without cutting through the instructions\CD\warranty document or whatever else is in it. What are they doing? - I see no evidence of anything changing.
So we end up with all this rubbish that is going to cost us an arm and a leg in fines or fees to dispose of - those that don't want to pay will still not pay and fly tipping will increase. Meantime those of us that do pay will end up sharing their charges.
Labels: Green, recycling, rubbish, taxes
The Pensioner Vote - X Factor
As an example, see the following thread (digitalspy forums) claiming that the Scottish vote kept in The MacDonald Brothers. You will see that I also contributed to it with this post.
We have also seen the "no black will ever win" card played as well, allegedly from Leona's mother.
My complaint is that so many people spit out their own theories as facts, whereas they really know nothing and are just exposing their own prejudices or chips on their own shoulder.
So.....I propose a theory and before anyone shoots me down as proposing my own version of facts contradicting all that I said earlier....it is a proposition only....that it may well be pensioner votes that matter at the end of the day.
If my recollection is correct, then most acts that have gone on to the finals of these contests have been the bluesy\jazzy\ballady type singers that will appeal most to the older generation....they are not typically into rockers...look at the the list
Steve Brookstein - X Factor 2004 Winner
G4 - X Factor 2004 Runner up
Andy Abraham - X Factor 2005 Runner up
Journey South - X Factor 2005 Third
David Sneddon - Fame Academy 2002 Winner
Alex Parks - Fame Academy 2003 Winner
Will Young - Pop Idol 2002 Winner
So.....if I follow my own logic, Ray would be exceptional value at the 50/1 odds that are being offered. However, it can't always be just about the genre alone - talent has to be involved too; Ray hasn't quite got it for me. For that reason, my own tip has to be Leona, but would I back here at 4/6 odds? No I wouldn't - that's why I backed her at 100/30 some weeks ago.
However at the end of the day, then one thing is sure....people will vote for whom they want to, and no-one will second guesss the British public.
So long Robert......you weren't just coming good - you were becoming great and in my opinion could have fitted my winning criteria perfectly. As I say, no one will second guess.
Labels: X Factor
17-Nov-2006
Road Safety & The Law
In the last week, I have seen multiple examples of poor Road Safety (& Courtesy).
1. Mobile Phone Usage
Does anyone actually observe the UK law regarding absolute prohibition of hand-held mobiles and that hands-free is the only way acceptable unnder UK law?
- I saw a young girl in my rear view mirror actually texting whilst driving in town
- I also saw a man driving a fancy Bentley with a phone strapped to his ear whilst driving at ~60-70mph - no reason why he couldn't afford an integrated hands-free phone.
These folks cannot be in control of their vehicles either physically or in terms of concentration.
2. Inconsiderate Parking
There are some lazy b**stards around that have forgotten how their legs work and create a danger for the rest of us - and I have seen all of this in the last week (on more than one occasion):
- People that park outside shops and create a blockage just to save themselves 1 minute to get to the cash point or nip in to buy a packet of cigarettes and leave others stewing trying to get in or out of a car park.
- The selfish b**stards that have no legitimate reason to use Disabled parking spaces other than the fact that they are lazy so and sos.
- The other selfish b**stards that can't be bothered to walk a few metres and instead park up in a cul-de-sac outside my house blocking the road and stopping myself and my neighbours from being able to get in and out of our homes. This has a more serious point because in those situations that I can't get in or out, then what hope does an Ambulance or Fire Engine have if we really need it.
Grrrrrrrr - I feel like I would like to take a sledgehammer to the cars of those idiots that think the world revolves around them.
3. Cyclists with no regard for Personal Safety
Have bicycles started to become equipped with some magical forcefield since I last rode a bike? Since the clocks changed in the UK and it gets dark around 4pm, I have really noticed how cyclists typically have no regard for their own personal safety - it isn't a generational thing either - it doesn't matter whether it is a teenager or a grannie, they have neither lights or personal safety equipment i.e. a helmet or reflective jacket or pads.
Of course, when they get run over it will obviously be the motorist at fault.........the stupid idiots!!
