[Sussex] Microsoft fails to comply

[Richie Jarvis]

Geoffrey J Teale wrote:

>Richie Jarvis <richie at helkit.com> writes:
>
>  
>
>>Well, it can't be any worse than the government at the moment who
>>believe that everything and everybody should be controlled - I believe
>>it is called the Nanny state - is that really what you subscribe to Mr
>>Teale?  In other words, at the extremes of what you seem to believe,
>>you will have to run Microsoft software, as that is what the state
>>prescribes.....
>>    
>>
>
>Funny, 'cause because the de-regulated free market didn't force us all
>into that situation during the 90's at all did it?  Oh yeah, that's
>right that _is_ what happened.
>  
>

>Not at all..  I simply don't think that de-regulating business at the
>same time as putting everything important in the private sector isn't
>a good way to go.  The more you privatise the more you need to
>regulate.  Profit may be a good motive for most things, but as you'll
>observe:
>
>- Privatised public transport won't help you at jot if you live in a
>   small town.  If you're not profitable you can't get a ride.
>
>- Private health providers aren't really interested in providing
>  non-profitable treatment.  Even the attempts to run the NHS like a
>  business just end up in certain services being run down at the
>  expense of specialist services that can be sold on (profitably) to
>  other trusts and private work.
>
>... those are two examples of what regulation is required for.
>Business without regulation is more profitable, sure.  Microsoft would
>love the EU to be regulation free.   
>
>  
>
Well, you are right - but the alternative of a government owned system 
is worse - because then nobody gives shit about what they do, because 
the government pays peanuts, and gets monkeys.  At least a private 
business can pay its employees a decent wage to motivate them.  A system 
of proper regulation helps, but the regulation at the moment has no 
teeth (I think we agree on that?)

>>At the end of the day, alot of the money that the government gets each
>>day is wasted on petty bureaucracy.  
>>    
>>
>
>Sure, sure.  Cause all we need is more policemen on the street and to
>clean the hospitals up - sure, it's _that_ easy.  Keeping hospitals
>clean _must_ be easy - I mean all they've got is hundreds of people
>riddled with infection and germs spewing bodily fluids left right and center.
>  
>
The NHS is crumbling under its own weight.  Not that the alternative is 
any better.  Private health care is something that cannot be sustained - 
Insurance is a con, and the poor cannot afford it.

>...or maybe you just think that because all the right wing newspapers
>have been harping on about it for the last 30 years (and by
>coincidence they are all owned by very wealthy men who would make even
>more money if there was less regulation surrounding the media and less
>tax) and two of the three main political parties are currently playing
>"lets out bid each other in agreeing with the gutter press in order to
>get the popular vote".  
>  
>
Bollocks to the newspapers - they are a disease that should be stamped 
out - part of the reason that things are getting as bad as they are is 
the newspapers sensationalising the things that are going wrong, and 
don't report whats going right.

>  
>
>>Take car tax for example - it is
>>not only a way to overtax the populace, but also a way to keep alot of
>>government jobs.  A simpler and more efficient way is surely to put
>>the tax on fuel, and it becomes fairer, but no - that doesn't happen.
>>    
>>
>
>I actually sort of agree with that.  It might work but it's political
>suicide, because then the truck drivers will be up in arms and all the
>businesses that rely on that method of delivery will end up with
>higher costs that in turn will result in you paying more for your
>tomatoes, and yes, you guessed it lower profits for Rupert Murdoch and
>whadda you know the gutter press would go for the governments throat.  
>
>Almost any problem you can mention doesn't have a simple solution that
>will be universally popular.  The only way to be popular in power is
>to do nothing at all.
>
>Moreover your car tax also covers the overhead of disposing of your vehicle at the
>end of it's life (theoretically)  - the cost of which doesn't change
>no matter how far your drive each year.
>  
>
True - and that is most of the problem with our politicans today - in 
fact, that is the underlying problem behind democracy in general - if 
you have a fixed term of office, then the people who try and achieve 
power are only interested in short term goals.  The things we should all 
be concerned about (planet death, etc) are long term things that 
politicians couldn't give a shit about.  Mind you, its always human 
nature to put it off until another day.

>
>  
>
>>Well, personally, I believe that the tax bands should rise in line
>>with inflation - i.e. the 40% bracket should rise with inflation.
>>    
>>
>
>Sure, but shouldn't there be more tax bands?  Shouldn't we go back to
>taxing businesses properly (the real reason why we feel the pinch more
>these days - business doesn't like being taxed)?
>  
>
Yes - thats one way to do it.  Taxing the disgustingly rich at more than 
40% is not going to make that much difference - taxing the ordinary man 
at 40% hurts.  Hell, I don't even care if I have to pay more income tax, 
as long as they abolish all the other taxes such as VAT, tax on petrol, 
cigarettes, booze, houses, living, etc - collecting it all by one method 
seems alot more efficient and sensible to me.

>
>  
>
>>Well, with any luck, they will be preparing to rid our poor country of
>>the disease that is labour.
>>    
>>
>
>Jeez - you think Labour and the Tories are different?  The Labour
>party only got into power by basically becoming the Tory party - what
>do you think will be solved choosing the a subtle variation on the
>same thing?
>
>  
>
The problem with the current incarnation of the labour party is not it's 
apparent desire to become tory, but the disturbing invasion of personal 
liberty.  Did you know you are now not allowed to make any changes to 
your own electrical wiring in your own home without recourse to our 
beloved government?  And yes, I know they are not that far apart any 
more, I just hope (and pray) that the tories won't be quite so 
authoritarian as blair, blunkett and that rabble - they are the real 
danger, purely because of the road they have started us down - the road 
where we won't be able to do what we want.

Hey, I shall be totally honest - I always lean towards the conservative 
moral, and have sympathies with the liberals - labour gives me the 
squealing whinnys!  However, all I can see at the moment is that our 
political system is on the verge of merging into a large gooey mess, 
where no one can distinguish between the parties, and it scares me to 
think what life will be like if it continues like that.

What to do? I dunno, communism is a failure (mainly because it tries to 
overrule human nature), and democracy seems to be going the same way.  
Monarchy worked for a while, but can't anymore because the serfs have 
arisen.  What other alternative is there?  We have a zombie in the white 
house, and a puppet in No 10 who is more interested in kissing arse than 
running the country.  At least if the tories get in, then it might 
change - whether for the better or not, who can say?

Richie