Save Fabric

[BecomingJulie]

FYI I do realise that there really are a lot of dodgy benefit chasers but I also do realise that there are a lot more eople in society who need n deserve financial support.

Even when you are trying to enforce fairness, diminishing returns soon start to set in. It's actually cheaper just to let a few people make fraudulent claims, and pay a few people a little more than the bare minimum they deserve, than to chase up every suspected minor infraction.

Same principle as the penny Post: The non-trivial process of calculating a "fair" price for delivering a letter based on the distance over which it is sent adds so much to the cost of delivery that making a "local" letter sent within the same town cheaper than one sent across several counties, ends up costing more than simply charging a flat rate from anywhere to anywhere else. And the distance-based system would throw up so many anomalies where mail travelling a short distance in practice costs more than mail travelling a longer distance, it would be decried as unfair.

One thing I would definitely change is, make the threshhold level for paying income tax equal to full-time employment at the statutory minimum wage. Meaning firms could easily take on staff at minimum wage without incurring any additional tax liability. This makes it easier to create jobs. True, they are only minumum-wage jobs; but any good worker should be able to negotiate themself a pay rise after a year's probation, or leave for another job still at minimum wage, but with preferrable working conditions.

Another thing I would change would be, get rid of tax bands (which were a crude bodge, designed to simplify calculations in imperial pounds, shillings and pence without the use of a computer) and introduce a quadratic regression for income tax. The equation for amount of tax £y paid on a salary of £x would be calculated as

y = a * x ** 2 + b * x + c​

where a is small, and determines how much steeper the slope gets as you climb;
b is the base tax rate;
c is negative, and determines the minimum threshhold for paying tax.
If y is negative, you don't pay any tax (but you don't get a refund, either) and if y is more than 0.9 * x, then you just pay 0.9 * x in tax. New values of a, b and c would be published for each financial year.

This is no problem at all to evaluate using decimal currency (where the "notes" are simply the integer and the "coins" the fraction; for example, one-fifth of a pound = £0.2 = £0.20 = 20p.), and even easier using computers. It also prevents a "creative accounting" manoeuvre whereby payments are carefully manipulated to keep everything in the most favourable tax bands. The quadratic regression is like having each tax band exactly one penny wide.

Mind, at least we aren't yet quite as bad as the American General Public; who apparently oppose redistribution of wealth even when it would be to their own advantage, lest they suddenly achieve their dream of becoming rich and consequently have to pay slightly more taxes, even when it should be obvious to all that they are never, ever going to become that rich.

 

[koneko]

Great posts Julie. Really pleased to see you go for it.

It costs companies to process tax via PAYE, national insurance and pensions if they're even relevant these days. Then there's council tax, road tax, tax credits and all the other stealth taxes we pay via vat. (Let's not get into vat on sanitary wear..) it all costs to process, massive bureaucracy ( fair enough it creates jobs in itself).

then there's the cunts who creatively account, avoid paying into the system, rich and not interested in contributing to a better society.

No one should be paid a minimum wage where they can't afford to live on it. It's scandalous and corrupt. Companies make massive profits and dividends to their shareholders on that. Bastards.



I know this is off topic but a lot of us who want Scottish independence know we'll end up paying more tax to pay for the service that makes Scotland a fairer, more equally place to live. I have no problem with that. It's to all our benefit.

Rant over - please continue Julie I'm not great at posting about this kind of thing. SHM is, man needs to write about it more, blog, articles etc X

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

First,thanks for the compliment K, you're too kind.

I don't think the younger generation have lost their fight at all, the establishment have just got increasingly more adept at subjugating the population.

Well, that's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

The younger generation have lost their fight, for now, but nothing lasts forever. We are in a constant state of flux and the north will rise again.

There is good reason the younger generation have lost their fight for now. Nothing happens in a vacuum and several things have happened over the last 20-30 years that have caused this, some of which you will think I am crazy for mentioning. But I assure you I'm right.

There are three main factors (several more, but I'll talk about three) which are contributory. The fall of the Berlin Wall signifying the collapse of communism, the defeat of the Miners, and the end of free education. Indeed, the end of education period, sacrificed for just another method of creating debt and/or wage slavery.

