Ideology Trumps Common Sense

 The last week should tell you all you need to know about Socialism / Marxism. A government in deep trouble appear to think that you can tax your way out of some of the worst figures you've ever seen.  Huge debt, job vacancies plummeting and house prices falling with sales struggling.

The answer of course is to insult our intelligence, talk incoherent nonsense and tell us how kind you are by trashing their opponents whilst not telling us anything that they've achieved (because they haven't) in the past 14 months and taking a leaf out of Nero's playbook.  The way to combat illegal migration apparently is the well thought through policy of digital ID. Close to 3 million people have petitioned not to do it and their answer?  We are doing it anyway!  So by pushing this ID system it stops the boats?  Ihre Papiere, bitte! 

They throw insults at us, piss on our shoes and tell us it's raining and must be quite deluded because they think they are the good guys, they are doing the right thing.  If they all didn't have that nasty nasally thin squeaky issue affecting them so they can talk down to us as if we work for them I imagine is why they cannot actually smell the Coffee and observe what we see day in day out.

I go back to some of the worst managers I ever had and it was the same back then, so wrapped up in their self importance, they somehow actually thought they were doing the right thing and often said so and yet they had not a clue and stood surveying the total collapse of their part of the business and proclaimed that "it is good!" 

Not one of these people have any idea because they've never really had a job, never really had to speak to people.  Rules for thee but not for me every time.  They preach hate and think it is love  they are the very worst of us.

As I used to say and perhaps I need to start saying it more often "They are the very thing they accuse you of" for it is a mirror on their own thinking (I use that word lightly).  When you point the finger at someone there are always three fingers pointing back at you.  

You kind of hope that it all ends rapidly and we see what was described in Proverbs 16:18, which states, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall"

I Am Sure I Never Used To Be This Highly Strung

 I am quite anxious at the moment.  Dealing with irrational and unstable people used to be OK back in the day but this is another level.  A business matter is OK I guess but this is nasty, personal, ad-hominem attacks and relate to something he "thought" I said.  Rather than let that go it has metastasised into this full blown personal series of attacks and now a removal from the company as director.

Don't throw stones I was taught, keep it business (if it is business) and at least comprehend that there is no plan should he succeed, the company will go to the wall especially as he will not compensate for any work or expense undertaken.  Hence, it's personal.  Added to that he hides behind solicitor's letters.

We always referred to this sort of person as a coward. It's a slightly deranged, vendetta fuelled below the belt nonsense of the very worst kind.  He seeks to remove me which he can only do by now involving his friends, fellow shareholders for without their unanimous vote it cannot become reality.  Indeed if he garners their support in his head he will defeat me and then take my place.  Under the old regime that would indeed work yet he has not been involved for almost a year now so that his eye is blinded to the new structure which will fail his attempt at a coup d'état.  But I get to see the whites of their eyes and that's probably a good thing.

 But, I find it stressful, far more than I ever did in the past and I think because this guy whom I've known for a long time turned from a nice well mannered person to a rude vengeful person in a few days. It's concerning I wonder if he is ill? I am probably more worried about how he will take to losing the vote.  Ideally if just one of his friends having now read the accusations that he has made and then seeing his original letter that kicked all of this off abstains or votes against then he will lose his motion, without me worrying too much.   Here's the thing though, I out vote him and his friends and I am sure that he will kick off when he loses, that sort often do as they have no plan B and they fail to accept that their own actions have consequences.

Years back I used to ruthless in this sort of scenario and it was part of the job to skewer people who acted a bit like this.  They'd get to the end of a meeting to suddenly find that they'd been hoisted by their own petard.  Like in martial arts, you use their own strength against them and only afterwards would they realise that they left with less than they arrived with.

