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Peter's latest comments
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13th May 2015Peter commented on:
Have you switched energy supplier?Yes I switched via Which? and got a deal with First Utility that saved about £300 a year. The process was surprisingly quick and simple - I'd recommend doing it.ViewDate:
12th May 2015Peter commented on:
Is it right for the EU to impose refugee quotas on the UK?While I do think we need to help - if we take in a large number of refugees then it sends a clear positive message to those thinking about attempting the trip and could well encourage more to get in the boats. Resulting in more traffickers and more deaths.ViewDate:
5th May 2015Peter commented on:
Will the weather determine whether you go to the Polling station?I agree not all youngsters are ambivalent about politics I know many who are very engaged with the current debate - however a recent study in the Telegraph did show that only 52% of 18-24yr olds intend to vote in comparison with over 90% of the over 50s. I'm sure you'll agree that's quite a significant difference.ViewDate:
5th May 2015Peter commented on:
Will the weather determine whether you go to the Polling station?Bad weather won't stop me voting but it might just give the younger generation another reason not to bother getting out of bed! If this is true it's just another good reason to introduce online voting for future elections. Online voting would increase the number of votes cast, making the results more representative and would cost considerably less than the antiquated ballot boxes and paper voting slips.ViewDate:
29th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Will you be using your vote for personality or policy?Unfortunately all the leaders are light on personality so we have no choice but to vote for policies. None of them seem to be in touch with business and working people - none of them has had a real job! Cameron is part of the Eton elite and Miliband is just plain weird - can you imagine him trying to negotiate with Obama or Putin?!! The economy is the key issue and I don't trust Balls/Miliband as they messed up last time around - maybe more of the same is the least worst option as at least they have a plan that seems to be working.ViewDate:
29th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Would calorific information on alcoholic drinks affect your consumption?I think this is a great idea and long overdue as we should know what we are drinking. The beer and wine makers have long tried to obscure this and we know that alcohol is a major contributor to the obesity crisis in the UK. A pint of lager can have over 250 calories and a glass of wine over 200 so a few drinks can easily put you over the recommended daily limits - especially if you are sitting on your backside all day!ViewDate:
29th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Would calorific information on alcoholic drinks affect your consumption?I think you'll find that Guinness is surprisingly one of the lower calorie beers Wilf so you should be okay. Its the lagers that will grow your beer belly !ViewDate:
27th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Do you take notice of dietary and medical advice regarding healthy eating?Too many of these so called independent studies and recommendations are undertaken or sponsored by various food companies with vested interests in telling you that their particular product is healthy. Red wine, coffee, fruit, butter, sugar, carbs even chocolate have been certified good and bad over the years. I don't believe a word of it - just eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg, exercise more and you'll give yourself a decent chance of good health into later life.ViewDate:
22nd Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Which party do you trust to manage your pensioner benefits over the next 5 years?I think that the new pension rules and more flexibility to decide what you do with your pension are a big step forward under the conservatives. There are very few election policies that really make a big difference to us but this really is a winner.ViewDate:
20th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
General election 2015 - NHS, Health and care party policies.To be honest I don't believe any of them about the funding amounts - they are all promising the world at the moment to get votes with no idea how to fund it all. However I do think the conservative idea of seven day a week GP access and same day for the over 75's is a great policy and long overdue. Lack of GP access at the weekends send A&E units into overload with non emergencies that could be dealt with in a local surgery.ViewDate:
20th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Will you vote in person or by post?It's 2015 and us silversurfers should surely be able to vote online. It's the only way we'll get the number that vote up - especially with the younger voters who can't seem to get organised to register and find their local polling station!! If they could do it from their smartphones then they might just be bothered.ViewDate:
17th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Which coalition do you find more palatable?I don't like the sound of either option. I'm not sure that UKIP will get enough seats to be of any significant influence - more likely to be another Conservative Lib Dem coalition. A Labour/SNP alliance would be a disaster for the UK as the SNP trade off for supporting Labour would be another referendum. Miliband is caught between a rock and a hard place and his dithering and unwillingness to answer the key questions last night demonstrated what a terrible prime minister he would be.ViewDate:
