The Young Conservative -

I Need a Coffee

March 13, 2012 at 16:19 Comments off

It’s a funny thing coffee, some days I only drink one or two cups, others I drink about 10, either way I certainly struggle to start the day without it, although my very first drink is always a nice cup of earl grey tea. But from then on and throughout the day it’s coffee all the way. The problem I have is that if I don’t have any coffee at all I do feel tired that day and end up with a weird headache, not that it really hurts or anything, it just feels a bit like it’s been stuffed full of cotton wool. If I drink too much I have the same problem, it just makes my head fuzzy and I find it hard to concentrate on one thing, I suppose that’s due to the caffeine.

The thing I find the most strange about it is that although caffeine is a stimulant it can also have the opposite effect if I drink too much of it. Plus in the days (which are long gone by the way) when I used to drink vodka red-bull I never seemed to get the same feeling, or perhaps that was just that the effect of alcohol was stronger than that of caffeine so I didn’t notice it.

So as I sit here drinking coffee and writing, I’m wondering if I should be drinking it at all, it’s only instant which doesn’t seem to be nearly as caffeine laden as proper filter coffee. I speak from experience here, as I used to work for a company who had one of those coffee machines in the kitchen, you know the type, the ones which have little sachets of ready ground coffee, you put them in the machine and close the door, they then pierce the seal and pour boiling water in until the bottom bursts and it all pours into your cup below. They were graded by strength and I always used to drink the number four, so second from strongest, I don’t think there was a day that I left work from there without a fuzzy coffee head!

These days I only drink proper filter coffee or espresso based drinks at the weekends and after a meal, although as Michael Macintire (yes, I do know that’s probably spelt wrong, but you know who I mean) pointed out in one of his standup sketches, why would we even consider drinking coffee at that time of night, if anyone offered you coffee at 10 in the evening when you were just sitting around watching the TV you would think they were totally mad.

So when I do make a proper gourmet coffee at home it’s usually something fairly strong and either Columbian or Brazilian as they seem to come up with the flavours I really like, I think it’s the Arabica bean, although I could be wrong about that too as my spell checker is saying it’s spelt wrong, but not giving me any other options.

So am I going to stop drinking coffee? Nope not a chance, Am I going to cut down a bit at least? Highly unlikely! I just enjoy a good cup of coffee so will just keep on drinking it.

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Changes to Funding

January 5, 2012 at 17:42 Comments off

In the UK the government is clamping down on all sorts of things and the way legal fees are funded is no different. We have already had changes in Councils budgets which have started to have a real impact on the funding of various services, libraries being one which stands out for being in the news a lot recently, also large numbers of redundancies across the country have seen many people out of work (regardless if you agree with them or not).

This obviously has an impact on the wider community, if one person loses their job, they have less money in their pocket to spend, if they stop buying their newspaper and milk from the local shop, they then lose revenues and so it goes on. Another side effect is people are trying to make money through other avenues, so one industry which seems to be doing quite well, either despite or because of the recession is the legal claims industry, otherwise known as no win no fee solicitors. You know the ones, many of them have TV adverts all morning between the daytime TV programmes, undoubtedly trying to catch all those people who have had accidents, trips and falls who aren’t working, or perhaps also those who are in work but had an accident there and are planning to get the compensation from their employer.

Regardless of their situation the UK legal system has for many years allowed a solicitor to act for a client much the same way that they would when billing privately or under the legal aid system, i.e. the winner of the case can claim their legal costs from the other party. No win no fee solicitors have done the same thing historically, this is how they can guarantee that their own client will not incur any costs, as they will only take the case on if they are confident of winning anyway and therefore the other party will always have to pay the legal costs.

A change in the way these cases are funded is on the horizon though, a friend who is an oxford based solicitor was telling me that these type of cases are soon to be funded in a very different way, the solicitor will receive a flat fee for the case as opposed to charging for their time. This could mean clients get less legal time spent on the case, or it could mean the solicitor has to work harder for the same money.

The reasoning behind this is to try to cut out the middle man companies (some of whom are the big names you probably know) who are actually middle men, they will refer to themselves as legal advisers as opposed to solicitors, they attract the enquiries, then sell them on to people who actually do the work.

For more about this and to see how the rules are eventually put in place, see the law society’s news pages.

