Reply to: Local authority cuts

[Old Greg]

David Icke says so, it must be true.

I won't take that from someone who cannot punctuate. Separate your sentences with full stops, young man.

[Churchill]

The six toes is historically very interesting. William of Orange was invited to depose James II, not because he (William) was protestant, but because he was a reptilian. This is how the reptilians took over the royal family (as attested to by Diana's friend Christine Fitzgerald).

David Icke says so, it must be true.

[hyperD]

The six toes is historically very interesting. William of Orange ...

When I said accountant, I meant William of Orange

[Old Greg]

Not as sad as taking a perfectly satisfactory root vegetable and changing its colour out of veneration for some six-toed national leader.

The six toes is historically very interesting. William of Orange was invited to depose James II, not because he (William) was protestant, but because he was a reptilian. This is how the reptilians took over the royal family (as attested to by Diana's friend Christine Fitzgerald).

[Mich the Tester]

Which is more sad? That someone created these web sites, or that we are referring to them and learning from their content?

Not as sad as taking a perfectly satisfactory root vegetable and changing its colour out of veneration for some six-toed national leader.

[Churchill]

Which is more sad? That someone created these web sites, or that we are referring to them and learning from their content?

Or the fact that some of us already knew the information in the first place?

[RichardCranium]

Carrots - The Road to Domestication.... AND the Colour Orange!

For yet more on carrots, see www.carrotmuseum.co.uk - History of Carrots - A Brief Summary & Timeline

Which is more sad? That someone created these web sites, or that we are referring to them and learning from their content?

[Sysman]

William of Orange commissioned De Beers to cut a 100 carat diamond, and there was a mix up in the purchase order. The rest is agricultural history.

Carrots - The Road to Domestication.... AND the Colour Orange!

A tale, probably apocryphal, has it that the orange carrot was bred in the Netherlands in the sixteenth century to honour William of Orange. Though the development and stabilisation of the orange carrot root does appear to date from around that period in the Netherlands, it is unlikely that honouring William of Orange had anything to do with it! Some astute historian managed to install the myth that the work an unexpected mutation was developed especially to thank King William I as a tribute to independence from Spain. Dr T Fernie (Herbal Simples1875) reported - "The Dutch Government had no love for the House of Orange: and many a grave burgomaster went so far as to banish from his garden the Orange lily, and Marigold; also the sale of Oranges and Carrots was prohibited in the markets on account of their aristocratic colour."

For yet more on carrots, see www.carrotmuseum.co.uk - History of Carrots - A Brief Summary & Timeline

[Sysman]

Yep, that might be an issue. However, at my rugby club here in Holland, although we charge a membership fee it can be waived for people who really can't afford it, in return for some volunteer work for the club; it wouldn't surprise me if other sports clubs etc are prepared to do the same deal.

I have memories of my old rowing club doing similar. I can see that working where the majority of folks can afford to support the club, but unfortunately that can be difficult in the unemployment hotspots that we are addressing here.

And here we land up back at council cutbacks. One cutback many years ago led to abandoning a council run scheme to organise the unemployed to help old folks by painting fences, gardening, doing shopping etc. Worthy stuff and I didn't mind a small bit of my rates going to that. All it took was an office with phone, plus a van, but that was an early victim of the cuts.

[Old Greg]

Might be true. Probably some inbred king who felt that he could make a name for himself in the field of 'changing the colours of well known vegetables'.

Recently I've been seeing bright green cauliflower in the shops, so it's obviously a specialism of this country.

William of Orange commissioned De Beers to cut a 100 carat diamond, and there was a mix up in the purchase order. The rest is agricultural history.

[Mich the Tester]

I can get purple carrots. Yellow ones too if you want.

P.S. Some marketing type was trying to persuade me that the reason most carrots today are orange is that sometime long ago the Dutch promoted orange ones. National colour and all that. Was it BS or is there a grain of truth?

Might be true. Probably some inbred king who felt that he could make a name for himself in the field of 'changing the colours of well known vegetables'.

Recently I've been seeing bright green cauliflower in the shops, so it's obviously a specialism of this country.

[RichardCranium]

Some marketing type was trying to persuade me that the reason most carrots today are orange is that sometime long ago the Dutch promoted orange ones. National colour and all that. Was it BS or is there a grain of truth?

Completely true. Absolutely.

Wanna buy some tulips bulbs? Great investment for the future...

[Platypus]

one can only hope that they've taken the axe to their armies of superfluous penpushers beforehand.

I think not. My local council is still p1ssing money away with useless free newspapers and replacing perfectly good street signs with new signs.

So actually, what's needed is a group of parents who club together and form some club with their kids, perhaps aligned to the scouts or cadets, and thereby teach their kids about initiative, organisation and getting things done.

Good one Mich!!!!

I live in a "nice middle class area" and I assure you that almost no-one CBA to do that. When I served my time on PTAs, it was always the same parents at every event. Year after year.

However, at my rugby club here in Holland, although we charge a membership fee it can be waived for people who really can't afford it, in return for some volunteer work for the club

Work? Work?? Work???
Oh stop it, you're killing me!!

I only raise the point because I can't help think that there is some political motivation behind these cuts - make it hurt so it reflects badly on the Tories.

I think this is very likely true.


Call me a cynic but the "I can't be bothered" "Why should I" "Not my problem" attitudes are now so prevalent, I believe it's impossible to reverse.

I think that 'call me Dave' has the right idea with the 'Big Society' but he forgot to take into account the people of Britain.

[Sysman]

With purple carrots?

If I can find them in the shops. I could put a couple of interesting mushrooms in too.

I can get purple carrots. Yellow ones too if you want.

P.S. Some marketing type was trying to persuade me that the reason most carrots today are orange is that sometime long ago the Dutch promoted orange ones. National colour and all that. Was it BS or is there a grain of truth?

[Sysman]

They should stop letting anyone from Europe just come across the border and work.

That will sort out the deficits

Nope. Retaliation from the rest of the EU could make it difficult for large numbers of us to escape.