The Political Thread

[The Legendary Shark]

Update: Today's planned unlawful eviction has been cancelled by the Council. They've been forced to face up to the fact that they can't evict someone who is (and always has been) willing to negotiate. There's still a long way to go but still...


Shark 2 - Council 0.

[TordelBack]

They've been forced to face up to the fact that they can't evict someone who is (and always has been) willing to negotiate.

Well done Shark, I had hoped that would be the case. 


It's a totally different situation (one of my own making and not one related to my principles in any way) but my own troubles with bailiffs, sheriffs and debt collectors have usually been eased by my insistence on my willingness to negotiate - it can be a struggle to get them to acknowledge this, sometimes a legal one, but their powers, such as they are, are generally based on dealing with intransigence: seizure by force as a matter of last recourse.  It's very difficult for them to face into a possible court appearance when there's a folder full of written offers to arrive at a compromise that wouldn't waste a judge's time. 

[James Stacey]

Update: Today's planned unlawful eviction has been cancelled by the Council. They've been forced to face up to the fact that they can't evict someone who is (and always has been) willing to negotiate. There's still a long way to go but still...


Shark 2 - Council 0.

Well done Sharky. Stay strong and keep yourself safe.

[The Legendary Shark]

Thanks again, chaps

On a different topic, there is a petition to get the government to debate existing drug laws. It needs 100,000 signatures p.d.q. My own signature was the 53,351st. Here's the link if anyone's interested:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/uk_epetition/?bvEAccb&v=35769

[ZenArcade]

Sharkey, delighted to hear of some positive progress; hope the end of this saga is to your benefit and satisfaction. Z

[von Boom]

Great news Sharky. I've been thinking about your situation all day. Very pleased things seem to be going your way.

[Proudhuff]

Thanks again, chaps

Glad to hear things are going your way, i think its a tribute to your behaviour that they have backed off a bit, continue the reasoned debate and respecting the indiviual not the badge and you'll get there hopefully, best o luck.

[Professor Bear]

Good going, Sharky.  You confused them into submission by having a spine.

[Recrewt]

Yes, well done Sharky.  I think you have handled this all very well by not losing your rag and being polite and open to discussion.  What will the council do now that they can't just put figure A into box B?  You might bring the whole system down after all! 

[The Legendary Shark]

The Council guy was coming to meet with me this afternoon to negotiate but has just called to cancel because of the storms. In case the electricity goes off, he doesn't want to meet with me in the dark! Maybe he's seen my avatar after all...

Thanks again for all your kind comments - this would have been a lot harder without them. Come the revolution, you'll all be awarded Sharktopian knighthoods!

[The Legendary Shark]

So, just spent almost two hours negotiating with a council bod. Well, I say negotiating - I was negotiating, he was intractable. Mostly.
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His initial position was that I HAD to claim not only Housing Benefit but other benefits as well and must agree to ownership of the back-rent accrued while the disagreement was ongoing.
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I managed to convince him that I won't claim responsibility for the back rent nor would I claim any benefits beyond HB, which I said I'd claim if the Council did all the work, as it's them who want it and not me.
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Even though the Council only got me to capitulate on the HB I still feel defeated. Sick. Thing is, I know I could have continued with the struggle and kept entirely within the law but I folded.
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I hate myself so much right now. Feel like I've sold my soul, betrayed everything I believe in, bent over to be shafted. Dammit.
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Still, guess I'll just have to swallow it and carry on. There are still plenty of battles to fight but, to be honest, right now I'm thinking I'm not the guy to fight them.
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Free and democratic country my ringpiece. We don't have a government, we have a meat grinder. People go in one end and money comes out the other - all that civil servants do is turn the handle.

[Frank]

Free and democratic country my ringpiece. We don't have a government, we have a meat grinder. People go in one end and money comes out the other - all that civil servants do is turn the handle.

[M.I.K.]

I hate myself so much right now. Feel like I've sold my soul, betrayed everything I believe in, bent over to be shafted. Dammit.

Dinnae be daft, Shark. All that's happened is you've been roped into a pointless game of pass the parcel that's been rigged so the person whose party it is gets the present. Sometimes you just have to go along with that kind of crap to get to the jelly and ice cream and a go on the bouncy castle later on.

(No, I'm not sure what I'm going on about either, but it sounds like it's probably really clever and insightful and stuff.)

[ZenArcade]

Jesus Sharky, we take these small defeats every day. The measure of you isn't this day or moment; it's the person you present yourself as after this. You're not a gestalt of small incremental, petty defeats. Obversly you're the tantamount of a man who has faced the lying bullshit and has won out. Stay true. Your friend with respect Z

[Theblazeuk]

Its not a defeat. It's a bureaucratic arrangement. You've won Sharky