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Changing Accountant

October 10, 2011 at 15:16 Comments off

When using an accounting firm to assist with financial record keeping and guidance in financial affairs, there may be a need to change to a new accountant in a different firm. This can be a daunting prospect, especially if you have utilised the services of one company for any length of time and knowing how to switch accounting firms will make the process easier.

The Need to Switch Accountants
When needing to switch accountants, the process involved is similar to the one you used to choose your current accountant however sometimes the process can be easier and need not be complicated. The reason for the need to switch firms will determine how difficult it is to make the change.
If your current accountant is leaving their company for personal reasons, then another accountant employed in the same company will likely take on the clients. This will require little action on your part and the success of the switch will depend on if you are able to work as closely professionally with the new accountant as you did with the previous one. Many businesses will suggest a replacement accountant but if your relationship with the firm is long standing, it’s probable you already know many of the other accountants and know which of them you would prefer to handle your financial affairs.

Often the requirements of your business or personal needs might change and your current accountant may not be able to supply you with the support you need. Most accountants in this situation are ethical in their client service provision and will tell you when their ability to provide you with the correct knowledge based service is compromised by their lack of training in a particular accountancy field. They will often refer you other accountants who can better service your needs.

On other occasions you may become aware that the service you are being provided with by your current accountant is not giving you value for money. You will become aware that their service provision is inadequate and not supplying your needs and you will need to search for your own replacement accountant.

How to Change Accountants
If circumstances or dissatisfaction are creating the need for you chance accountants you will need to ensure that you have access to necessary documents that they hold on your behalf. If you have already selected a new accountant they can approach the company on your behalf and request these papers. They should also provide a professional clearance that documents the move from one company to the next for auditing purposes. If you prefer, or if you have not yet decided on a new accountant, you can personally request this documentation be sent to the new firm once you have selected them.

It’s also worth making sure that any company you do use has and uses the same software as you, Sage is very popular, so if you use sage 50 accounts from one of the companies like ledger services, you must make sure that they have the sage 50 accounts client manager software, as this will make things much easier. Likewise if you use Sage Payroll and you want the accountant to run the wages for you, it’s so much easier if they run Sage 50 Payroll too. Most will do anyway as Sage is incredibly popular in the UK, but it’s always worth checking.

There should be no cost involved in transferring from one accountant to another unless you have any outstanding fees or debts owed to your original company. The two companies will usually organise the transfer amongst themselves and you are then free to continue with your professional or personal life with little disruption to your affairs.

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Who’s Watching You?

August 3, 2011 at 10:56 Comments off

In today’s culture of making legal claims for compensation for accidents and injuries, video evidence has become increasingly popular. Fairly often these days, especially in a no win no fee type scenario, the defending party (typically an insurance company or another solicitor) will hire a private detective to catch you out.

If this does happen it can be devastating for a case and often it will simply be posted off to the defending lawyer, who upon watching it will immediately know if the case has any chance of standing up in court, let’s look at why it may or may not have a negative impact on your case:

Imagine, if you would, that you have had a car accident, you are a builder by trade and you have a case of whiplash, the doctor or hospital have seen you and said you are not fit to work for a period of time. You may be photographed or filmed out doing the shopping, this needn’t be a problem though, as the doctor had said you are not fit for work, not that you are incapable of walking around the supermarket, so a good solicitor shouldn’t necessarily worry about this situation.

The more problematic evidence would be when you have lied or exaggerated about the injury to the courts and said how you are laid up in bed and can barely get up to visit the toilet, but are then filmed driving down to the local park for a game of football with your kids, so the main thing is if your claim is genuine you shouldn’t have any problems, whether you are filmed or not.

As long as you have a good, no win no fee solicitor on your side and you are being honest about the injury you have a very good chance of gaining compensation. I know our local solicitor is an expert in these type of claims, but if you don’t know one, make sure you find an expert, I can pretty much guarantee they would tell you to be honest about the claim though.

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Legal Help at No Cost?

April 19, 2011 at 06:07 Comments off

I had a rare day off work and didn’t really have anything much to do, so ended up watching a bit of daytime TV, OK it was pretty dull, but I couldn’t believe the number of these no win no fee type solicitors advertising on there alongside the usual fantastic latest products and loans of course. It got me wondering how it all works, what they do and if we are now reaching the US style of compensation culture and how in turn that could further impact or own struggling economy.

