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Tuesday 30 October 2018

WYCOMBE 50 PLUS CLUB SUCCESS

WYCOMBE HOST 2018 REACT GAMES

For the first time Wycombe 50 Plus Club hosted the 2018 REACT - Recreational Games at Wycombe Sports Centre.
Teams from all over Southern England attended including Woking, Wellington,Petersfield, Reading, Alton, Fareham and Wycombe. Teams competed in Swimming, Racketball, Table Tennis,Badminton, Short Tennis and Short Mat Bows.
The day turned out to be very successful and superbly organised by Wycombe and with help from the Staff of Wycombe Sports Centre Staff. Many people said how wonderful the facilities were at the Sports Centre.
The Games were opened by Wycombe Wanderers Manager Gareth Ainsworth. He said how impressed he was by the turnout of so many 50 Plus Players and Supporters.
The Awards Ceremony proved to be a dramatic finale. The scores for the overall Champions Cup were Wycombe 72 points Wellington 72 points. Since Wellington had won more Gold Medals, they were crowned Champions and Wycombe as runners up. However, in the 50 Plus category, Wycombe won the Champions Cup. Wycombe were runners up in the 65 category.
Individual Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were won by Wycombe in Swimming, Table Tennis, Badminton, Short Tennis , Racketball and Short May Bowls.

Chair Maureen Dover said - “ Once again Wycombe have made the Town proud. I thank Stuart Lee, General Manager Wycombe Sports Centre and his Staff for their invaluable help.
They were amazing. “
Keith Brown, Team Manager said “ This is another wonderful result for the Team who competed so strongly. “
Organisers Dave Fowler and David Gibbons said “ Yes, it all went smoothly and without a hitch. Thanks to Gareth Ainsworth for such an inspiring Opening address. We would also like to thank Wycombe Sound for the support they gave us on air.”
Wycombe 50 Plus Club - Motto “Creating a Healthy Lifestyle “
have once again proved how important Exercise in Sports can help the over 50 generations to remain healthy and fit.
Their 500 Members agree entirely !










TRAVEL VACINATIONS RIP OFF

THE TRAVEL VACINATIONS RIP OFF

Years ago, when I travelled the World on business, I would go to my Doctor and get all kinds of vaccinations. The cost was...
Zero because it was done on the NHS.

How times have changed !
Now, my Doctor does not offer free vacinations.
My Doctor said recently...” You must go to a private Doctor such as Doctor Now or Boots the Chemist. So, I contacted them both.
I had quite a shock.

Here are some examples of their prices -

Yellow Fever................. £62
Rabies......................... £62
Cholera...................... £60
Tetanus, Polio, Pertussis £90

Now, since most of us travel as two people or a family of say 5, the cost is horrific.

Why is the cost so high ?

Monday 15 October 2018

THE HIERARCHY OF DEGREES

THE HIERARCHY OF UNIVERSITY DEGREES

Many people of Society In Britain Today, the Educational Establishment and Recruitment Agencies seem committed  to The Hierarchy of Degrees rather than Non Degree Candidates. The more I think about this the more I realise how utterly wrong these red lines are.
I have been,  in my career an Examiner for University Postgraduate Degrees, First Degrees and Professional Diplomas and I have Recruited hundreds of Candidates in my Business Career.

Now, let me start with the PhD Degree. This gives entry for many to get a Professorship in most Universities. To many, a holder of a PhD is better than someone with a BA Degree.
My view is that this is rubbish.
A person who has achieved a PhD is someone who had studied in depth, one tiny segment of a specialist Subject.
No more or less. This does not by any stretch of the imagination prove  that he or she is more qualified than someone who has a BA or BSc Degree or in fact, does not have any Degree at all.

The same stupid views apply to the grading of First Degrees.
Many employers ask for a BA First or Upper Second Degree.
The poor Candidates with a mere BA Lower Second Are left out in the cold.
Do Employers realise that there may be only 5-10% different in Marks between the two ? Or, the BA Second Class Candidate only had poor marks in one question ?

This reliance on Degrees and Degree Grades is so short sighted. What about
“ Emotional Intelligence ?”
In case you do not know what EI is all about, let me enlighten you. EI is about the attitudes, thinking, character and motivational skills of a candidate. These personal characteristics are just as important as qualifications based on Knowledge Based characteristics.

This means that a Candidate with no Degree might be a better Manager than one with a PhD, BA or BSc. We ought to remember this.
This is why I am a great supporter of the Apprentice Schemes.
There is too much snobbery about University Education nowadays.

The exceptions to the above views are ....Medicine, Accountancy, Engineering, Law.

So, be careful Recruiters when you draw up Job Descriptions. Keep an Open mind.
Do not draw red lines giving preference to the Degree Hierarchy !

