Will we leave the EU?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29874392 .

So Germany would rather see us leave the European Community than modify immigration rules. It now looks quite possible that, following a David Cameron referendum in 2017 (assuming he forms the next government) we could exit the EC/EU. We have always been "on the edge" in more than just the physical sense (as an island). I have no idea how this would impact the UK. We may end up better or worse as a result. For good reasons, the UK has never quite got on board "the European experiment". On this issue, I really have no idea how such a referendum would go.

Recent history might suggest we might be OK, but really no-one knows.

From the BBC website:

This is the first time that Mrs Merkel has acknowledged that the UK's exit from the EU is possible, Der Spiegel said.

According to the Sunday Times, Germany has already rejected a proposal to impose quotas on low-skilled EU migrants by limiting the national insurance numbers issued to them.

Der Spiegel reported that Mr Cameron was now looking at a plan to stretch the EU rules "to their limits" in order to ban migrants who do not have job, and to deport those who are unable to support themselves after three months.

On Sunday, Conservative MP and former justice secretary Kenneth Clarke defended EU migration.
"If you're going to have a sensible single market, if we want to compete with the Americans and the Chinese and so on and modern world, we need the free movement of labour," he told BBC's Sunday Politics.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The prime minister will do what is right for Britain, as he has repeatedly made clear."

The "new" Tides Reach Hotel, Salcombe, S.Devon

South Sands is about 2 miles out of Salcombe, S.Devon. There is currently a proposal to redevelop the Tides Reach Hotel located there at a cost of £13.5 million. If successful, the locals are hoping more jobs will be created for locals, but most hotel work attracts immigrant workers on minimum wages, shipped in from outside the area. It is very unlikely to provide many jobs for real locals.

To my mind, it looks a typical Spanish hotel like those found on the costas - grossly out of keeping with the surroundings. Salcombe is in danger of being developed in such a way that its unique identity will be forever lost.

If you want to see the proposals and comment see:
http://apps.southhams.gov.uk/planningsearch/default.aspx?shortid=41%2F2576%2F14%2FF 

I can see the hotel being converted to luxury apartments at a later date.

Baking

3 yr old baking cakes

This afternoon our "London" grandchildren arrived for a few days. My wife baked buns with them and then went to the windmill next door. It was a very successful and happy afternoon. After bath time playing "Snakes and Ladders" with a 3 year old was a lot more of a challenge.

"London" grandchildren.

Tomorrow we are having our "London" grandchildren to stay for a few nights They are 3 and nearly 7 years old. We love ALL our little ones. They are all unique.

NHS woes - yet again

All I wanted was written confirmation of my appointment to have my stomach PEG removed next Tuesday.  20 minutes on the phone, 3 foreign accents, no attempt at "ownership" of my issue before I eventually got a ward nurse who promised me the appointment was on and a letter was coming. I'll believe this when it comes.

Sorry, but this sort of rubbish behaviour is just not acceptable. In private industry we were told to own the customer's problem, seek out the answers, then ring back with the answers. The standard NHS response is to try to disown the problem, or so it would seem.

NHS communications is PATHETIC.

20 minutes on the phone and passed from pillar to post - I had to ring them 3 times -  when all I was asking for was the normal procedure of a letter to confirm what to do, where to go, date, what time etc. It took me all my power not to swear down the phone as I was so exasperated.

Let no-one say the NHS does not need reform! Fix the communications, give customers a better deal and save billions in waste.

They should have (a) sent me an appointment letter weeks ago, and (b) when they'd not, apologised , one single person should have understood my problem and dealt with it. Instead, I was left, yet again, in a state of exasperation. Multiply this 100 times over in a single day and you get some idea of the inefficiencies in their system.

Flyer in the post today

Christmas in October seems the flavour of the month.

Today our local farm shop and cafe (La Hogue) sent a flyer in the post with prices for Christmas meats and 20% discounts for their cafe in January and February 2015. WHY do we need this in OCTOBER?

They must be desperate.

Winter power cuts?

I wonder if we'll see power cuts this winter? Spare National Grid capacity is very low because of closures and other reasons. Some are saying the Jet Stream is moving and we are in for the cldest winter in 100 years.  See  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29794632 .