17th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Which coalition do you find more palatable?The key thing missing from Ed Millibands CV is a proper job! He has spent his whole life in politics and comes from a political family so how can he hope to understand business or the needs of British workers. He lives in a £2.5 million mansion and claims to speak for the working class. He hasn't got a clue what its like in the real world for hard working families. He has proved to be a hopeless leader and most of his party regret not choosing his brother. That said I don't think Cameron is much better but at least the economy is moving in the right direction.ViewDate:
10th Apr 2015ViewDate:
10th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Do the current political campaigns affect the way you will vote?The problem with the current system is that there are so few seats where your vote can actually make a difference. The conservatives have such a large majority where I live that there is little point in voting as nobody else has a chance. I think most people know which way they will vote and only a few will really change their minds over the course of the campaign. Unfortunately it's the swing voters in a handful of marginal seats that hold the balance of power.ViewDate:
10th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Do you think Camilla should be crowned queen?The issue is not Camilla's suitability to be Queen but whether Charles is a suitable King. The Queen is a very hard act to follow and while I feel sorry for Charles in having to wait so long to get his turn I think many people would feel happier with William taking over from the Queen. Charles is old school and perceived as out of touch. The monarchy will need the energy of youth and fresh ideas if it is to adapt and survive in the future.ViewDate:
9th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
What will the Green Party do for you?Lots of fluffy ideas about how to spend our money and nothing on how to generate more of it!ViewDate:
9th Apr 2015Peter commented on:
Do you feel the economy is getting better?All the stats say that the economy is improving but this will clearly take time to benefit everyone in the country. Most business leaders think that Miliband and Balls would be a disaster for the economy - after all they led us into the depths of recession last time around. Miliband has never had a real job so how could anyone trust him to understand business and the economy.ViewDate:
31st Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Would you like to take a one way trip to Mars?No - having too much fun down here!ViewDate:
31st Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Do you feel well informed about potential pension scams?I fully expect to receive a deluge of phone calls from dodgy companies selling pensions advice. It will just add to the many unwanted PPI, accident claims, mobile phone and computer calls that I get daily. I think the government need to provide more information and advice to those that may be vulnerable to these types of calls and fine and close down the bogus operations that perpetrate them much quicker.ViewDate:
31st Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Are you feeling happier as you get older?Definitely happier - as you age you get a better idea of priorities and what makes you happy and spend less time on all the irrelevant stuff that doesn't. For me it's all about friends, family, keeping healthy so I can travel and experience as much of the world as possible. I aim to ski, trek, surf, cycle and golf well into my 80s!!ViewDate:
30th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Is Chris Evans a suitable replacement presenter for Top Gear?I'm glad that Clarkson has gone as it will mean that the show will get a much needed freshen up. I like Chris Evans and he'd fit the bill but he's on record saying that he's not interested. Maybe its time for a female lead - how about Suzy Perry - she'd be great!ViewDate:
30th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
How will you spend your private pension lump sum?If I had a lump sum I'd spend it on travel. Great experiences stay with you forever - long after the flash new car rusts on a scrap heap!ViewDate:
19th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
How do you like the design of the new £1 coin?Looks great and if it beats the counterfeiters then so much the better. I'm fed up having fake pound coins not working in car park machines!ViewDate:
11th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Should Jeremy Clarkson be sacked or reinstated?I watch Top Gear but increasingly find Clarkson boorish and out of touch. I suppose it depends what happened in the so called fracas but I think that Top Gear needs an injection of new blood to bring it up to date and this could be a good opportunity for the BBC to make the change as he's on a final warning! Not sure how that will work as Clarkson reputedly owns the rights to 30% of the show through his own production company.ViewDate:
6th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Are you plagued by nuisance phone calls?Yes we get them all the time and we are registered for the TPS. We rarely answer the home phone line these days as it always seems to be a nuisance recorded call. These companies should be heavily fined or closed down altogether.ViewDate:
6th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Would you like to become a spy?Stranger things have happened. One of my Aunts was a spy unbeknown to the rest of the family. It was only when she died and a team of James Bond lookalikes in trench coats and sunglasses turned up at the funeral that we put two and two together.ViewDate:
6th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Should households pay a universal flat-rate fee regardless of whether they own a TV?The BBC is a national treasure and should be nurtured and yes everyone should pay. You just have to look at the total codswallop that is served up in other countries and on the commercial stations here just to please the advertisers. It is a total joy to be able to listen to amazing radio and view great TV programmes without intrusive advertising. The licence fee is incredible value for money when you compare it with subscription services like Sky. If you watch the BBC on catch up then of course you should pay.ViewDate:
6th Mar 2015Peter commented on:
What style party leader TV debate would you like to see?It all seems rather pointless. If you remember Nick Clegg emerged the winner last time around and look at the state he's in now! He might not even be able to hold on to his seat this time around.ViewDate:
2nd Mar 2015Peter commented on:
Should pension tax relief be cut to fund reduced university fees?This is another ridiculous Miliband policy that Ed Balls and most of the rest of his shadow cabinet don't agree with. Why penalise pensioners further to fund a change that has been proven to disadvantage poorer students - its nonsensical. This is yet another election gimic driven by a hopeless leader. Labour would be better off without him.ViewDate:
24th Feb 2015Peter commented on:
Should wealthy pensioners receive state-funded benefits?I think it should be a matter of choice - many don't claim their full benefits or donate to charity if they feel that they don't need it. The cost of means testing all pensioners would be prohibitive.ViewDate:
24th Feb 2015Peter commented on:
Should MPs have second jobs and other ways to boost their salary?While I think it's very important that our politicians have experience of real work outside of politics before they become MPs (and I think its pretty clear that the likes of Milliband and Cameron haven't!) once they become MPs they should devote themselves to the task full time. That's what they sign up for and that's what we pay them for. Plus the get all the extras and expenses while working as an MP and huge salaries once they leave parliament - just look at how wealthy Tony Blair is now - he's worth over £20 million!!ViewDate:
24th Feb 2015Peter commented on:
Should the World Cup be held in Qatar in 2022?Awarding the world cup to Qatar is a total nonsense and the FIFA decision making process and secret voting process for the 2018 and 2022 has been shown to be totally corrupt. Sept Blatter and his unaccountable cronies should be made to sit outside in the heat for three hours without air-con in the middle of summer in Qatar to experience the uncomfortable and potentially life threatening conditions that the fans would have to face if the tournament was held in the summer as FIFA originally planned. To then have to backtrack and move the tournament to November causing massive upheaval for all of the domestic competitions is ridiculous and shows them to be totally idiotic and incompetent. Blatter should be forcibly removed and the vote should be carried out again in a transparent way so the tournament can be held in a country that actually meets the tournament requirements. It is staggering that they are being allowed to get away with this and that Blatter will likely be elected again for yet another term in office.ViewDate:
17th Feb 2015Peter commented on:
Is it important to know how to use grammar correctly?I think this is a very important issue. I used to interview graduates and was shocked at how few of them could put together a decent CV and application letter. Many of their applications were littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and I have to admit that these went straight into the bin! If they couldn't get it right on something as important as a CV why would I think of letting them loose with our important contacts and customers? I agree that schools should be putting more focus on this area or else text speak could become the norm in business as well as the playground.ViewDate:
10th Feb 2015Peter commented on:
Should new fathers paternity leave and pay be doubled?I think it's unfair on small businesses who will have to find cover and pay for the dads taking the extra time off. Personally I couldn't wait to get back to work once my three came home ;-) Has anyone actually asked fathers whether they want this benefit or is it just another Milliband decision made without consulting the electorate?ViewDate:
10th Feb 2015Peter commented on:
Would you consider having a GP consultation via webcam?The option of appointments via webcam would be great and could save a huge amount of time and hassle, increasing the number of appointments considerably as well. I would certainly be up for it.ViewDate:
10th Feb 2015Peter commented on:
Do you trust eating advice shared via the media?I don't believe any of the media rubbish that comes out about diet. You'll probably find this research was sponsored by the dairy industry. I'm constantly amazed at how one week coffee is good for you then the next its not. The same for red wine etc.etc. etc. the results depend on who has paid for the research. Just eat what you like in moderation and exercise regularly and all will be well.ViewDate:
29th Jan 2015Peter commented on:
Should pregnant women be given vouchers to quit smoking?No way - looking after an unborn childs health should be sufficient incentive to quit. If not then perhaps they shouldn't have kids in the first place.ViewDate:
29th Jan 2015Peter commented on:
Should drug possession be considered a crime?I agree Wilf - if you go to prison a light drugs user it's highly likely you'll come out an addict!! A lighter hand is required here and it's not often I agree with Nick!ViewDate:
29th Jan 2015Peter commented on:
Should smoking be brought back into pubs?No way should the smoking ban be repealed. I've just been to Austria skiing where many bars and restaurants still allow smoking and I was reminded how disgusting it used to be to have to endure other people smoke. That's without considering the health benefits. Shame on you Nigel.