In order. What the hell does the collapse of an ism (communism) have to do with it, particularly bearing in mind it's unpopularity in modern Britain? It has everything to do with it. Capitalism won, Marx was discredited (because the winners write history - which is why, for example, there is an anti-Corbyn story every day on the front of what is meant to be our country's most liberal newspaper) and this means we no longer have a battle of ideas. The narrative, for now, is one-sided. This is important because a one-sided story can only lead to acceptance. People can only have fight in them if they have access to the ideas of fight, to the need to fight. We've lost that.

The miners strike helped lead to this. Unions used to be strong. The strongest was the NUM. Thatcher knew what she was doing breaking the NUM. She was destroying that opposition, that 'other' that challenged the status quo. Unions collapsed. We now have another one-sided narrative. The only delicious irony in this is all we have left are the junior doctors - doctors ffs. The people Nye Bevan had to beg and bribe onside to get the NHS kick started. 60 years ago, some of the most reactionary workers we had. Now, our only shining light of opposition.

And free education. One sided narrative. I went to university with no fees and a full grant. I didn't have to do a career based course. I had education for educations sake. You know the last time that happened before the end of the last century? In Greece, before they'd even made up Jesus. The Greeks built an economy on it. 2000 years later our thought processes are still reliant on Greek philosophy. Do you think the ideas of a degree in Golf management will last 2000 years?

So.....what? Does that make us dead? No. But it is a severe dent. We need to get back to the two sided narrative. Not even communism particularly. But an opposition of ideas that can give hope. We can only do this ourselves.

I was outed on Eveys Reddit crap as a teacher. I'm not. Have another guess Wenlock, you'll be guessing a long time. I do, however, have certain free range, because of my personality, what I made of myself, to be privileged enough to talk to school children about controversial topics in controversial ways (as the state sees it, I don't think I'm controversial at all). And I'll give you an example of what we can all do, just by talking. This week, for example, I addressed classes of schoolchildren on, well, on several things. But fundamentally I spoke to them all about LSD using the lyrics of a Beatles record (A day in the life). Half of them hadn't heard of the Beatles. Probably another half hadn't even heard of LSD. I explained, because yes K, I am good at this, what the song was about. And how that meant we had choices. That there is another narrative. I encouraged ideas, planted seeds in young minds. Yes, I get paid to be subversive. The point being, a group of school kids walked into a class with one fixed idea about life and walked out, way after the bell had gone such was their interest, with a completely new set of ideas that had broadened their minds. And actually, the person who probably had their mind blown the most was their eternally grateful teacher.

It can be done. What I did was not a pro LSD speech and, because we're still on the losing side, I have to be damn careful not to say things which will end up with me on the front of the local paper. But free your mind and your ass will follow. That's the theory. And for the last 30 years our minds have been blocked, not freed. The effect you can see by planting the seed is mind blowing itself. I just do it my way. There are countless ways through art, media and education to do the same thing. We have to keep up the battle of ideas. Make it a battle. A battle has two sides. For now, with very few exceptions, and because of the constraints placed by debt, education for work, and no unified body to help us fight back together, we are, temporarily, stuck in a one sided narrative.

But the north will rise again. Everything changes and, slowly, things don't remain the same.

 

[koneko]

First,thanks for the compliment K, you're too kind.

There's no kindness to my comment and I'm sure I've said it to you elsewhere online. But I believe people like you have a moral responsibility to inform and educate people about politics and the fake system we're currently living in called democracy. You have the talent to write and engage all sorts of people with your writing - not everyone has that skill. Fucking do it more you.

Thank you for giving us an idea about your job. You at least have young minds to influence. I was well pissed when I read your full name on that place btw. So not on.

But think of the others you could write for.

My sons are Millennials and they were both fucked over by student loans when at uni. One had so much debt we never knew about until it all came crashing down in anxiety about the future that Felix and I paid a lot of it it off. They were also resentful about people like me who went to uni and got the good job. Forgetting I am working class and not middle class (like my so called demographics may state) doesn't mean I have assets or money from inheritance from my very working class parents. They forgot I was a single parent who had to fight for everything to make sure they had a good childhood.