It troubles me that this chap is coming for me in the most vile and disgusting ad hominem way and has finally built himself up to his full height to face me in a meeting and his "empire" will crash and burn before him.  I don't think he has the mental ability to see his arguments lost and suffer defeat and I, feel sorry for him.  I don't like the idea of his inevitable defeat playing on his unhinged mind but as I said above, there are plenty of examples of this sort of behaviour, Hoist by your own petard (Hamlet), those who Live by the sword, die by the sword etc

I am trying not to be vengeful and I am finding it difficult given the awful things he has said about me and the off hand way he wishes to dispose of me from the business (no compensation, surrender of shares for no consideration etc).  So perhaps, just perhaps, I need to reflect on this that I am fighting my own internal emotional battle on his behalf, trying to forgive but it is my ego wants him to take a punishment beating for how evil he has been to me and that's not really the way, my way.  

The struggle is that he's a sad, vengeful, vindictive old man and I am about to deliver a crushing blow to his vexatious behaviour and I have tried to resolve this amicably but he wants "his day in court" well in a meeting where he topples and overthrows the King and picks up the reins himself.  He will probably be extremely upset at the end of the meeting and I care about that.  Maybe I do not need to.  I just need to look after myself and the business and forget about him and his strange behaviour.  It's like those neighbours disputes you see on the news where they've been feuding over how high their hedge is.  

It isn't worth worrying about of course, he's the one being an arse not me.  Whilst this is the last throw of his dice it probably wont be.  I am sure he will keep on sniping from the sidelines.  Good luck to him and to me, I just need to re-read this and re programme my head.

End Of The Month

 So the meeting has gone back to the end of the month.  In some ways that is OK, today I have the release candidate to test and so I hope, if all goes well, we can release it and start to actually turn some money over.  That will be really useful to cover off the bills and to know whether it is viable.  If it isn't, then that's another story of course.

The other matter is of course still ongoing and vexatious.  You can hardly believe how horrible people can be but then I had heard that he can be a bit nasty and now I can see what they mean. I'll be ready for him when he comes for me.

FFS, Of Course It Won't Be Easy

 One of those days - the meeting has gone back three weeks and so the agony is drawn out even more.  Oh well, I can stop concerning myself about it now and see how things transpire I suppose!

Whilst I dislike the stress this is causing me, I will at least have an interesting time when the time comes.  The coup de grâce will be interesting...  I need to have a little more faith in my abilities and not worry so much.  

Countdown

 Not the popular TV show, the countdown to the meeting this Friday to resolve this 1 year long nonsense.  Some people.  You have to try really hard to understand what planet they reside on and why they are completely illogical.  I did some more detailed research yesterday and found out some more intriguing information.  Some of that was procedural and some of it was things that had been bothering me and when you do dig deeper you see a bit more of what has actually happened here.

The interesting part of it all is that some of the language that has been used actually tells a story that what he claims and says is quite different to the reality of the situation.  The actions that were demanded cannot actually be enforced even if the vote were to go against me on Friday.  So what it confirmed to me is that the content was not written by the people who sent it.  My not responding to the last one was an interesting ploy and so here we are, a shareholder meeting and an attempt to oust me as the company's sole Director.  That should be interesting as at least I will find out and understand what I am dealing with.

The trick is to remember that it is a business meeting - he will treat it as a vent and personal vendetta.  I just need to minute his words and publish the minutes.  That could be interesting.  Always record everything and that's what I intend to do.  Always keep records of meetings and decisions so there can be no misunderstanding.  The production of such documents often helps to correct facts oftentimes badly remembered.

What surprises me is he knows my background, has worked with me on a number of documents and also has heard me explain why I do certain things in a certain way.  He is now challenging me on the very things he must realise I have available.  Oh well, there's none so blind as those who will not see as we used to say.

It's Like One Of Those Old B&W Silent Movies

 I thought we'd have a car crash with the current government and we'd just full speed drive into a wall or off a cliff, that sort of thing.  It actually feels like I'm watching a twisted macabre clown show, all psychedelic and almost unbelievable as it all starts to unfold.

Think of Buster Keaton in that famous scene when his car hits a bump in the road and all the bits fall off the car.  Laurel and Hardy too made a similar film scene.  But perhaps the best is the Laurel and Hardy where they and a protagonist destroy each others cars.  Each takes a turn to rip of a mud guard, smash a light until there is next to nothing left.