Try and be fairer. The Hierarchy of Degrees can often prove to be a wrong assessment and the loss of Candidates of great promise.






EU UK STALEMATE

THE EU UK STALEMATE - ANY SOLUTION ?

Since the result of the Referendum was so close - 52%/48% - it is clear to me that there must be a compromise solution - which I accept will not please everyone.

Let me outline my compromise solution at this late stage....

Attitude of minds must change. The EU are our friends not our enemies. The EU hierarchy might be difficult people but they are sticking to their principles, first established in The Treaty of Rome 1957 - “ Free Movement of Goods, People and Capital.”

SOLUTIONS

1- The UK should agree to respect the rules of the EU when exporting goods into the EU. This is their Right to do. Theresa May called this “The Command Rules Book. “ I call this
“ Harmonisation of Trading Rules.”

2- However, the UK trade with the Rest of the World should be on mutual UK / World Rules and regulations and not on the basis of the Common Rule Book. The UK World Trade must not be fettered by the EU in any way.
This respects the rights of the EU and the UK.
Do not get bogged down with words.
As a result, there is no need for border checks within Ireland and the whole deal is a Free Trade Deal.
Everyone Wins.

3- Immigration - the compromise from the EU is this - Immigration or Free Movement into the UK will be subject to UK Immigration Policy, that is ....

Business Travellers - 3 months stay.
Holiday Makers - 3 months stay.
Workers - subject to the needs of the UK
Health Tourists - must pay in advance - just like UK citizens have to do if they are ill in Spain.

Result - Everyone wins.

Now. Let me repeat reality -

1- The Chequers Plan will not pass Parliament.

2- There must be compromise as I have listed above.

3- There must not be a No Deal solution. If there is, Theresa May should call a General Election for first week in December 2018.

4- This avoids the controversy about a “Peoples Vote .”
If the Conservatives Win, Theresa May will stay and win the argument with a majority in Parliament.
If she loses, then all bets are off and chaos will reign.


People who voted Remain deserve a compromise solution.
The People who voted Leave did not vote for chaos.

Remember this - We must remain friends and live in harmony with the EU and the people of Europe.
We are not divorcing the People of Europe.
We must be careful not to make them Enemies for decades to come.
Millions and Millions have died in the past due to European Wars. Never again. Be warned Politicians.

Conservative Party Beware - A split Party might not get re-elected. People are fed up with Brexit and though Labour have their own problems, people might well decide to “ Give them chance. “ Such is the changeability of the British Electorate.

UNITE FOR A REALISTIC COMPROMISE.

Or, Else........

Invite Donald Trump to negotiate on our behalf !

Sunday 14 October 2018

OVERSEAS AID AND THE CHARITIES APPEALS

THE GOVERNMENT OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT FUND

In 2016 the British Government spent £13.4 Billions on Overseas Development Fund which is 0.7% of GDP.
The more the U.K. Economy grows, the more we pay.

I am not against Overseas Aid. I believe large sums are subject to corruption and lots of the aid is misdirected. I have long ago suggestion that Overseas monies should be controlled by the UK Official Charities and should not be channelled via Governments in Africa, India and so on.

What annoys me is this -

Every day on TV we are bombarded with Appeals from the Charities...

“ Send £5 to provide water for children who have to drink contaminated water because they do not have clean water. “
Powerful stuff.
“ Send £3 per month to provide schooling for children in Africa. “
“ Send £5 per month to provide protective drugs “
“ Send £5 per month to provide clothing for people in Africa. “

I could go on and on. Now I am not against the private individual to respond to these sad requests BUT...

Where is all this U.K. Overseas Aid going if the priority is to help these poor people ?

Why do the Charities have to make these appeals to ordinary people ?

The answer from the Charities is likely to be that we need more. But the citizens are already contributing £13.4 Billions each year.
Which brings me back to my view that I think that the Government auditing of where and how our Aid is distributed is very bad indeed.

There should not be a need for the Charities to become Oliver Twists....” Can I have more Sir ?”

In the Third World there will never be “enough.”
It took Britain from 1066 - 1906 for our Poor to have their lives enhanced. Millions of our citizens died from disease, poor housing, poor food, poor medicine, poor clothing, poor schooling during this period.

My message to all Governments is simply this....
Better monitoring of aid, improved Accounting, cut our middle men, reroute aid via Charities and not foreign Governments, cut out waist.

Do you have any better ideas?






Thursday 4 October 2018

EU PENSIONS LIABILITIES

EU PENSIONS LIABILITIES

If ever you had any doubt about the cost and extravagance of the EU, here are some FACTS for you to consider -

The EU PENSIONS LIABILITIES at present is.....

72 Billions Euros. That is......
72, 000,000, 000,000 EUROS. Rising Sharply every year.
Every UK Citizen is paying towards this Pensions Budget.