It's hurts the Millennials, I can see that in my boys. When they were kids I took then to demos. We went to the anti war Iraq demo in Glasgow and both of them wrote to their MPs it mattered so much to them. They were reared with that spirit and intention. We were a family member of CND too.

Since then uni, debt and lower paid jobs than either expected (why didn't they get the jobs / money mum go paid...) have dented their spirit. Neither of them are up for a fight. Neither of them have unions at work. They feel disempowered - like you say there's little choices or other views these days to inspire them that they can make a change.

They've lost their appetite for demonstrating, fighting and that's one of the saddest things I've every experienced as a parent of adult children.

When my youngest told me he wasn't going to vote I was shocked. He said what did it matter, it was useless. Of course I fell out with him about it and he did under pressure vote. This was the young man who bless him in his youth joined the Liberal party and they offered to put him forward to stand as a local councillor.

This is the generation who are young adults now - disenfranchised, unempowered and fucked over by the system.


As for the Guardian and Corbyn well I'm appalled.



Anyway, you - get some articles written, a blog up. Tell us what it's like and inspire people like my sons.

NSFW:

Well, that's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

The younger generation have lost their fight, for now, but nothing lasts forever. We are in a constant state of flux and the north will rise again.

There is good reason the younger generation have lost their fight for now. Nothing happens in a vacuum and several things have happened over the last 20-30 years that have caused this, some of which you will think I am crazy for mentioning. But I assure you I'm right.

There are three main factors (several more, but I'll talk about three) which are contributory. The fall of the Berlin Wall signifying the collapse of communism, the defeat of the Miners, and the end of free education. Indeed, the end of education period, sacrificed for just another method of creating debt and/or wage slavery.

In order. What the hell does the collapse of an ism (communism) have to do with it, particularly bearing in mind it's unpopularity in modern Britain? It has everything to do with it. Capitalism won, Marx was discredited (because the winners write history - which is why, for example, there is an anti-Corbyn story every day on the front of what is meant to be our country's most liberal newspaper) and this means we no longer have a battle of ideas. The narrative, for now, is one-sided. This is important because a one-sided story can only lead to acceptance. People can only have fight in them if they have access to the ideas of fight, to the need to fight. We've lost that.

The miners strike helped lead to this. Unions used to be strong. The strongest was the NUM. Thatcher knew what she was doing breaking the NUM. She was destroying that opposition, that 'other' that challenged the status quo. Unions collapsed. We now have another one-sided narrative. The only delicious irony in this is all we have left are the junior doctors - doctors ffs. The people Nye Bevan had to beg and bribe onside to get the NHS kick started. 60 years ago, some of the most reactionary workers we had. Now, our only shining light of opposition.

And free education. One sided narrative. I went to university with no fees and a full grant. I didn't have to do a career based course. I had education for educations sake. You know the last time that happened before the end of the last century? In Greece, before they'd even made up Jesus. The Greeks built an economy on it. 2000 years later our thought processes are still reliant on Greek philosophy. Do you think the ideas of a degree in Golf management will last 2000 years?

So.....what? Does that make us dead? No. But it is a severe dent. We need to get back to the two sided narrative. Not even communism particularly. But an opposition of ideas that can give hope. We can only do this ourselves.

I was outed on Eveys Reddit crap as a teacher. I'm not. Have another guess Wenlock, you'll be guessing a long time. I do, however, have certain free range, because of my personality, what I made of myself, to be privileged enough to talk to school children about controversial topics in controversial ways (as the state sees it, I don't think I'm controversial at all). And I'll give you an example of what we can all do, just by talking. This week, for example, I addressed classes of schoolchildren on, well, on several things. But fundamentally I spoke to them all about LSD using the lyrics of a Beatles record (A day in the life). Half of them hadn't heard of the Beatles. Probably another half hadn't even heard of LSD. I explained, because yes K, I am good at this, what the song was about. And how that meant we had choices. That there is another narrative. I encouraged ideas, planted seeds in young minds. Yes, I get paid to be subversive. The point being, a group of school kids walked into a class with one fixed idea about life and walked out, way after the bell had gone such was their interest, with a completely new set of ideas that had broadened their minds. And actually, the person who probably had their mind blown the most was their eternally grateful teacher.