That's where we are right now.  The whole show is falling apart and there's no coherence to their policies, there's no combined strategy to deal with the threat posed by Reform who live rent free in everyone's head.  The various factions are all pulling in different directions, nothing is getting done because they do not know how to do it and then Mr. Charisma finds another idea whilst he's having his evening bath and shouts Eureka!  I have the answer.  He's done this a lot in 14 months and as there really aren't any adults around to stop him he declares that Digital ID shall stop the boats and solve everything.  

What planet do these supposed politicians inhabit?  Well I have no idea and this morning the Chancellor refuses to rule out VAT increases or perhaps changes might be the right way of saying it.  Already there is a reason that around January to April every year you cannot get tradespeople.  They know that if they earn over a certain amount tha they have to register and apply VAT.  It's not a level playing field at 20% on top.  I was faced with two quotes and one was around 75% less than the other totally due to the VAT and I spoke to the guy who was VAT registered and apologized that I liked his quote but... He knew straight away and that was a bit sad if you think about it.

I am reminded that this sort of thing has been going on all my life that they tinker with something and the laws of unintended consequences comes back to bite them.  Reviewing the latest stuff coming from the Office of National Statistics - not the headline stuff but the actual data, there's a lot more to be worried about.  The unemployment shows some losses but actually, when you dig deeper you find that state public sector job hires are the only thing that is propping this up and of course it's not real it's just spending more and standing still.  Underneath that in Hospitality (who must be taking a huge hit) and manufacturing likewise bashed about we ONLY lost 50,000 jobs last month!  It's a disaster and benefits etc are astronomical.  If a dummy like me can see it, why can't they?

Ideological theorists cannot understand why their Utopian dreams never come to fruition.  This is why.  I feel a mood in the country that isn't going to take all this nonsense much longer, fed up of being lied to all the time, watching the country go down the toilet telling us they have a black hole in their finances whilst spunking the money on weird stuff, stopping exploiting our own resources whilst happily paying more for them from abroad and with our cost of living going up at far more than the published 3.8% - I'd go 6 to 10% at least.  The price of gas has gone down but because they imposed a market cap everyone is paying far more.  Make it make sense?  It never will because all the departments are pulling in opposite directions.

Mention the Laffer curve and you get blank stares back.  There's not one of these people who has started and run a business, been in high office in a business or held a working tool or done a days work in the real world.  They instinctively know they are right when they are way off beam. 

Anyway, get the popcorn in and watch the bits falling off the car.  They see a shiny new car and we see a wreck.  One of us is wearing rose tinted glasses and It isn't me!  

When You Can Only Do

 As much as you can do and do your best.  Due diligence and research, scenario building and review, perhaps looking at "What is the worse thing that can happen?" 

This stuff is screwing me over and it is because I actually feel a little (not much admittedly) sympathy for this bloke.  It's wearing mightily thin but I have to continue to be professional and measured, level headed etc.  Thirty years ago the bloke would have got a bigger surprise as I took no prisoners when I was younger, it was my job and so many would try  but few succeeded in getting one over on me.

I recall that one of our ladies in the office heard me rip into someone and they said something along the lines of "I hope you don't kiss your children with those lips!"  you can probably understand why.

Now?  I don't want all this hassle and turmoil because some one who has thrown all their toys out of their pram decides that it is my fault and I should be the one who should be punished.  It's a pathetic waste of time, money and resources and wont get us any further along the road to resolving his problems whether they be in his head or elsewhere.  

But you can only do so much.  Thirty years ago Id have this resolved in 30 minutes, now, it will take a little longer as I need to prepare and cover many bases.  

Here We Go Again

 I find myself in "No, I  don't want to go [insert place here]" preferring to sit quietly here and attempt to get my head back together after another disturbed fitful sleep.

