the Foreign Secretary suggested travellers should simply rely on the 'great British spirit'.This is the sum total of advice and support* Mr David Miliband offered those who have been stranded overseas because NATS closed British airspace, on the advice of the Met Office.
Mr David Miliband hopes, one day, to lead the Labour Party - and represent the interests of the working population of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
His words echo advice given to the villagers of Cow Ark in Yorkshire who, when cut off by snow for more than a fortnight and were running out of both food and heating materials, were assured that
their community spirit will see them throughBill Rammell hoped teenage University Officer Training Cadets, whose pay had been suspended for six months, would
ride out this temporary difficulty.These examples form an unpleasant pattern.
The pattern suggests that if Labour were to win the coming election and the country begins to find itself in severe financial difficulties - with the result that people are seriously poorer, we could be advised to 'tighten our belts' or 'ride out the storm' whilst watching our
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*
Mrs Rigby doesn't necessarily believe stranded holidaymakers and members of the business community should have been either offered or given financial support out of the public purse, but she does believe Miliband's words are callous and uncaring.
Mrs Rigby is also aware that some people save up for a year or more to pay for a holiday - and that's it. There's nothing left in the coffers until they are back at work, so they have nothing, absolutely nothing, to fall back on if disaster strikes.
Nothing, that is, except for travel insurance - which in this instance appears to have let everybody down.
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3 comments:
Insurance - one of the great money making oxymorons - it is priced and sold on the basis that it won't be called on - with legal costs of denying and disputing claims included in the premiums -to quote an sometime colleague "buy extra travel insurance, what for ? they only pay up if you are dead !"
If you get the chance to observe a bunch of "claims assessors" en masse, at one of their "new wheezes for denying claims" seminars, take it - a real eye-opener ! Assessors Rule 1 - anyone who makes a claim is probably working a con. Assessors Rule 2. Based on Rule 1 - stiffing every claimant is only fair. Assessors Rule 3 - Remember, You don't get a bonus for approving the most claims.
Sorry, I might have sworn on your last thingy.
Just noticed I'm not meant to.
Anyway, David Miliband is a
[stops right there]
@ Anon - yes, I think most people know about insurers, but there is a lot of fraud too, which pushes up the costs for those who will only make a claim as a last resort.
@ Uncle Marvo - Didn't notice any swearing! What's that about the chap with the banana?
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