Skinnyman

I saw him in 1978 at Knebworth Festival (Genesis headlined) although i doubt he remembers me. I'm fairly sure I was wearing flares, not loons.

Given the number of rip-off merchants out there, I like to ask a couple of questions just to see if the seller really has the item for sale and that they know basic facts about it. But that's a world away from some of the idiot examples quoted here....

Greetings! Welcome to the forum 😁

"Performing every night on stage with a cast of 1,200". I wonder how many of the 1,200 others are performing for free? Oh, hang on.... They say that the tattoo is the preserve of military personel. My guess is that the military bods who perform just get their normal service wages, plus board and lodging - so the REMT are used to having performers who, as far as they're concerned, do it for "free". They're applying that same principal to this band, conveniently forgetting that anyone who signs up is not actually a paid employee of the Queen.

Welcome!

I think Archimedes may claim trademark on the screw.... 🤫

I'm so sorry to hear this. 6 weeks or 6 months - it's still not long enough to say goodbye. Thanks for sharing this at what must be a difficult and emotional time. That's a fine looking bass and it will be forever special - play it with pride 'cos the old man will be listening and tapping his feet.

And, as you say, Amazon are only taking advantage of the rules. They're not the only employers who follow these behaviours - the agencies who provide workers in the agriculture and food prep sectors are even worse - and it's all perfectly legal. Even worse, it's not just a Tory thing - Big Tony and Little Gordon played along too.

'Ere, I wanna terr yew a stowry..... My grandma's favourite.

Which is put under even more pressure when real people start to be replaced by robot pickers, software algorithms, delivery drones and the like. Robots don't pay tax so the more that jobs are de-skilled or even replaced altogether, the less income the government has.

Always happy to help 😁

They can - but it would cost more than they’d get back. You need the economies of scale for it to work. If a company (A) is in a high tax area (the UK, say), the basic trick is to set up a parent (B) in a low-tax area (Dublin, Luxembourg?) and cross-charge A lots of fees for Head Office services such as HR or PR or whatever. You make all of A’s departments cost centres with all the revenue going to the Parent entity. You can also have B load up A with a pile of debt that has to be serviced with interest charges. All these “costs” reduce the profits of the subsidiary so they pay less tax at the high rate while B makes more profit on which they pay tax at a much, much lower rate. There’s lots of other stunts and many variations on this theme but, as I understand it from someone who set up a Cayman Islands/Dublin/London-based structure to minimise corporation tax, that’s the general approach....

I have no problem with Amazon setting up their corporate structure in such a way that they can have their different corporate entities lend each other money and thus move their profits to the most advantageous (to them) tax jurisdiction. Them’s the rules and if they’re not breaking the law then we should lobby to change the law rather than single out the Companies who use it to their advantage. My gripe is with their employment practice. They’re not the only or worst offenders but that doesn’t mean they’re a decent company to work for. I recommend reading “Hired: 6 months working undercover in low-wage Britain” by James Bloodworth for a compelling and accurate insight into the various strategies that such companies use. I don’t subscribe to his political views but I can attest to a lot of what he says from close personal experience.

Er...... There on the stair. Where on the stair? Right there! A little mouse with clogs on. WTF? (Must stop eating those brownies......)

And yet he speaks so highly of you. We were chatting in bed the other morning and he said "Fwar, fwar, er, that Teebs, fine chap, Victor Ludorum, semper wotsit, no a little higher, yes, Teebs, sound fellah, fwar, fwar" Honest, not a word of a lie....

Now then, Young Teebs. No politics, remember.... Tsk, tsk.

"Fwar, fwar. All right, Teebs, mate. You can let me down now......Hey, Ricky, I can see your house from here, fwar, fwar."

That makes much more sense.....thank you!

The Flashing Blade, Belle and Sebastian.....

Ooh, Young Teebs won't care for that. Unless, of course, you consider Manchester to be just the top bit of the Midlands and the North to start properly somewhere around Newcastle, ha-way the lads, like, why-aye pet, hinny-man, na-thin....?

Alas, i fear I'll be grazing my nuckles on the inside of my coffin lid by the time the post becomes vacant. Plus, I suspect that in these more enlightened times the Powers That Be would prefer to appoint someone more relevant to today's society than an ageing reprobate like myself. My guess is that it will be that Diseased Rascal chappy (I may have misheard his name but you'll know the one i mean. Stocky cove, fond of hats, appropriately enough....)

I let these little fellas do the talking for me....

Didn't Dr Seuss write a book about all this ...and then something went BUMP! how that bump made us jump! we looked! then we saw him step in on the mat! we looked! and we saw him! the prat in the hat! and he said to us, 'why do you sit there like that?' 'i know it is wet and the sun is not sunny. but we can have lots of good fun that is funny!' "Just look at my bass It's a Fender you know, And tell me it's ace And not just for show If I play you a song You can all sing along But cover your ears When i get it all wrong" And there on the mat With his ludicrous hat There stood the prat The prat in the hat With a smile on his face As he played on his bass The children all applauded the prat And threw coins in his hat Where it lay on the mat And they shouted and shouted And all sang along Till the prat in the hat had ended the song "You should be on telly, On one of the Beebs, Oh please play some more, On your bass, Mr Teebs" But the prat was tired His hat was too tight So the prat in the hat Bade the children good night. And off he went with a swish of his hat That marvellous hat On the head of a prat.

No. What he needs is a bag...... 😁

Gets my vote then! Come on, vote Sombrero!!