I don't profess to be the best driver in the world, and I try to be as observant as I can possibly be, but these habits are an accident waiting to happen and the Police are never around to do anything about it.
Can I make an appeal to those that are taking up these dangerous habits - Even if you don't care about the rest of the population, give a thought to the risks that you are creating for yourself and your own property and STOP THIS ANTISOCIAL AND UNSAFE BEHAVIOUR NOW!!
Labels: cyclists, hands-free, HSE, law, police, road
04-Nov-2006
Gadgets - The best ever
For me, I am torn between two:
- TiVo - the best PVR ever invented even if it is now 5 years old, with season passes and wishlists ensuring that favourite programmes and new interests are always captured to view when I am ready to.
- Sat Nav - I have factory installed Volvo Sat-Nav with live traffic updates that can really annoy around the M25 when things get bad. I also have a portable TomTom GO for the other car - these are wonderful inventions and have saved me loads of anguish along the way.
Any other bids for best gadget ever?
03-Nov-2006
4 x 4 Taxes
If you have bought an expensive 4x4, then you have already paid more VAT....(lovely, jubbly says Del Chancellor).
Oh, yes, but you are chewing up the roads with your big car, polluting the environment every mile that you drive and using precious mineral resources, so you need to pay more Road Tax says Del, rubbing his hands as rumours of up to £4000 annual taxation rears its head.
What a load of cobblers!! The biggest source of vehicle running cost taxation in the UK comes from Fuel Duties & VAT.
Let's review what that means.....
Every mile that I drive I pay more tax. If I don't drive the vehicle as economically as it could be, I pay more Tax....and given that my fuel is 80% tax, then that is one big disincentive to drive more or any harder than I need to. If I only drive my car on a limited basis, is it reasonable that I pay a pollutiion tax when it is just sitting on my drive and not polluting?
Let's look at the oil price fluctuations based upon demand too... When oil is scarce versus demand, the prices in the wholesale narket and at the pump go up...what does that do for Del Boy Chancellor? Why....it gives him extra VAT revenue at the pump. He also decides it is time for a windfall tax on North Sea revenues.
So what about this idea about a massive hike in Road Tax on a 4x4 type car then? By now, you have probably guessed from my comments that I run a 4x4, though fortunately it is on a contract that leaves any risk of the residual value falling with the lessor; I am protected from that.
However, I can't but help feel sympathetic to those who purchased a 4x4 and used their own capital or finance to provide for better safety for their families. If these huge annual Road Taxes (effectively a tax on owning an asset) come to fruition, then 4x4s will be next to worthless in the second hand market....absolutely no one will want to own one under those circumstances.
Remember also that a modern 4x4 will be a lot cleaner to run than an old saloon car run with additives.
Any Government that tries to push these radical changes through is on dangerous territory. If you have taxed me once for buying something based upon the price, then why should you tax me again for owning it. There are acceptable exceptions (TV Licence for which a service is provided to my purchased TV set), but if you go down this route, then where will it stop?
Labour may think that 4x4 owners are in a minority and they will not impact General Election results....but I would suggest that such behaviour is the thin end of the wedge....what will be next...increased taxation on your house? Maybe I will discuss that one another day (council tax based upon your energy efficiency rating?).
Of course, cynic that I am.....despite all the scare stories, maybe 4x4 annual Road Tax will only go up from ~£195 to ~£250 (a whopping 25% increase) and then we will all be meant to say "phew!! that wasn't as bad as it could have been" and breathe a huge sigh of relief.
As I say, I am a cynic and have seen this all before with threatened 50% Council Tax increases that never materialises but creates an air of comfort around 10-15% rises.
One thing is for sure....motorists, smokers and drinkers carry a huge burden of taxation in the UK...probably an unfair burden...but taxation on motoring is the one that creates the biggest noise and rightly so.
Don't get me started on equity though......have a visit to http://www.targetneutral.com to see how much you need to donate (and you can here) to allow someone to offset your annual motoring Carbon emissions....typically £20-40 per annum. Someone is having a real laugh suggesting that £4,000 Road Tax is the right answer.
Rant over.........................for now!!
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