My mind, for what it is was, many years ago, was easily able to process such stuff but being an INTJ when I'm older is very different.  With all this nonsense going on with the company and shareholder meeting now arranged but requiring a lot of work to cover all eventualities.  I am not young anymore and so, what happens is a worry and doubt creep in and the self assuredness of my youth is no longer there.  I dealt with far far worse things than this, and to be honest, to lose would destroy the business under someone else's control and I could just walk away but the actual thing is, it's ready to launch, you can almost touch it.  My self assurance comes and goes in what, to me, is an illogical and not usual INTJ approach. 

I am meant to be out to see my friend get appointed to a very high position and I just don't want to go.  I don't want to leave the house much and I am aware that this is a problem that I've had for a number of years now.  So I need to apologise to him and I'll miss the meal I've paid for and all that.  There is no upside to this, it needs resolving and whether or not the current problem can be resolved will probably lighten or darken my overall demeanour.  

This time next week it will all be over for good or ill.  I am in a very strong position but when you are dealing with irrational, non linear, angry and non business like people, anything can happen.  Maybe that's what is gnawing away at me?  Who knows and it taking over my mind or more likely me just making excuses not to see the world is not helping in the slightest.  I had a few walks during the week and perhaps I need to take a few more?  I know that I need to do things but for now I also need to finance doing these (these are business things) and secure the business first and then I can secure myself.  If I can "steady the ship" then there's a secure base to work from.  

 

Worth Repeating I Believe

 The PM who appears to lie more each day now think immigration (illegal that is) can be stopped by making people have some for of 'Digital' ID.  

So here's what I want to repeat - the government and the civil service and all the other public servants are called servants for a reason..  They take our money and work for us and not the other way around and how many more times will it take to wake the public up and say that?  They work for you, not vice versa, they are "THE SERVANTS"!!!

It comes to something where the most outlandish things pass for policy, stuff not in any manifesto and how can someone so utterly despised think that this will increase his popularity.  Honestly, on the street, the man is hated second only to the Chancellor.  

After wasting our money on pointless virtue signalling rather than tackling the utter mess they and their predecessors have made they double down and it is now bordering on theft.  A few billion here and a few billion there just flushed down the toilet all the time.

Here's the thing, they don't even care about it, the way out of this crisis is to spend more, borrow more and spend it on wasted proejcts.

They also think that if you write it down or announce it (generally in isolation of other things that clash with it) that it will magically happen.  I wrote a not that I'd be a millionaire by now and do you think I am?  

Utterly pathetic and hopeless and I'm giving them a big up there using those words!

That Was A Rough Night

Old enough to know that if you have 4 double espressos before 9:30 you probably will have a brain with the synapses firing off.  So three hours after I went to bed I finally went to sleep.  Of course, I was thinking about this damn man who is trying to oust me from the company.

By this morning the notices should have arrived and my take down should arrive today or tomorrow too as planned.

Scenario strategies didn't help but there we are, that's what happens.  You should always, always prepare well for these sorts of meetings and have plans for any gotcha moments.  I have a few of my own but whether or not these are necessary only time will tell.

I do not feel sleepy at the moment but imagine I'll drift off for a short while during the day.

AI - Good To Have It At The Moment

 I use AI quite a bit and it is great to test out your ideas.  This meeting coming up for example, the Agenda, the letters themselves the statements and the procedures required and so once I'd got all that done I thought, let's try and see if there are any "gotcha" moments that could arise indeed there are a few.  four in fact but I'd already worked out two of them but it was good to just see what I may have missed.

There's a lot to think about and do and so the next step is for me to now put together the Agenda and a script plus any "points of order" and then produce something for the fil and then run it through AI once again.

It is interesting that a few points of procedure that appeared to be the easiest bits aren't entirely that easy so - we can have fun I'd suggest in trying a few permutations.  

Where Has This Drop In Brain Power Come From?

 The more I see of this current nonsensical situation I find myself wasting my time, stressing and frankly losing sleep about the more I wonder what on earth has happened to people's common sense? Where the hell did it all go and why are stupid people overpopulating the world?