The more successful the UK Economy, the more we have to pay towards the Pensions of the MEPs and The Eurocrats.

Is this worth it ?

Have you ever heard of the phrase ....
“ Let’s fill our boots Boys “ ?

Think about this and.....
The UK are offering the EU a Divorce settlement of ...

43, 000,000,000,000 Euros. That is right - 43 BILLIONS EUROS or £39 Billions.

The EU is fast becoming a cash consuming Monster heading in a few years for going “ Broke.”
There will be demands for bailout contributions. There will be upheaval.
Thank Goodness, the UK will be flourishing outside the EU.





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Wednesday 3 October 2018

CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE 2018

Brilliant speech by Theresa May

CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE 2018
“Best Speech ever by a British Prime Minister “

HER FINEST HOUR

“The Dancing Queen “ Theresa May delivers the best, most dynamic, realistic and inspirational speech EVER by a Conservative.
Yes, that is my view. It cannot get better than this.
After the speech, I searched for the Media and Opposition reactions. As usual, they were very critical of virtually everything the PM said. I supposed that if she had offered everyone in Britain a Gold Bar, her critics would have said
“ Why did she not offer one years before. “

Theresa May was simply brilliant. It put into the shade the marauding negative speech by Boris Johnson the day before. I wish he would get a hair cut !

Misunderstanding between the two opposing sides of the argument is this ...... A Common Rule Book with the EU over trade, is simply that - between the UK and the EU. It is not binding on the UK concerning trade with the Rest of the World. A small price to pay for a deal and no  " Crash Brexit. "

However, the EU have already refused The Chequers Plan.
In reality, if they had agreed, Parliament would have voted it down. So, Theresa has not chance of a solution.
I fear, that a no deal Brexit is now on the cards.
Do not blame, the PM. She and her Cabinet have tried so hard to reach an agreement with the EU. It was never going to happen.

So, get ready, say NO to a £39 Billions Divorce Payment. Pay up to March 2019. Remember to deduct what the UK have invested in EU joint owned PROPERTY in Brussels and Strasbourg. The UK share in LOANS to EU countries. In any Divorce, property assets must be included - ALL Joint Assets.
I feel we have been weak in debating these points.

Go to the WTO for future trade with the EU.
Get on with it.
We leave the EU lock stock and barrel !
" Brexit means Brexit."

Tariffs from the EU will be met by Tariffs from the UK.
In a few years, the EU will want a new deal with the U.K.

If No Deal is the outcome, the UK must not fear the outcome.

The Irish Border is a problem BUT, if the UK refuses to set up a physical border between Northern Ireland and EIRE, what will the EIRE Government do ? If they set up an EU physical border there will e riots and violence. in this case....Get out of the EU EIRE and join the “ British Isles Free Trade Zone.”
If the UK does not have Customs barriers up between EIRE and Northern Ireland, some people will say - " You are letting in an avalanche of EU goods by the back door. " Do not be silly. What about the cost of Freight Charges and Insurance to ship from the EU to Dublin and then to Northern Ireland and then to Liverpool or elsewhere in the UK ?

1- The UK Fiscal Policy is a strong “ Trump Card “ ( Yes, for Donald Trump as well as he had proved for the USA Economy ) same for the UK.
2- Exchange Rates are in our favour. The £ is already low against the Euro and the US Dollar.
3- We can reduce VAT, Corporation Tax, Income Tax and provide massive Inward Investment Incentives to Businesses, Regional incentives, Export Support Schemes, Reduced tax on Research and Development, Innovation Schemes, Apprentice Training Grants AND “ The World will be our Trading Oyster.”
The USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan ,Africa, South America are just some of the opportunities for Free Trade with the U.K.

WHOW! - What OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE UK.

Do you not think that the EU will not want to share in our Growth and Prosperity in the future ?
Of course they will. Or else, they will face Strikes, Civil Unrest, New Elections and Violence on the streets of European Capitals.
Post No Deal Brexit might lead to a temporary hitch in Economic Growth but this will not last long. Perhaps a good time to invest in the Stock Market, if the FTSE drops considerably. It always recovers !

During this period of readjustment, the EU Leaders will regret a No Deal Brexit. A new Compromise solution will be reached -
“ The UK agrees Free Movement but within the cap set and conditions set by the UK Government.”

Do not worry about the next election. The Conservatives will win with a working majority. The Government will be free of the stranglehold of the DUP.

By then Theresa will have had enough. Yes, go and enjoy life.You have done your duty and done us proud.

My tip for her successor is...... JACOB REES-MOGG .

Boris Johnson offered the post of UK Ambassador to the UNITED NATIONS.

RAYMOND WILLIAMS MA MPhil MBA DIPM

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Wednesday 3 October 2018