It can be done. What I did was not a pro LSD speech and, because we're still on the losing side, I have to be damn careful not to say things which will end up with me on the front of the local paper. But free your mind and your ass will follow. That's the theory. And for the last 30 years our minds have been blocked, not freed. The effect you can see by planting the seed is mind blowing itself. I just do it my way. There are countless ways through art, media and education to do the same thing. We have to keep up the battle of ideas. Make it a battle. A battle has two sides. For now, with very few exceptions, and because of the constraints placed by debt, education for work, and no unified body to help us fight back together, we are, temporarily, stuck in a one sided narrative.

But the north will rise again. Everything changes and, slowly, things don't remain the same.

 

[steewith2ees]

....getting back on track like

After the fantastic Last Dance by Godskitchen that Scotch took to me to for my b'day, this looks like the last big classic club event that will ever hit Birmingham. They will always have good new nights, but nothing on the scale of what they have done over the last 20 years. Failing this...

The line up will be the usual 'classic' sets from the likes of Danny Rampling, Healy and the like, but should hopefully include John Kelly at least,and if we are really lucky the likes of Seb or Tall Paul have good chance of putting in an appearance as well.

The best thing about it is that they are using Birmingham's Central Hall AKA 'The Que Club',, possibly the best venue in the country which anyone who has ever been in there will testify. Imagine the Digbeth Institute, The Bournemouth Opera House and the Camden Place perfected and doubled in size and you should get the picture....

The venue holds 3,500 - 4000 people (depending on how many of the plethora of extra music rooms they use) which are centred around this 3,000 capacity amphitheatre, taken during the day time

The venue has been used for dance events since 1991 and originally saw rave giants such as Fantasia, Quest, Pandemonium and Starlight among others use the hall for some of the best licensed showcase raves of the early 90's. By the mid 90's onwards, it became home to 'Flashback' (one of the countries leading 'old - school' rave promoters at the time), the peerless and possibly the best techno night in the country, 'Atomic Jam' amd has also hosted all night showcase events from the likes of Gatecrasher, Dreamscape, Raveology and Birmingham's own Godskitchen and Sundissential. Yet back in 1996 the Liverpool based Cream started to run monthly nights at the Arches in Glasgow and, of course, The Que Club in Birmingham to compliment the weekly parties they did at the The Nation.

Here they are setting up in the venue for a previous night. They may be Liverpool bred and (formally based), but they have been running one off events at this venue for 20 years, and it could be the last showcase dance event Birmingham may see for years.

Don't care about the line up. I have to be there really....

 

[Jackal]

I'm more distressed about the imminent closure of 414 in Brixton.

That's a hell of a spot. Probably my favourite club in the world.

 

[steewith2ees]

It's all fucked mate. That's why I need to start making a concerted effort to still grab it while I can

 

[koneko]

I'm more distressed about the imminent closure of 414 in Brixton.

That's a hell of a spot. Probably my favourite club in the world.

It was the Archies for me in Glasgow... Gutted.


Stee how much does a night like that cost? Looks fucking amazing btw %)





Apologies with the thread derails, it was cool stuff that needed said though. Good to see you back on topic!

 

[steewith2ees]

It was the Archies for me in Glasgow... Gutted.


Stee how much does a night like that cost? Looks fucking amazing btw %)





Apologies with the thread derails, it was cool stuff that needed said though. Good to see you back on topic!

Np need to apologise, Fabric's fucked anyway and they are called threads as they bisect others as they weave in and out.

As the line up has not been confirmed yet, they are currently selling pre - release tickets for £10 ( + b/f), which will go up to £20 + on the 2nd release (Scotch the diamond paid nearly a ton for Godskitchen's Last Dance, but they were 2nd release and got us full VIP access to the best areas of what is Birmingham's 2nd best club - after the above mentioned Central Hall at the Que)

Cream 25 - Creams 2th Anniversary, Central Hall, The Que Club, Corporation St. Birmingham 10 - 12 - 16

http://skiddle.com/whats-on/Birmingham/Central-Hall/Cream-25th-Anniversary-Tour-Part1--/12829746/

 

[Itsgoneundertheboa]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thin...s-for-londons-shrinking-nightlife--its-the-c/

make your own comments.......

https://twitter.com/harryyorke1

Clearly his credentials mean he can give such an informed view.

