(no subject)

[hellison]

Technically, just now, NI has no real government. We have a pretend assembly who sit around Not Talking to each other and fighting. So for day to day stuff, it's the councils running stuff really.

We're about to get a BIG rates hike - probably about 30%, possibly more. And we're going to get water charges, based on house value *not* what you might actually use. So, I wonder, what is my council doing to earn all of this new extra monies?

Arguing over how many days a year they can fly the Union flag
Money well spent, I think you'll agree. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go *headdesk* for a bit.


Right, now on to matters of actual importance. tiquetoque DO YOU HAVE BBC? Tents and campfires and songs and people are All Very Well, but DR WHO is on. I hope you have made arrangements for this.

Comments

[jin-shei.livejournal.com]

But there are six of the idiot children in one house and there are couples like us with only one child!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_unhurt_/]

huh. but then, i have known people with vile parents who are themselves nice (if somewhat fucked up over the foul parent issue). the children may, with luck, turn out ok.

[jin-shei.livejournal.com]

There is faint hope of that in this case : /

Woe. Bring in parental licencing. This is more important than driving a car, damn it!

possibly taking your possibly flip comment too seriously! go me!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_unhurt_/]

but doesn't that kind of thing lead to the government having the power to decide in advance of a person becoming a parent who is likely to be a good one? this might seem an obvious judgement re: say heroin addicts, but what about people in recovery? people with unspent criminal convictions? people with unusual or (very) minority religious or political beliefs? people with a mental illness? people with learning disabilities? people judged to be too poor to provide for a child? people who fail some notional parenting test because they have ideas on child rearing that conflict with the (current) best advice (advice that changes every ten years)? i see slipperly slopes and big brotherdom there. (also, the right would probably want assurances that parenting licences not be issued to The Evil Gays. and if/when they're back in power we'd be in a world of crap.)

i would rather see social services properly funded (e.g. paying wages commensurate with the importance of tasks like child protection) and a properly interconnected network (so that kids can't fall through the gaps) to better help the children who do have awful families. i'd be totally opposed to any legislation that even smelt like it was designed to control who can and can't reproduce.

Re: possibly taking your possibly flip comment too seriously! go me!

[jin-shei.livejournal.com]

Hehe I hit a sore point? I agree but must insist that if I got to decide it would obviously be fair and impartial.