Maybe it's me but this bloke has some perceived grievance and instead of saying so, talking it out, having it out with me etc., he just spends his time firing off sniping messages via his solicitor and when I offer mediation or arbitration he just doubles down.  That's no way to run a Ballroom ( The line originates from a comedy routine by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, known as Derek & Clive.)

So now, here we are more expense, more fannying around to fight this attack which he hasn't really got a chance of winning and it's just pointless and so not worth it but I have to do this by regulation so I have to go through all of the motions and all of the expense (or rather the business does) to circumnavigate this (Acme) road block.  Think of me as the Roadrunner and not the Coyote in this scenario.

But it isn't just him is it?  I think it can be attributed to so many people who do not seem to "get it"  I, as you know, only watch a few things on TV, Only Connect and University Challenge (forgiving them their occasional Climate Change bolloxs of course).  I watch any decent sport that's on there F1 and Rugby and Cricket mainly - the rest I don't watch because of this craziness we now have to suffer.

Examples:

Leading News Story: "The chancellor might...." that's not news that conjecture

"According to scientist"  Oh FFS what crazy prediction made by computer are they coming up with next?  Excel, the solution to and major problem of the scientific world.

Electric cars are selling to Net Zero targets?  The hell they are, just go and look how many brand new (registered as far back as early 2024) are being sold as second hand with 10 miles on the clock.

The there is the "Expert" brought on to the newscast.  Look who that "expert" actually is.  99 times out of 100 it is someone from a pressure group whose point of view is not balanced.  We see this with all sorts of subjects - as you know I think the climate and environmental lobbies are no such thing, they are not doing the job they purport to.  Look beneath the surface look on the charity or companies house sites and you will see what these people really are, it's an illusion.  The charities are eye watering, look at the CEO salaries for starters and the cost of the board then the staffing costs and the expenses and then look at how much actually gets dispersed - you should be shocked.

 I find this constant blitz of word wars tiresome.  Where have all the Statesmen gone?  20 years ago I'd watch political shows (Robin Day) not everyone's cup of tea but the programme.  You would have some senior politicians of many persuasions argue their case and they'd be respectful, factual (yes I know they are politicians) and whilst they may have wanted to interrupt and make a point (as long as it was valid) there would be disagreement but you never heard the sort of stuff you hear from well everyone these days bandying around insults that they don't actually understand the meaning of, not to make a point but to stop a point being made.  "Far Right!" "Far Left!" "Bigot" "Racist" "Denier" what this does seems to boil down to people who do not have the mental capacity to understand what this actually is.  Your opinion doesn't matter, I for one have been called a denier and a stupid remainer and this by people who describe themselves as the "Be kind" Guardian reading class who, in my humble opinion should now better and act better too.  

I can best sum this up by one of notes above my desk years ago "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail," attributed to psychologist Abraham Maslow.  For this is the problem I face more often than not these days.  Why people who have a problem exercise extremes of view and action rather than taking a short breath and discussing the problem I don't know.  I have no idea how much this man's subsequent actions has cost him but given the level of anger and vitriol, the legal letters and so on, he must have racked up a grand I'd say.  I surely hope it was worth it as a 5 minute phone call and a met up over coffee would probably have been more productive and a lot cheaper.

That's the modern way I suppose?

Morning Calm

 Having now sent out the forms and resolutions before me.  The chap wants regime change and to kick me out of the business to be replaced by him, this morning finds me a little calmer than I thought I would be.  I suppose because I have sent out everything, made my case and if the truth be known, I'm now kind of glad and let's see what happens.

I also think that the work I have done to argue my response should actually make people wonder what is this all about and as long as they are rational human beings, they will see that something is very very wrong, but that's probably giving people too much benefit of the doubt.

The room is booked and paid for, I only need to work on the Agenda and how the maths work in a case like this.  There you have it.  SO feeling a lot better today and calmer which is good as I have been highly stressed and anxious.

