NedBelfast

NedBelfast

62p

643 comments posted · 4 followers · following 1

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Ukip posters: It\'s st... · 0 replies · +2 points

A report in 2012 by the independent Migration Advisory Committee, which was established by the last Labour government and is run by the respected economist Sir David Metcalf, found that for every 100 extra foreign-born working-age migrants in the UK, there was a reduction of 23 in the number of UK citizens in employment.

Hang on...something doesn't add up here. 100-23 = 67. What are the other 67 doing?

And what about 100 UK born people? Will 23 of them also work? Or a lot less/more?

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Equal marriages \'inap... · 0 replies · +10 points

God in NI is just a proxy for certain people to have more power for their own version of religion. There's churches/believers in NI that also support gay marriage. I have some doubts the DUP truly speaks for all religious people.

I've had a protracted discussion on this with a born-again Christian. When asked why the Bible supported the anti-gay-relationship view esp. as Jesus doesn't mention it and the older OT probably spoke about temple prostitution the answer was that the Church elders knew the Bible better than him.

So...ultimately it's the Elders declaring how to interpret the Bible, with no verification possible for the man. An argument from authority. Completely contradictory to self-examination of the Bible/faith.

I have to say the DUP reminds me of this. THEIR version of the religion...or ELSE.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Foodbanks and their re... · 0 replies · +2 points

1. There is an inexhaustible demand for anything that is free.
###Foodbanks set certain rules for qualification you and me can't walk in and get food just like that.

2. "In" and "out" of work benefit levels are not set arbitrarily, but by reference to various cost of living indexes.
###Ian Duncan Smith, ATOS, Disability Benefits cuts, Bedroom tax. NI being hit worst by cuts of all of UK. Wages not following inflation. Etc etc.

3. Those recipients who were unwilling to be identified on camera may have realised that such exposure would leave their spending patterns open to critical scrutiny.
###Or...maybe they just want privacy? Or are ashamed having to ask for food?

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Is Marie Stopes aborti... · 0 replies · +5 points

Are private hospitals legal? Yep.

Are NHS abortions under the law legal? Yep.

So what would make private clinics performing abortions under the law illegal? Nothing.

Funny how the MS clinic is made out to be some symbol of all that's wrong, and exporting the issue to the tune of 1100 women a year to England is perfectly fine... :)

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Baby-killing US aborti... · 0 replies · +1 points

To the anti-legal abortion crowd: What he did is illegal. Stigma/lack of access/lack of money has fed this.

The new yorker did a balanced article on why rogue abortion clinics are an issue in the USA: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/02/03/140...

For the TL;DR crowd: Lack of access. Isn't it good we have cheap flights to England from IRE/NI?

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - What taxis can use bus... · 1 reply · +1 points

PSNI will only act if somebody obstructs the road BUT you need to tell them. So the taxis can't park legally in the bus lane, but some will of course.

Where do you get the time to phone PSNI when driving? (roads service can also act but again...where do you get the time?)

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - What taxis can use bus... · 0 replies · +2 points

Doesn't that say it all that you feel cycling is so unsafe that you wouldn't cycle into work?

Number don't support this BTW cycling IS very safe. But there you go, competition laws may now take a cycle lane away.

I can handle the taxis and other issues but I do cycle like everybody is legally blind and I never ever let anybody get past when I think there's not enough room. Cos that's a recipe for getting overtaken with too close. I have to an a$$ cos I can't trust others. Says it all really about how we treat each other.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - What taxis can use bus... · 4 replies · +2 points

I find the cyclists VS motorists not to be very fruitful. There's bad road users in all groups. You will always get people not being mindful of others. So it goes round and round...but a car can kill.

Why do the cyclists have to defend themselves, have you not seen your fellow motorists... :P

I have to say while illegal I don't mind people cycling slowly on the footpath. Yes I know they shouldn't but most of the cycle lanes are blocked with parked cars, and you really have to assume everybody is an Idiot.

As you notice perceived safety is important to people, and like what happened to my colleagues namely nearly being hit twice scared them off the road. A separated lane AND/OR much better driving behavior can both help.

Taking away the bus lane and turn in into a taxi lane won't.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - What taxis can use bus... · 6 replies · +1 points

Er. Yeah about that: Let me see...motorists jumping red lights all the time. Carving people up. Tailgating. Motorists: Law onto themselves...

Bloody cyclists not contributing to the traffic jams we enjoy. If only they'd all get in a car and ensure Belfast is even more congested...

Ow and all those times I nearly got killed in a car by a cyclists like...er...0.

I agree with your point on competition laws to be balanced. But I don't see taxi companies not doing business, obv. the journey time may go down if they can use bus lanes which means they can have more pickups. There's a balance to be struck in costs, and this has to be done fairly but the cyclists are all bad shtick is really quite old.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Nuclear energy is not ... · 0 replies · +3 points

There's real concerns around storage of nuclear waste.

However, wind/solar cannot offer enough energy all year round. Maybe tidal can bridge that gap, but if not, nuclear may be preferable to coal/oil.

Right now due to all this scaremongering (OMG radiation...!) there isn't as much research into nuclear as there can be.