His mate Palumbo owner of MOS in case it aint clear dad was

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Palumbo,_Baron_Palumbo

yeh bruv its just business. But we ain't as stupid as you want us to be.

 

[consumer]

I much prefer a doof to a nightclub, dancing in the forest under the stars. But it seems the cops are cracking down on the well run bigger doofs forcing it back underground. Much like closing nightclubs this will do nothing to stop drug use just push the parties further into the bush and further from emergency services. They will never kill the scene. They should just manage it in a harm reduction model.

 

[steewith2ees]

They should just manage it in a harm reduction model.

That's the idea of having large scale professional club nights and showcase events. Yes, they might not be as underground as a 'doof', but you have access to help if needed (most of the larger clubs and events in the UK have ambulances on site all night). Yes, it's more commercial, but when underground dance music hit the UK high street in the mid 90's through the 'superclub' model it saw the point where the HR at these sort of events was at its maximum (free water, on site paramedics, drug councillors i.e YAP supporting the revellers).

Swings and roundabouts. Like I said it's game over in this country for decent licensed nights save for the odd D&B do here and there.

 

[steewith2ees]

No surprises there then. Sister Bliss and Tall Paul should still be well fucking vibes tho....

 

[consumer]

Well organized doofs often have basically an almost fully equipped er with ambulances waiting onsite. Why the cops are harrassing them is just the police attitude of zero tollerance. It will end up costing lives.

 

[steewith2ees]

Well organized doofs often have basically an almost fully equipped er with ambulances waiting onsite. Why the cops are harrassing them is just the police attitude of zero tollerance. It will end up costing lives.

Whatever part of the globe your from, the 'establishment' will always persecute this music, and any deaths caused by poor health & safety or HR practises are acceptable as long as people get the message that this form of musical entertainment is immoral, and now that no body is making any real money out of it any more it should be eradicated at all costs. Fookin yoofs and their counter - culture, the UK goverment won't be happy until we get into the habit of spending our Saturday nights watching Z- Factor and slowly developing dementia from using the the one LEGAL psychoactive substance they cannot flog us enough of...

 

[cLaTTeReD]

I also went to the last dance, what a great night. I used to love gods at the sanctuary and it was just like the old days
cant imagine going clubbing for a while again now, think I'm all clubbed out.

 

[Arnold]

I'm more distressed about the imminent closure of 414 in Brixton.

That's a hell of a spot. Probably my favourite club in the world.

Same here, it's the only club I regularly went back to when I lived in London. Also because it is the only one where things didn't change or got closed like loads of other haunts. You can go back there after 10 years and the atmosphere is the same.

I'd be gutted if they shut it down to build some hipster flats.

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

414 will go the way of Pope's Road where the council and developers lied through their teeth and what ended up was, surprise, surprise, more yuppie restaurants and no affordable space for local people. 414 is even just around the corner. It will become part of the gentrification of Brixton. Indeed, with Fabric and other places in mind, of London. You all think I'm joking when I say burn it down. I'm not. Gentrification of London is moving apace and what is needed is a start from the bottom. From the fucking ashes if need be.

You will be lied to about 414 as you were lied to about Pope's Road. The good days are in the past and all that talks now is money.

 

[One Thousand Words]

Well if punters weren't such cheap bastards and filled their water bottles from the bathroom tap (even when clubs only run hot water) then they might have a say.

I'm with consumer, doofs over clubs anyway. I do love me some table service on a night out from time to time but having a woman complain about their shoes or not being allowed to smoke a spliff on the dancefloor or take a sneaky piss behind a pot plant are deal breakers for me.

Now if only they would create a fetish club doof I'd be all over that.

 

[Shambles]

Now if only they would create a fetish club doof I'd be all over that.

Myself and a fellow BLer (of means) used to discuss such a concept... never gonna happen now for a number of reasons...

Personally I can't stand most clubs - and "superclubs" are totally beyond the pale - but I do agree with most that this is probably a Very Bad Idea in terms of London nightlife (acutely) and licensed-nights in general (chronically). Never understood the attraction of the latter myself but would have to (grudgingly) admit that they probably serve some kinda function beyond basic money-grubbing... possibly.