I thought the EU was all about co-operation?

Cars / Motoring / Insurance
21

They are in ES, at least. Check the C.S. staffing levels of ES against DE, per population. It’s amazing

Everyone in Spain wants to take the C.S exam because once passed you WILL be given a job and you CANNOT be sacked. And thereafter, many take another job as the C.S. pay is poor.

A sad passge in the book ‘The Factory of Light’ by Michael Jacobs describes how a friend, having fallen out with the mayor of this small town, was effectivley sacked by being offered a job in another town hall 400 kms away. She couldn’t be sacked from her present position but if she turned down the new appointment she had effectively resigned.

And I continue to wonder at the enormous number of people there must be in what is a sort of parallel dept of the medical system in FR, dealing with the finance side of the process.

22

Which is, of course, nonsense when you look at the growth in the UK Civil Service that was required following Brexshit.

23

It’s just another lazy trope.

24

OK, so I’ve ordered the “Berlin” one, using the link supplied by b33jay (cheers for that), and I’ve got the Crit’Air sticker, and I’m registered to go into Antwerp and other Belgian Cities (but oddly not Brussels).

Are there any other permits/authorisations I might need, when driving in France, Belgium and Germany?

25

I think that depends on the country. Some countries have used (and may still do so for all I know) public sector employment levels to reduce unemployment. I’ve never bothered to check or research it but I’ve always had the impression that France had higher public sector employment numbers, but lower public sector pay levels. The chart below mapped against the public sector wage bill as a percentage of GDP or maybe GNP might be interesting.

IMG_1715
IMG_17152266×1488 311 KB

26

I notice that when I applied for my Crit’Air sticker.

It appears to only be required in about 12 Cities.

I likely won’t ever need the sticker, but I’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

27

This is obviously a rip off site, but it does have a list of permits, I don’t know of it is exhaustive or not. I noticed Brussels and Antwerp seem to have different stickers :thinking: Looks like we’ll need a windscreen full of them soon. Surely that’s an inhibitor to freedom of movement :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

28

And probably with a defined benefit, indexed linked pension.

29

That’s what I was thinking.

30

Of course, it is possible to so arrange one’s travel that no Crit’Air/similar is needed…

just a little forethought is needed… surely ???

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31

Undoubtedly it is, but for what they cost (about a fiver), I’d rather have one, just in case.

32

we bought one, for the same reason… just in case… when they first came out. Not needed it yet, but… one never knows :wink:
we do like to travel when the mood takes us… to heaven knows where… :wink:

but can’t imagine us needing one for any other countries though…

33

[quote=“John_Scully, post:28, topic:50220, full:true”]

And probably with a defined benefit, indexed linked pension.
[/quote

Again the world has moved on, not necessarily in a good direction. Being made redundant, which happened to me twice, is not being sacked. And defined benefit and final salary pensions are a thing of the past

Interesting, does that perhaps mirror the countries with the highest quality of life?

34

Personally, I can see me needing one for other countries, because I’m expecting to be visiting Germany, early next year.

35

Good question, Jane. I admire the Nordic model, to a degree, I like universal care for all, but but does the a quality of public services, associated taxes and total State control map on to the highest quality of life? A trivial, but IMO a telling, example was in Helsinki once when I went to the bar to order two drinks and they asked me to point out the other “drinker” before they would serve me two. Big Brother or what🙄

Back in the eighties the team I led spent about five years as part of the “Nordic Region”, so I visited and worked with other teams in all the Scandinavian countries. All wonderful people but universally a bit miserable and lacking in joie de vivre.

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36

I guess you were part of the UK civil service Jane. I’ve no idea what reforms happened there, but I do know public sector defined benefit, indexed linked pensions are still alive and well in other jurisdictions. And what stunning perq it is.

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37

Far, far too interesting John :slight_smile:

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38

So far as I’m aware from the financial press the UK still has a massive overhang of unfunded public sector index linked final salary pensions. There isn’t any money held back to pay them. So in payment, which stretches still decades ahead from now with a substantial number of active public sector employees still earning them, the money to pay them will have to be found by the Government each year.

In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, most private sector final salary schemes shut down as fast as they could be shut down by employers who said they were unaffordable. I believe less than 10% of private sector final salary schemes have survived.

In the public sector? … still lots of final salary index linked about, so far as I understand it. So affordable ?

For some.strange reason MP’s and others haven’t voted to look really hard at this.

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39

so, if you’llbe visiting CA controlled areas… do the necessary… if not, don’t :wink:

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40

I’d be interested in what makes these ones affordable. Or was it perhaps all a lie to increase profits?

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