Here is the thing though, I don't really need to be stressed as I actually know what the outcome will be and I just have to be professional for 10 minutes whilst the proceedings happen.  If there's a "gotcha" then that is fine too as nobody wins and I get to demand 9 years effort and watch whilst they squirm to unpick the businesses complexities and work out what they actually need to do to pick up the governance.  

Replacing me with someone who hasn't a real clue (which suggests hidden hands behind the throne) could be joyous to watch especially when they have to get the statutory elements sorted.  If I am dismissed I don't think I owe them anything at all until I get compensated and that, in itself should be most interesting.  

Another Walk Up The Lane

To a different postbox so that I can post the second set of documents to the shareholders.  I posted the notice this morning, they'll get that tomorrow and then the post this afternoon wont go until first thing tomorrow so on Friday my counter arguments will be delivered.

It's been a full on two days but now, once this has gone we have to wait until the meeting to have a vote on ousting me as a director of the business.  What jolly fun this has all been and whether or not it is successful relies on what trap has been set.  I imagine his allies when they actually see my response will need to give their heads a tweak when they see the shenanigans that have gone on (if they are not actually part of the plot of course).  Even those who are will wonder what the hell has transpired and let's see if they are moved by my plight?

Either way, it's been an unpleasant few days and in fact almost a year now and who could have guessed it would lead here?  Well me actually which is why I'd background planned for the event and whether or not I am right time will tell.

All I know is that I am stressed out, annoyed, upset and have a serious headache.  I can do no more other than having to Chair the meeting next week and see what the results might be.

Ouch My Head

 No, not drinking, just working really hard to sort this nonsense out.  Why do people do stupid things?  The trouble is it drains me and I don't go into battle like I used to 20 years ago.  This stuff shakes me up and I suppose it shouldn't.

But what a headache I've got, so much stuff I've had to do once again for no apparent reason.

Whatever Next

 A was watching the rugby when a letter arrived and blow me down if it isn't this bloke,once again, demanding all sorts of nonsense but it caught me at the wrong time and upset me more than I thought it should, it is, after all, only business.  I think that's what they said in the Godfather anyway.  

Accompanied by the usual threats if I don't do this or that I've kind of had enough of it and it really did make me shake and I still am the day after though not as badly as yesterday.  It spoiled the afternoon and the evening and night as I stupidly tried to wash it away with beer even though I know that's not the answer or the solution to it all.  I decided to sleep downstairs so as not to disturb P.  Fitful night and once again, this bloke, what on earth is he thinking he is doing?  I imagine it would actually be harassment the way it is panning out.  If the business gets enough money together then I will get something done about it.  For now, it is ugly, annoying and very upsetting.

I think he is being manipulated or he is ill, one of the two.  The trouble is, its silly, the business is worth nothing at all, not a penny has come in in revenue and there he is being the big corporate bully.

So this morning I've grabbed a coffee and sat out in the sunshine and drawn some deep breaths.  I will just take it easy today and then tackle this latest diatribe tomorrow.  I already know what I have to do, you've guessed it, I had a plan in case this happened and so now to execute that and see what comes next.  I really don't need all this nonsense in my life I am meant to be retired and this is something defaulted to me.  I have to do the right thing but he is free to throw metaphorical rocks at me being the one that caused most of the problems in the first place.

Really? A False Hope, Surely?

 A new massive deal between the US and UK and I cannot help feeling that our government haven't got a clue what it means.

AI Data Centres are massive.  Thinking back to when we used to install midi and main frame computers and server farms the power consumption to run hundreds of thousands of processors and servers is enormous and then you need the air conditioning to keep these things cool.  Top that up with UPS sets and generators and as you might imagine these are significant undertakings and so the headline figure for buying and operating these is in the hundreds of billions.

It's great news of course but, and there is always a but, with the highest electricity prices in the world and a lack of infrastructure let alone the right sort of electricity how on earth is this going to succeed?  These centres take the sort of power a town takes to run and they cannot have any intermittency at all so solar - on when the sun shines and windmills on when the wind blows just aren't going to cut it and the supply whilst it could be run through UPS sets needs proper generation back up.  Not only that, you've got to get the power to where these centres are.

