EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

I have this "Travel Inclusive" add-on. When I signed up it gave me a selection of "Extras" and I chose that one for free (although they also get called Bolt-ons but this doesn't appear under my bolt-ons, unlike the EU one, but Extras so fuck knows):
https://www.o2.co.uk/international/travel-inclusive-zone

I stupidly turned my phone on in Doha and boom £18 worth of bullshit synced. I feel the same way about roaming charges as I do about that stupid fucking DVD region thing. I tend to use mobile data for everything so I'm not connecting to dirty wifi but I guess we're going backwards so I may as well get used to it.

Phones need a 'data roaming in X / allowed counties' setting.

Heading to France on a ferry in the autumn I had roaming turned on since that is included in my contract. Wasn't expecting the maritime GSM network that became active a couple of nautical miles from the coast. My phone connected and ran up a data roaming bill. Felt like I'd been mugged.

Yeah, it's pretty funny (shit) that with push notifications the SMS from providers telling you you're about to be fucked with roaming charges comes in about 10min after you've already maxed out your day's roaming charges.

Normally I'd have roaming off by default, but I'd got so used to Three having free roaming I didn't think when I turned the phone on in the airport.

Is this to the new 5G? As price for 4G is cheaper (and better).

I've recently had some experience in this area and had to do some research.

My conclusion is to use a service like Airalo to buy an eSIM for the time you are abroad and configure your phone so that it can only use the eSIM for data when roaming, and only use the standard SIM for data at home.

Use the 84 country option as a default, or a territory specific one if you find yourself in e.g. Morocco.

It's very cheap, works well, avoids having to dick around.

I still don't even know what a fucking eSim is bro. I'm turning into a retrogrouch.

I'll have a look if I can find 2 seconds where I'm not dealing with some other mess. Fuck Brexit.

eSIM reference: https://www.pilotplans.com/blog/airalo-review

It’s pretty easy- download the eSIM from within the Airalo app, install it, label it “travel” or whatever you want to call it, then set it to be the connection used when roaming. Bosh.

You then get two connection strength icons stacked on each other to indicate physical and eSIM.

1 Attachment

I think they were all 5G contracts (even though I wasn't using 5G). Didn't think others were offered any more.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/06/nhs-trusts-recruit-from-red-list-countries-brexit-eu-staff-loss?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

More Brexit benefits.

You won't hear that on the BBC though

The BBC has reported on the medication issue/change (it looks we may get some EU medication first? But a lot of non-branded GB medicines are now off the list)

But yes, it is not particularly critical of Brexit. During the campaign the criticism was particularly weak, no surprise as the government has too much control over its budget.

I was talking more about the link between staff shortages and Brexit. My wife is a nurse and has said it is a real thing but the mainstream TV channels do not report it.

What's her perspective on this? My understanding (based on no data), was that the NHS recruits the majority of its skilled staff from non-EU countries, and that aggregate net non-EU migration has increased.

Certainly in her hospital there was a loss of quite a lot of eastern European workers.
I don't think there has been any great increase in non-eu workers from what she has said. Nursing qualifications from quite a few countries (such as India from memory) are not recognised here so they would end up being HCAs despite being qualified nurses in their own country.
They are really struggling to recruit anybody at all, there are loads of open roles that have zero applicants from the UK or elsewhere.

Banning Nurses from going on strike whilst keeping their pay depressed should fix that.

Ah gotcha.

Yes of course it is real, the government thinks you can just open a tap of NHS workers but it doesn't work like that. If work is already tight then "oh it is just a few % we don't need them" doesn't add up! And nurses etc. are in short supply everywhere in the EU too, why come here and then just get crap from the government (the HO is a mess).

And then nurses from some countries end up being tied to special contracts and they must pay a fee if they change their job before the contract is up.

It is really heart breaking and the NHS in Northern Ireland is such a mess too, care work is also affected by Brexit with lower paid EU workers often leaving and now you cannot come in on a low salary.

BTW I met a whole load of Indian nurses when I went to a course in Belfast, hope they will do well and be happy here.

I am really feeling like "when we do we have to riot" but I am in IT and am not unionised as nobody here in IT joins a union, we aren't allowed a strike anyway in support of others, no spare cash atm to buy pizza for hospital workers and have to be at work.

Bah.

If IT is a traditionally non-unionised sector, you could join and create a sector with United Voices of the World
https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/en/sectors/

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is set to attack what he will describe as the government's "denial" of the "immense damage" he says Brexit is doing.

In his speech, Mr Khan will say: "After two years of denial and avoidance, we must now confront the hard truth: Brexit isn't working.

"It's weakened our economy, fractured our union and diminished our reputation. But, crucially, not beyond repair.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64248048

We can join Unite and the Communication Worker's Union.

Just nobody bothers, I asked Unite and only 2 people in the business park I work in had joined.

There are thousands of people in it... but perhaps an IT-focussed union would help, I just don't know...

Unite here is more "working class" and IT sorta doesn't exist for them, but if the IT workers would flock to Unite and we build a bridge (I mean no internet is...deep shite) with training and working together, it would be massive.

I am not a people or sales person so...no idea how to make it happen :)

It feels like this is the first I've heard about sadiq khan in about three years. What has he actually done other than get rid of Cressida dick?

He has upset my car loving brother by proposing to tighten up London emissions further.

lol, a Brexit dividend

The number of bankers and investment professionals in the EU earning more than €1mn hit a record in 2021 as investment banking boomed and Brexit pushed more staff to the continent. The ranks of top earners swelled more than 40 per cent to 1,957 in 2021, according to figures released on Thursday by the European Banking Authority. It is the highest level since the EBA began data collection in 2010. The surge highlights a consequence of Brexit, where senior bankers have had to relocate from London to EU financial hubs.

https://www.ft.com/content/925a7847-767f-4ece-8a70-1dc79998f0a0