Child benefit, adventures in narrowband and an invitation
Captains Blog • Published 8 Oct 2010 09:33
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The government seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest with their announcement over child benefit.
One of the surprising things is that they chose to release the news on the BBC - a much-hated target of the Conservatives - and not Sky News.
The other surprising thing is that they don't appear to have done their sums if they're trying to be fair about the issue.
Parents who are both in employment can still receive the benefit while families with a single earner bringing in more than £44,000 will have it cut.
As has been pointed out, that means if mum and dad each earn £30,000, a total of £60,000 (and I've taken my shoes and socks off to add this up, arithmetic not being my strong point) then they will continue to receive the payment.
Yet George Osborne insists it's fair.
Doesn't make sense to me, It certainly doesn't sound as if the Con-Dems - or Lib-Cons if you prefer - have properly thought it through.
And it doesn't bode well for the big round of cuts later this month.
I am delighted to see on my talking televisual box that BT are rolling out super duper new ultra high speed broadband speeds.
I'm so glad that people in the cities can receive this service so they can order stuff from round the corner with greater ease.
Cumnock's broadband speeds are still pretty slow while I myself personally, having the brazen cheek to live five miles from the exchange, have to make do with dial up....sorry - narrowband (it's a niche market).
Remember dial-up, kiddies? It begins with bleeps and screeches like R2-D2 having a hissy fit and ends, usually, with further bleeps as I rage and fume at my computer screen when it freezes, drops out or generally just acts the madame.
It's a fun-filled life in narrowband. All the things that broadband folk take for granted is a luxury to us. You can't download music. You can't catch up with those telly programmes you missed on i-players and the like. You can't even do an on-line tax return.
Trying to upload (or is it download? I never get these things straight) a picture onto Facebook can be an exercise in futility. I can begin the process, go and make a cuppa, take the dogs for a walk, watch Ben-Hur and the picture still hasn't appeared.
Okay, I'm exaggerating (and I've told myself a million times to stop that) but you catch my drift.
We're in the 21st Century. We can put men on the moon (well, we used to). We can explore the furthest depths of the ocean (Well, we can eventually cap an oil leak).
But we can't deliver broadband five miles outside Cumnock.
I see Cap'n Jack Sparrow paid a surprise visit to a London school this week.
A wee girl had written to Johnny Depp telling him they were all would-be pirates so, as he was filming the fourth instalment nearby, he turned up in full costume.
So, it prompts me to announce that we at the Chronicle are all mad-keen Friends fans (well, we drink a lot of coffee and there's a lot of sitting around doing nothing. But don't tell the boss that).
If Jennifer Aniston wants to pop by some morning, she's welcome.
Worth a shot, right?
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