Why build something here that will be 4 times more expensive than building it where they could do?  Subsidies maybe?  

The abyss we are rapidly entering and sinking into is, in some ways caused by the total lack of cheap affordable and reliable energy.  It takes far too long to build the nuclear stations because we no longer just go and build them, there's far too much hesitation and regulation.  The lead times on some of the equipment is also lagging way behind.  We are talking 5 or more years for generation equipment and of course, we no longer manufacture that stuff here in the UK.  Give you a guess where you'd get some though but you'll still have to wait! 

Anyway, having been involved in these areas I'd be very surprised if these appear as they cannot be commercially viable at the moment.  Maybe if there is a change in policy and a proper understanding of future needs we might start to get somewhere but no one seems to be aware of the problems we have.  I imagine that some numbskull minister will proclaim that it all going to work on wind and solar but I'd imagine that unicorn farts are his best bet!

Trades Description

 So, inflation is 3.8%, food inflation 5.1% and our bills for fuel have almost doubled in 5 years.  You notice it too.  Add to that the thieving scheming government of the day are robbing the populace and in return for these taxes, the service we get has almost collapsed.  We've got councillors arguing about greenhouse gases rather than doing their job and looking after the people who elected them and asked them to do the stuff we expect of them.  It is outright theft and non delivery of even the basics that we now pay so much for.

45% of our GDP is public sector spending (I include myself here as a pensioner).  In 20 years the NHS has increased by 90% but probably delivers 90% less.  My old mantra about working life "I always thought management were a punishment from God.  A little later on I was horrified to find that they were actually there to help you!"

There was our local county council yesterday and a protest about them stopping the "investment" in green energy, zero emissions and blah blah bloody blah.  The BBC (of course) had the temerity to cover this and they bigged it up and when we saw the protesters outside County Hall you could count them with both hands and with your shoes and socks off.  And then they were squabbling like kids in a playground.  As I am loathed to say to quite a few people "Grow the f**k up!"  The general level of ignorance is abysmal and then they lecture you about CO2 as if they actually know what they are talking about.  They are seriously deluded and I actually think that they are mentally ill and lack the basic ability to do. like I did, go and read up "The Science" that they use as some form of argument.  "It's the Science don't you know" roll it up tight and shove it up your arse you waste of Oxygen! 

These people wanted to add something close to £15M to our bills so they could virtue signal to the world (I guess) how green we are.  It doesn't make the minutest difference at all.  It just wastes money and requires subsidies to make it work so it costs far more than you save.  It isn't commercially viable and being a narcissistic useful idiot wont actually do anything to achieve what you alone and not the vast majority see as a problem.

Wasting our money on stuff that doesn't do what it says it does, wasting our money on schemes that don't work apart from making rich people richer and paying China for the privilege and all of this complete and utter bollocks isn't doing anything except ruining our country and ruining its people, you know the people who actually have to pay for it rather than the, what is it now, 10 million who are on benefits of some kind or another. It's f**cking crazy.  No wonder people are angry.

You are forced to pay for services and for stuff that isn't delivered in any meaningful way, you then f**k up so badly that our economic outlook is horrendous and tail spinning in to recession, you charge more, we have no choice but to cough up and then you p1ss on our shoes and tell us it's raining.

The state of central and local government is woeful.  When you try and do something about it the hair shirted useful idiots make a bloody nuisance of themselves and chant for things that would send them back to the caves if they were to be accepted.  Stop oil they chant wearing tabbards made from oil!  In clothes and shoes made from oil!  Drinking their Soy Lattes from plastic thermal cups made from oil.  

So yes, where did I start.  Trades Description - protecting for the consumer.  If I buy an Appliance that doesn't do what it says it will do, then I can get my money back and there are consumer guarantees to protect me and my fellow citizens.  If you applied that to our cr@p politicians and councillors you'd get all of your money back all of the time as they cannot run a p1ss up in a brewery and are as useful as the proverbial chocolate teapot!  

