Chekhov

One of the main reasons there is a lack of rental accommodation is that the government in their wisdom are making being a landlord more and more of a PITA. And it'll get even worse when Labour come to power as they are going top tilt the balance of power even further in favour of the tenant, introduce yearly property MOTs and probably raise the minimum EPC rating still further so many older properties will be removed from the rental market.

I have discovered why my phone keeps dialling the emergency numbers : 1 - It has big number buttons which are easily "entered". 2 - It has been designed by an idiot (it keeps numbers 1 and 9 in the register until they are manually deleted, even if the phone is in lock mode). 3 - The ludicrous rule that prevents me choosing to fully lock my own phone. Apparently we cannot use the word "authoritarian" any more so I will call that regulation "dictatorial" instead. I have to say every time that soddin' phone makes a beep sound (i.e. a button has been accidentally pressed) I blame this "dictatorial" world in general and Altus in particular (because argues for this restriction of my right to fully lock my own phone) ! Today we had an anecdote and a half, I will be able to dine out on this for years. I was at work and unbeknownst to me my phone had called 999, so the emergency operator rang me back, not for the first time I may add. I explained what it was, which they accepted, but then said to me that "we heard a child scream out 'get off of me' ", what was that ? I must confess to being a bit annoyed I should have to be explaining myself when I had done nothing wrong, he had actually been battling packaging tape.....

Again you have the wrong end of the stick. That would be the equivalent of parents taking there kids on holiday during the exams, few would do that. I maintain that fines make little difference other than to **** off parents, and they have certainly ****ed us off big time. In fact, rightly or wrongly, we blame the school, thus we do not feel as positive toward the school as we did.

>>Schools don't want to irritate the parents of their pupils, they prefer not to issue fines.<< Unfortunately it is some schools don't want to irritate the parents of their pupils, they prefer not to issue fines

But you would not normally be fined for exceeding the 30mph speed limit by 4mph (that's usually the limit, 5mph over and you'd get done). That's the whole point. There is flexibility. The policy of punishing parents for non school attendance should be aimed at those whose kids miss large amounts of school, not a week a year.

So, just to check I have this right, in answer to the question "which of the many restrictions on our freedoms do you now think, with the benefit of hindsight, was unwarranted or disproportionate ?", are you saying there were too many restrictions on who we could meet and how we could meet them ? Plus the masks edict went too far ?

So @butlers was wrong then.....

Err no : Do you think parents who take their children out of school during term time to go on a family holiday should or should not be fined? https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/survey-results/daily/2024/03/04/51f36/2 Yes - 30% No - 56% Don't know - 13% And, let us remind ourselves, nobody has ever voted for this iniquitous and authoritarian policy.

How long was he off for and when was it ? I have heard from more than one source that different schools have different policies, which, BTW, promotes even more ill feeling. My lad went to S Korea, AUS and NZ, an exceptionally educational trip, even @Prettytom cannot bring himself to deny that, yet we are being fined for taking him, when, incidentally we had to take him when we did ! Nobody goes to New Zealand's South Island in their winter and our summer..... As an aside, we were talking to a family from Denmark and they were astounded we were going to be fined. The school were fine with their kids having time off (and it was lot ;longer then our lad had off school) though they had to write about it when they got back and make a presentation to the other kids about what they had seen and learnt, far more positive. I cannot see our schools doing that for a few reasons, no the least that they would not want kids who could not afford such holidays to feel left out. The old story, bring everyone down to the lowest level.....

I don't think the fines act as a deterrent, they just **** people off. There is a bigger point here, yet again we are being told how to live our lives, how we should bring our own kids up. And not just the broad idea "kids must be educated at school" (which few people would disagree with) but down to the minutia.

@Prettytom appears to have missed this question. The question is, is it yet another that he will find too hard to answer (so he'll ignore it) ?

Not sure what you mean, but in any case I do not think any parent should be allowed to keep their child out of school for seven months.....

You have piqued my interest here. Which of the many restrictions on our freedoms do you now think, with the benefit of hindsight, was unwarranted or disproportionate ?

The legume crop will fertilise the field and add to insect biodiversity but cost the taxpayer lost of money. The oil seed rape crop will break the cycle of weeds, diseases and pests and to improve soil health, generate income (some of which may well end up as tax) and it can be eaten. I have shown my working, but do not need to make a conclusion as it is obvious.......

No it is not irrelevant at all ! Either every day in school is critical or it is not. They cannot have it both ways, not morally anyway.