In the news

We watched the ITV drama on the Post Office scandal earlier this week and I have to say we thought it was brilliant but terrible how such injustice can happen in the UK. The Post Office brand and Fujitsu have both been trashed. I do think some of the senior management in both companies who covered this up should be prosecuted. Also, Alan Bates should get a seat in the Lords. he is wise and a saint who has helped countless others.

Am I the only one sick of Harry and Megan constantly whining about their lot? They have no idea what hardship is, have they ever worried about the gas bill or putting food on the table. I wish I had such a terrible life as Harry, a privileged upbringing with the best education all on the taxpayer, money that could have been spent on someone that would have been useful and grateful like the nurses. Does he think he is the only person to lose a mother at an early age or be the second preferred sibling. I doubt he was treated like the average soldier in the forces despite claims to the contrary. He must be really proud of the sadness he caused his grandmother the Queen in her last weeks of life. Ginge and whinge is a very fitting description, the UK is better off without them, let's hope they stay in the USA.

Are you becoming boring to other members of the household, with your attention given to your phone, tablet or other. Is technology controlling us like “the tail wagging the dog”? I have invested in an i-pad air, and my dear ol’ hubby says I’m using it too much…..especially when the footie is on; that’s for sure! Anyone suffering i-paditus?

It is an unfair tax for the less well off who just come into an income band, it punishes the people who live in new builds as they are put into a band higher than necessary because of property price rises whereas at the time the bands were done they wo... I now claim state pension and wish I still claimed Universal Credit. I have lost all CT benefit and my bill is over £1400. My weekly income was lower on Universal Credit but I was financially better off. I am just £2 over the limit for Pension Credit or for any additional help WOW. All thanks to the government who changed the rules so the wealthy can gain more riches. I have to pay the same council tax as someone who is working or lives in a house. I live in a one bedroom flat. Council Tax is the most unfair, regressive tax and how much income people can have before they have to pay is seriously flawed. Once again the better off benefit. Look at what Wales is doing. I have to pay the same as a working person or a pensioner with other pension income. What a person pays is judged on one block that covers an income from to high. My pension is reduced to pay for my carers allowance. I have no means of increasing my income so roll on death. If I do not pay the full monthly amount the council will probably claim it at source either way I am screwed. There is supposed to be a law against this. Why pay a State Pension when you are claiming a big chunk back? Your government is amoral, the budget was laughable but has not fooled anyone. It punishes the poor and less well off all the time. Hunt kept talking of what good he has done. Get real whatever has been 'given' has been more than paid for by what has been taken off us. Your government has made it harder for anyone to claim any help where they used to qualify they now find out they do not. All this whilst all you wealthy rich people carry on living the good life which the poor have funded and looked down upon for doing so. Well enjoy your wealth whilst the world burns. What good will money be when the earth is destroyed? You will not adhere to green policies or cut the funding. Does a couple with children on high incomes really need all the child benefit payment? I have studied Tax, Economics, Law and Financial & Management Accounting. This government and your DWP are uncaring and to both we are just the peasants who should be content with our lot. We do not live but exist I do not drink, smoke and rarely go out if it was not for family & friends life would be more unbearable. Another example of your attitude to us is my daughter. She acknowledged she was young and foolish but has gone on to achieve a 1st class degree in Environmental Science and has finished a Masters whilst working and caring for me. She has been paying the money back, has never missed a payment but without any consultation, DWP have started taking £90 per month off her already low income. My son has a degree and 10 years experience but still earns less than £30000. He is looking to try and move on. His colleagues at work calculated they will be worse off from this budget whilst bills are all set to rise once again. Ever since Thatcher was PM it has been a downward slide. I know fossil fuels are on their way out but everything has been sold off even the oil look at what Norway achieved from their oil and the man who started it all was willing to advise us. This government is all short terminism policies. You probably will not even read this but you should I am far from alone thinking like this. You should read the attachments as people are extremely fed up and want change. People want to pay fair taxes in exchange for good services, look at how several countries are run and weep, but council tax is so unfair. I did not mind paying income tax when services were better.

Now that the Police have admitted they cannot respond to all mental health calls, isn't it time the NHS did the same? If it is not to collapse, it must be rationed. Life-saving care and treatment must be prioritised. I think all of these should NOT be free: Cosmetic surgery other than reconstruction after mastectomy Repair of botched surgeries done abroad Treatment of non British nationals Gender re-assignment Professional sports injuries Injuries caused by drink or drugs or while commiting a crime Injuries while taking part in known, high-risk activities.

Hi. I don't understand why Russia is being solely blamed for the war in Ukraine, surely Ukraine joining NATO is the same as the Cuban missile crisis in the 1970. The U.S. president (I think Kennedy) threatened to invade Cuba if it allowed Russia to station missiles on its territory, Cuba being to close to the U.S. Ukraine borders Russia so allowing it to join NATO would put western missiles very close to Moscow. Had Ukraine undertaken not to join NATO I doubt the Russians would have invaded. So I am really not sure who’s fault this awful war is, did NATO not provoke the Russians?