And breathe Rant Over LOL....

How's Your Head?

 My head is whirring at the moment and computing away like no one's business.  It does that a lot, it's part of me and I am used to it but it can be both a blessing and a curse.

At present my mind is computing any possibility that the guy who abandoned the business and cut off all channels to talk to him and completely withdrew with a series of threats to add good measure might reappear now that things are about to go live.  It's been a year or a half a year if you consider his legal (not legal) letter.  So hold on, you've done what he wanted, demonstrated that is what he said and that is surely that?  Well, I'd like to think so but I am certain that he needs one more throw of the dice.  If you've ever been at a venue where a drunk rightly gets thrown out you can almost bet that he will come back for a second rant as the anger in him rises.  If I see such behaviour I normally find another exit and go, it's not worth being in the firing line if he does come back.  Walk in the opposite direction even if it takes you away from your desired destination.  Spider senses take over and survival trumps leaving a half drunk beer.

So what am I worried about?  Well it's because people are likely to become irrational when they get all angry and resentful and so when I received the legal (not legal) letter I was pretty horrified that it had escalated on his side to be my fault.  It was pretty much a fabrication and a complete distortion of the truth of the matter and was written in such a way as I knew it was not his idea or him behind it.  Some worm-tongue had constructed a vile attack piece on me and it had the desired effect that these letters do and I was pretty upset about the contents.  I dislike being called a liar, or having my professional reputation called into disrepute.

Of course, when you delve deeper and then see the gaping holes in the argument the hypocrisy and double speak plus the inaccuracies it appears, as it was some desperate attempt to make me do something irrational in response.  Luckily having dealt with sh1t like this for years and years and once I calmed down a bit, I was able to respond with a few facts backed up with documentation and whilst I have had a toned down reply I have not felt it worthy of a response, it is beneath contempt and not worthy of me spending time engaging in something that is, as far as I am concerned done and dusted, over, closed and in full compliance with his wishes.

So why now are the grey cells skipping, jumping and firing off?  I think that as the time nears for the business to commence trading, the chances will be that the red mist will once again take over and the little green genie of jealousy will attempt some other action.  So I am computing all of the stuff once again that I have already done and testing my own biases (because we all have them) and making sure I know where I am just in case.

If you know me, you'll recognize this behaviour and some have warned me about it and forced me to stop albeit that was due to me reflecting on the past and frankly beating myself up about stuff that had already happened, that could not be changed and was in the past and no matter what, that cannot affect the now at all.  So I don't do that anymore but occasionally the past haunts me but only for a short while until I put it back in check.  

I may be worrying about nothing but it is always as well to be prepared.  I fully expect the kickback but the argument was lost a year ago and the only issue now is whether we get the drunk bully coming at me or something equally squalid, vile, hateful and wanting to harm me.   

A Bit Of A Relief

 Well, it has taken 8 years but we actually have an approved App to release to the world.  We aren't going to release it just yet as we want to do more testing ourselves and make sure that it is cosmetically what it should be and as tidy as possible.

It is 11 months since the ugliness of my coworker throwing his toys out of the pram and it would be poetic if I were to release it on the very day but symbolic gesture aside, it would only satisfy my inner ego and he'd not know or I imagine care about that.

So here we are and at last something to throw out there and for the world to make a judgement on as to whether to download it in the first place and buy it in the second.  I don't feel anything at all about it.  No huge joy or cheering or anything else.  I have so many false starts with this including all the marketing which looks particularly stupid as it was leading up to last Christmas and the Christmas before that and the one before that.  So I'm neutral and it will be what it will be.

It's only half of the story though as we commissioned two versions (Apple and Android) and only the Apple is ready.  I very much doubt that the Android will be anytime soon, this time last year when it should have been delivered the developer slipped it 9 months a week before delivery after having been paid extra to get it completed.  Time will tell whether that ever comes about.

For now, we are a little closer to the goal of getting it out there into the wild.  It does need to pay for itself and reasonably rapidly, or of course, it can just fall on its arse and that will be an end to it.