It seems that broadly speaking there are six main categories for compensation claims, these are a trip, car accident, criminal injury, accident abroad, at work or medical negligence. The first 3 are aimed at other individuals, so in reality would not have any kind of impact on the economy, accident abroad, I can only guess would mean something which happened in another country on holiday or business and therefore would be claimed against an entity in that country. Which leaves the work accident and medical negligence.

Now I don’t want to get into the whole moral dilemma about this as yes it could be construed as an occupational hazard to lose the tip of your finger if you worked in a car manufacturing factory, however what if you lost a whole arm? and were unable to work for months and then when you were able to return to work couldn’t do the job you had trained for all and subsequently done for many years?

I suppose these kind of decisions come down to the individual and should be dictated more by a moral code than a sense of “what can I make from a situation”, although granted it’s completely open to abuse.

What happens when an unemployed, overweight person trips on the pavement after heavy frost and snow has left it damaged? Was it the fault of the council for not spending loads of money on sending an army of workers out to repair them the next morning? Or was it the fault of the overweight person, perhaps if they weren’t they wouldn’t have fallen so badly, it really is a difficult one. But ultimately should our public money go to that person if they won the case? This is money which could have been spent on the NHS and schooling instead.

I know personally if I were to make a claim like this it would only ever be if the accident was serious enough that it incapacitated me and even then it would depend how seriously and who I was claiming against. Don’t get me wrong, I would certainly claim if it were justified, just not if it wasn’t.

All this being said, I am no lawyer, so don’t take anything I have said here as advice, it’s just my usual chatter about a topic, possibly typing that little bit faster than my brain is going.
Please bear in mind I am not a solicitor, if you need legal advice after being involved in an accident you should contact a specialist solicitor. It’s a good idea to try to find someone quite local so if you are in Wiltshire look for a Swindon solicitor or Cheltenham solicitor etc depending on your local large town, if however you are in Oxon you are best with someone more local so try to find an Oxford solicitor. It’s handy if you can find someone local to you as then you can pop in to discuss the details of the claim. Personal injury solicitors will be able to advise about accidents at work or clinical negligence too as they will usually cover a wide range of cases. Often on a no win no fee basis too.

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The Farmer Update and what it Means

March 7, 2011 at 17:39 Comments off

I suppose I should first explain what the farmer and content mill update is, well, every now and then good old Google decides to update the way is assesses websites and decides when they should and shouldn’t appear in the results, one such change has recently happened. This was being called the farmer update as it was said to be predominantly effecting content farms (those sites which people misguidedly dump regurgitated articles on in the hope of a link to their site, or even a click through or two). However it is now also being called the content mill update, this is what I’m talking about here.

There are a few ways it is suspected that big G may decide your site is a content mill, so I have briefly summarised these below, although it is worth noting that this has hit the US already, but has not been rolled out across Europe and most importantly (to me that is) the UK.

You prefer quantity to quality

If your website is full of low quality content, and no I don’t believe this includes sites like mine where I type what I think regardless, I mean those where people spin articles or just stuff them full of keywords in an attempt to get them found in search engines.

You write for the Bots not your Readers

Here’s a wacky and novel idea, how about actually writing something with readers in mind, rather than just attempting to appear for a given search term, that may let them know that your site is doing what search engines prefer, they display content which the reader is looking for.

Letting bad writers post on your blog

I know many of us have done it before, it’s been a bit busy and we haven’t written anything for several days, or even a couple of weeks, someone sends a “guest post” so we put it up, against our better judgement, because it’s better than not adding anything at all for so long, I’ve done a couple on a site which one of my contacts owns http://www.eco-seo.com but I write quality content and get my signature link in there, so that’s fine. The problem is that much of the content I see is written so badly that although it does make sense and passes a grammar check, it’s really not worth reading and doesn’t really say much anyway, I think these are probably best left off from now on.

Whilst this is all well and good, what if Google gets it wrong, it’s likely that they do when something first changes, of course they will refine it over time, but initially there could be some sites who slip through the net and those who get penalised when they shouldn’t. I suspect (although there is no proof as yet) that some product pages over multiple sites have such similar content on them that they could easily be seen as being very similar and could incur the wrath of G.