I saw a show on the BBC the other day saying the spray foam that I have in my roof is a scam. I got my son to look online and there was lots of other articles suggesting that it is a scam. I paid £3000 which luckily a company helped me get back because I used my credit card. Has anyone else got spray foam in their roof?

Having never voted in my life I don't complain about the government of the day, some will undoubtedly be up in arms about me not voting but I really don't care who runs the country they are all the same so just a few observations, not complaints. It always makes me smile when people say I wouldn't vote for the other lot (labour) they would ruin the country, look around you, its more of the same or take a chance. Thirteen years of a Conservative government the down side, destruction of the NHS to advance private medicine which they can make lots of money out of, if you happen to be uninsurable or can't afford it you can just go and die. Flooding the country with illegal immigrants (cheap labour) this has the same effect as selling people council houses, you can't afford to ask for a decent wage because if you strike you lose your home (Feudalism at its best) or an immigrant will do your job cheaper you still lose your home. Water and fuel companies are making billions in profits and the bosses give themselves millions in bonuses while people have to go hungry to pay the bills. In fact, the water companies are just asset stripping putting up prices to pay share holders nice bonuses and dumping sewage in the rivers, so not even bothering to hide the fact they are not doing the job we are paying for and everyone just puts up with it. Tax is higher than it has ever been with nothing to show apart from an abandoned railway project which should have never been started in the first place given the state of the country's finances. Who can afford to use trains in this country anyway, London to Manchester far cheaper to fly. The plus side is. Pensioners like me have so far done alright at least until we get ill and can't get an ambulance or even a doctor's appointment or get robbed because we no longer have a viable police force.

Firstly, the Nigel Farage de-banking scenario, I’m no supporter of Farage but I do respect his actions in this case; what right has a bank to effectively censor an individual – especially a failed bank that in 2008 required significant taxpayer support? Its role is to provide banking services, perhaps it needs to be reminded. However, the thought does go through my mind that the Government remains the major shareholder and Farage has been a thorn in their side. Youtube’s censorship of Covid 19 discussion by their misinformation guidelines remains in force. If we are on war footing, as it could be argued we were during the pandemic then restrictions of free speech are regrettable but acceptable; however, we are no longer in pandemic mode and now is the time to reflect and improve. Who decides ‘what is the truth’ ? According to the guidelines it is ‘….local health authorities or the WHO. ‘ However, the covid pandemic was a novel event without a playbook, are they the fountain of all knowledge getting it correct first time, I doubt it. That is in addition to the influence of the World Health Organisation funders. A US Court on 4th July 2023 issued an injunction restricting the Biden administration from influencing social media to moderate their content, including covid matters. Perhaps I am not alone in my concerns. Pharmaceutical products have adverse effects, to say otherwise is clearly incorrect, yet we have senior medical professionals stating that the novel Covid bivalent vaccine is safe eg ‘ Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, chairman of the Commission on Human Medicines, an independent body sponsored by the DHSC to advise ministers on medicinal products, said the vaccine was safe to use.’ He is not alone in this assertion. The flippant and unqualified use of the word ‘safe’ gives the impression that all will be safe if they take the vaccine, yet this clearly is not the case from the experience of using past novel mRNA vaccines which have caused serious adverse reactions and death - determined by autopsy. Using Western Australia figures at 11 mins Excess deaths with Senator Rennick - YouTube there were 270 adverse effects from 2 million traditional vaccines while almost 11,000 adverse effects from 4 million mRNA covid vaccines. Similarly, the concept that statins and other medications prevents heart attacks and stroke needs to be qualified – it reduces the risk it does not totally prevent and the original risk that is being modified could be quite small. Further examples of censorship included the pressure not to report serious adverse effects of the mRNA vaccine as reported Australian Senator Rennick at 8mins Excess deaths with Senator Rennick - YouTube. If it happening in Australia where else is it occurring? It is of note that the proposed UK 2023-24 flu vaccines do not include a mRNA vaccine.

Did anyone else watch the Harry ITV interview tonight? Was it me or did he constantly contradict himself? He is so angry with the tabloids it would seem, that all he has achieved now, is for the tabloids to publish negative headlines about him and stories that will not be conducive to helping his mental health. Who, I wonder, is advising him? And how bizarre that he defended Lady Hussey so vocally excusing her from making racist remarks recently but saying how much he respects and adores Ngozi Fulani - seems to be so many mixed messages. It would appear he is very confused now about how he defines racism as he seems to have changed his stance. I think he is very mixed up indeed poor chap! I wonder if his father and brother will offer him forgiveness and reconciliation - would you if he was your son?