UK and Spain

Consumers Report - 2008
Britain and Ireland have the highest average incomes in Europe but come bottom in terms of quality of life, while Spain and France are at the top of the index, according to a study published Wednesday.

Britons have to pay sky high prices for fuel, food and other essentials, while having among the shortest holidays, latest retirement age and lowest life expectancy, according to the survey of 10 European countries.

Ireland, which like Britain, has seen a huge market-driven economic boom over the last decade, is even worse than its bigger neighbour, coming in last in the European Quality of Life Index by U-Switch, a British service comparison website.

"We may earn substantially more than our European neighbours but when it comes to quality of life we remain the sick man of Europe," said Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com.

"Soaring food prices and inflation, not to mention high property costs, are placing the biggest squeeze on disposable incomes in well over a decade," she added, noting also below-average investment in health and education services.

The study assessed 19 factors affecting quality of life, ranging from income and working conditions to healthcare, education and cost of living.

Britons have an average net income of more than 33,000 pounds a year, about 10,000 pounds more than the European average, while Ireland comes second on more than 29,000 pounds.  But they pay between six to 18 percent more for fuel and 49 percent more for gas, not to mention spectacularly high housing costs. Ireland's gas bills are more than twice the European average.

At work, Ireland comes worst in terms of retirement age, with an average of 64.1 years, followed by Britain on 63.2 years, while life expectancy is 78.1 years and 78.9 years respectively, the lowest barring Italy.

At the other end of the scale, Spaniards have the lowest average income, at some 16,800 pounds, but low taxation and cheaper essential goods prices put them at the top of the overall quality of life indicator.

France comes second, notably benefiting from the longest holidays in Europe at 40 days and the second-lowest retirement age at 58.9 years, just later than Poles who retire at 58.4 years old on average.

The findings come as Britain and Ireland face a sharp economic slowdown fuelled by the global credit crunch, which is also threatening other European countries although they have enjoyed less of a boom in recent years.

David Cameron - Speechless !
One of the few times David Cameron has been lost for words was when Eileen McCloy, a Glaswegian mother who had come down to London to hear him talk, asked him what he could do to help her husband, a joiner, who had been put out of work by Polish competitors who worked for £5 an hour.

Mr Cameron told her about his plan for an Australian points-based system to bring order to immigration, but then admitted that, under European Union law, this would not apply to Poles. He had no answer for her!!!
 

Don't say you're English ! !
Goodbye to my England, So long my old friend
Your days are numbered, being brought to an end

To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that's fine
But don't say you're English, that's way out of line.

The French and the Germans may call themselves such
So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch
You can say you are Russian or maybe a Dane
But don't say you're English ever again.

At Broadcasting House the word is taboo
In Brussels it's scrapped, in Parliament too
Even schools are affected; staff do as they're told

They must not teach children about England of old.

We are not Europeans, how can we be ?
Europe is miles away over the sea
We're the English from England, let's all be proud
Stand up and be counted - Shout it out loud.

Let's tell our Government and Brussels too
We're proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue
Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack
Let the world know - we want our England back !!!!

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Human Rights ! ! !
In 2008, the Human Rights Act allowed Italian-born Learco Chindamo, the killer of the headteacher Philip Lawrence, to escape deportation.

Human Rights ! ! !
In 2007, the High Court ruled that ministers breached the human rights of nine Afghans who hijacked a plane and ordered it to London in 2000 by refusing to grant them the right to remain in Britain when it would not be safe for them to be returned to Afghanistan.

Human Rights ! ! !
In 2005, a sex attacker Anthony Rice was released from prison after serving just 16 years of a 'life sentence', because officials were worried about breaching his 'human rights'. Within nine months of release from prison, Rice had murdered a mother - Naomi Bryant.
Anthony Rice, who had previous convictions for indecent assault and rape, had strangled Naomi Bryant, 40, and stabbed her to death only days after they had met in the city, where he was living at a charity-run hostel.
Four months before Naomi Bryant's murder, Rice slipped out of his hostel at night and assaulted a woman with a brick in Southampton. (Didn't the authorities see any warning signs then?????)
There were "substantial deficiencies" in supervision by probation and other officials in Hampshire, Chief Inspector of Probation Andrew Bridges said.  "The Parole Board had concluded that he presented only a 'minimal risk'".  Mr Bridges also said "prison and other officials were side-tracked by considering Rice's human rights above their duties to the public".

Human Rights ! ! !!
Damien Hanson was let out of jail half-way through a 12 year jail sentence and shortly after, murdered John Monckton at John Moncktons family home, in front of John Moncktons wife and young daughter.
29th of November 2004 - Damien Hanson was being supervised when he killed 49 year old John Monckton during a burglary at the family home in Chelsea, West London, in November 2004.