There are a number of good things about the update too though! First, and probably the point of the whole exercise is that the kind of content which I’m discussing should all but disappear from the results, this is great for anyone with a genuine site or blog, because as anything get’s dropped we will all move up a place or two.

It also means that any of us who do know a bit about SEO and haven’t been using these techniques should have a little advantage over the content mill type sites. Now please don’t think I’m an expert on this type of thing, I know a bit and just happen to have a very good friend, and he is possibly what you might call an expert, this is where I get the ideas for my posts on the subject, I pick his brains then pour it all out here for everyone else to benefit from.

If you aren’t I would suggest consulting a good uk seo company before the update hits us to make sure your site is ok, if you can find someone local all the better, so for example I’m in Salisbury so would prefer an seo in wiltshire but that’s not really essential. Or if you operate in a particular industry try to find someone who specialises in tourism seo for example.

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Ace the Auditions

February 8, 2011 at 10:00 Comments off

Firstly it is worth mentioning that no matter how well it goes, you must be sure that you have the time available which is required to fulfil the role once you pass. There is absolutely no point going to an audition in the first place if you don’t have the time to dedicate to rehearsals, remember that for a theatre production this could be as much as 3-4 hours per evening and that’s not including learning your lines and stage direction, so be prepared to devote a huge amount of time to it one you are (hopefully) past the auditioning stage, it really is a huge commitment, especially if you are working full time or at college or university too.

As soon as you reach the door, relax, take a few deep breaths and assume a state of confidence, this will go a long way throughout, from the initial introduction to the audition and until you walk back out the door, you are being watched and assessed.

Leave your ego at home, nobody likes a big head or a show off, there is a big difference between being confident and big headed. Especially important in an environment where nobody is being paid, it’s supposed to be fun, so make sure you don’t play the diva and keep it as fun.
Go for the most suitable work. If you don’t have an imposing stage presence consider TV or movie work, this is usually much more subtle, with realistic emotions being portrayed.

Be professional at all times, it’s quite possible that you would be required to send in some professional photographs and CV initially, make sure the photos are professional and that your CV is up to date, first impressions count and seeing how your appearance is top of the list when a role is being cast, have a range of pictures so you can send one which will portray you in the best way for the particular role.

Stack the odds in your favour. If you are a pretty 20 year old girl, there is no point applying for a role as a 50 year old Spanish waiter. Too many knock backs can start to take their toll, so help to keep your spirits up by only applying for castings which you can get. Don’t forget either that if you are a musician, a lot of bands also have auditions, so if you want to get into a band, the same principles apply, practice and be sure you turn up prepared and know the music you will be playing.

If you have the opportunity read the play before you go to auditions, yes the whole play, it can make answering questions, getting into character and call-backs much easier if you already have a good understanding and understand characters and the whole storyline.

Arrive in plenty of time, this really should go without saying, but like any interview or casting, they don’t want someone who can’t keep good time, which could be a problem for the entire crew and cast if you aren’t able to.

Keep a spare copy of your CV in your bag or folder, you just never know who you might bump into, and it’s much better to carry one around and never need it, than to have times when you could have given it to someone, but you didn’t have it with you.

Remember that finding acting jobs is extremely competitive, so not everyone can make it as an actor, many will never make it past auditioning, and many more will end up in the wings, simply because of their love of theatre but never having got the break they wanted.

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Restaurants and Shopping

January 19, 2011 at 12:02 Comments off

Marlborough has a fairly unique high street in that it is exceptionally wide and has parking right down the middle, it’s other defining character is the distinct lack of high street chain stores. There is a distinct lean towards women’s fashion shops and boutiques in and off the main high street. It also has an unusually high number of jewellery shops, however this is possibly due to the high number of tourists visiting the area and the general high cost of living.