Damien Hanson, pictured below, carried out the murder three months after being let out of jail half way through a 12-year sentence for attempted murder, as this was his human right!!

The Old Bailey was told Hanson had been released from jail for attempted murder and robbery, three months before the attack at the Moncktons' home.

The jury heard that John Monckton fought for his life. He was a "proud and devoted father" who would have stretched every sinew to protect his wife and daughter, 9 year old Isobel.

John Monckton, his wife Homeyra and two daughters are pictured on the right.

He died from multiple stab wounds to his heart and lungs. His daughter Isobel described the horrifying scene from the top of the stairs in a video played to the jury. Homeyra Monckton cried "help Issie" and the schoolgirl ran downstairs where she saw "blood all over the floor" and on the walls.

Clutching her toy rabbit, she described how she saw her father lying on the floor with his eyes closed. "I knew my Daddy was hurt ... in the heart ... cos there was blood there, and then I started to cry," she said.

Homeyra Monckton was attacked as she made for the stairs in a vain attempt to reach a panic button in a bedroom. She lost four litres of blood and needed life saving surgery.  Hemeyra was stabbed with such force, that the stabbing broke her ribs and damaged her spine, but despite her injuries she was able to instruct Isobel to call for help as the attackers fled.  She is now, not able to walk without the aid of a walking stick.

Richard Horwell, prosecuting, said that having overpowered the Moncktons at the front door, the two men ran off with a pair of earrings, two rings, a watch and a purse. "The cost - one life taken and very nearly a second," he told the jury.  "They left behind John Monckton, dead or effectively dead, and Mrs Monckton with two stab wounds to her back. She would have died but for the emergency medical care."

He said Mr Monckton made a point of being home by 7.30pm to see his daughter before she went to bed. Mrs Monckton, who was in the basement kitchen, reacted first to a ring at the doorbell and spoke to the caller through an intercom. "The caller said he had a parcel for John Monckton" said Mr Horwell."

Mr Monckton said he was not expecting a parcel and was cautious at the front door. He peered through a spy hole and when he opened the door he left a security chain attached. On seeing the killers dressed in a Royal Mail Parcelforce jacket, he removed the chain. "But the moment he had done so, he must have realised the terrible mistake because he tried to close the door again," Mr Horwell said. "His wife joined in to add her strength to what was an unequal contest."

Hanson and his equally 'brave' accomplice, Elliott White, pushed their way in. "They were so close to their prey that they were not going to be defeated. Mr and Mrs Monckton were shouting 'No, No, No' but White and Hanson burst into their home."

Hanson, armed with a knife and a firearm, stopped Mrs Monckton climbing the stairs to activate a panic alarm. He struck her and stabbed her in the back before demanding her jewellery using a "calm, flat voice." In the melee, she shouted to her husband: "I am bleeding, I am bleeding."

Hanson then joined White, who was grappling with Mr Monckton by the front door. "This proud and devoted father would have stretched every sinew in his body to protect his wife and daughter," Mr Horwell said. The two attackers left Mr Monckton slumped by the sitting room door.

Once they had gone, the terrified daughter Isobel emerged to follow instructions from her barely-conscious mother. "What confronted that girl is almost impossible to imagine," Mr Horwell said. "But she is a brave girl and at her mother's request she dialled 999, closed the front door and put on the chain."

Nothing will happen until our rulers are subject to the same risks as the rest of us. Remove the barriers and security around Downing Street and force ministers to travel by public transport and then we might see some action!!!

Isn't it amazing, that when it comes to soccer hooligans or potential hooligans, the government seem to know who they are, take away their passports, forbid them from travel etc. But when it comes to rapists, murderers etc. they know who they are but do nothing to protect us. Why the difference?

Human rights - doesn't human rights apply to everyone - including the people being killed ? ! ?  Don't the 'ordinary' law-abiding people of England have a human right to live a safe and happy life ? ! ?  The community has a right to be protected from dangerous criminals."

May 2006 - The DVLA in the UK know exactly where any untaxed car is located among the millions of cars in Britain. But the UK government haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe they should put the DVLA in charge of immigration.......

March 2006 - It was announced in the UK, that teenagers will be rewarded in Government schemes for not committing any crimes!
Meanwhile, pensioners are finding it increasingly difficult to keep alive as their pensions are lagging behind inflation!
Meanwhile, the hospitals are not always able to perform life-saving operations due to lack of money!

March 2006 - It was announced that in the year 2008, to make things easier for the staff that receive 999 calls, all calls that are non-emergency like car theft, burglary etc, will be to another number for which you will have to pay for the call!!  Let's hope you've got some change on you when you see a house being burgled, or a car being stolen!!!!!

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If you come across any other strange things happening in the UK, or things in the UK that are just so hard to believe, just email details to - Strange@UKandSpain.com