The thing which will become immediately apparent when you arrive in Marlborough is the unusually high number of Café’s, restaurants and bars, both down the high street and on the numerous side alleys which head off of it. On the top end of the scale, both Godot and Coles offer fine dining, the food is high quality, but then again it’s priced to match, you can also find a wide range of mid range food, some from the likes of Ask and Pizza Express, although there are many independent restaurants too, the Italian at the end of the main road is worth a visit, as is the Raj just up the steps opposite and behind the town hall. There are many small cafe’s too, you can stop off for a quick coffee and cake, although many of these also offer sandwiches and in many cases full lunches. Want to munch on the move? No problem, there are plenty of take-aways too including Chinese and a chippy, plus of course most other venues will happily sell food to take away too, so just follow your taste buds if you feel a bit peckish.

Of course, whilst parking down the middle of the high street may seem appealing at first, it can be tricky to find a space, so there are plenty of others dotted around just behind, the largest one being directly behind Waitrose, these tend to be a bit cheaper than parking down the middle too.

If you fancy a day out in Wiltshire, Marlborough is an ideal place to visit with it’s wide range of shops and restaurants.

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Marlborough Town

January 19, 2011 at 09:03 Comments off

The historical market town of Marlborough in Wiltshire could be the ideal base if you like a mix of traditional and more contemporary tourist attractions.

It is steeped in history and dates back to the doomsday book, in fact early English coins were minted here back in Norman times and savernak forest was the playground of Tudor kings where they hunt for deer. It was also a major stop off point between the west of England and London.

If you visit Wiltshire and decide to stay in Marlborough, there is quite a wide choice of hotels, B&B’s, guest-houses and pubs who rent out rooms, so finding somewhere to stay should be quite easy. I would however recommend booking in advance, as sometimes there are large events happening in the town hall (typically weddings) which can mean they are quite booked up, especially in the summer holidays, when the town is already busy.

With Avebury approximately 4 miles to the west, the archaeology in the area is fantastic, with Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow each sitting across the A4 from each other, just down the road. A little further afield is Salisbury with it’s famous cathedral and of course Stonehenge, the UK’s and probably the worlds most well known megalithic monument.

Also in close proximity to the town are a wealth of small towns and country villages, some of them have very quaint shops and some fantastic country pubs, which you can stop off in for lunch or just a pint, many serve Wadsworth, this is the local beer which is brewed just down the road in Devizes. A few of those close by (which I happen to know myself) are Kennet, Pewsey, West Overton and Fyfield. Or if you prefer the hustle and bustle of city life, Swindon is about 14 miles north and has all you could ever want with respect to nightlife.

Strangely, there is no tourist information centre in Marlborough itself, although there is one at Avebury and of course, a wealth of information available on-line.

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Which Accounting Software

January 14, 2011 at 18:52 Comments off

In this era where everything is digitized, it becomes an impossible task to maintain all the accounts manually as this could cost heavily on man power and on precious time factor. No matter what business you do, it is simplified with the help of the accounting software that is suitable for your business. There are several factors that you should consider before settling down on software for your business. Each type of software is specialized in its own way and focuses on a specific set of needs which could or could be the same needs of your business. Also you should check out how the software performs in real time usage from people who have previously used it or you can find out about it from the internet forums and blogs about the software.

When you are running a small business you cannot employ a full time accountant or tax expert neither will there be the need for them all the time. The best thing to do is to get accounting software. Some of the accounting software giants are QuickBooks and Peachtree, also called Sage in Europe. The best part about these accounting softwares is that they can be customized exactly to your requirements. They offer different types of software packages that will be just right for your small business. This is a big advantage with these softwares.

However once you have bought the software, you should know how to work with it. Just having the software doesn’t make you a tax expert or an accountant. Many times the people who buy the software don’t know how to work with it and make a lot of mistakes which will make them call for professional help each time to set things right. This will again cost them heavily. The best way to avoid all this is to subscribe for help desk along with the software. This can be done by paying an additional amount of money when you are getting the software. You can enjoy this benefit when you are purchasing the software from large companies as many of the smaller companies are yet to offer this help desk feature. Truly the help desk will allow you to be independent in working with the software helping you with all the problems that you encounter. This is the best way to save money that you will be looking forward to do when you are running a small business.

When you are determined to have a do it yourself software, then you should try to take a small training on how to use the software so that you don’t create complications and end up paying for fixing it. You should be sure to do some homework about the various accounting firms that you could approach and the type of accounting software that they will provide with their services included and over all if that will come under your planned budget . There are also a number of free accounting softwares that are available over the internet if you have the time to check them out!

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