King Charles and his gardening staff

We have one, now elderly, Exmoor pony, the last of a small herd we have had over the years, and Ragwort is an absolute NO!NO! Every year we spend time time seeking out and destroying this very dangerous plant. Get it into hay and it is a killer.

M0nica

For generations the Royal family have had a reputation for not paying their staff well. I presume they think that for someone to be able to put on their CV that they had worked for the RF, plus the social cachet it is imagined they get is enough compensation for the low pay rates.

Like everything else, you have an option whether to take a job or not, but the current fashion is to grumble about pay, whether you’re at the top of the scale or at the bottom. Any minute now MPs will vote themselves another pay rise, because of how poorly paid they are.

It isn’t the King that pays the gardeners, it’s a foundation isn’t it?
As such they presumably pay the going rate.

0nica
For generations the Royal family have had a reputation for not paying their staff well. I presume they think that for someone to be able to put on their CV that they had worked for the RF, plus the social cachet it is imagined they get is enough compensation for the low pay rates.

Before social media the press told the world of wages paid by
The Late Queen, her father, his father , 3 Generations

^Before social media the press told the world of wages paid by
The Late Queen, her father, his father , 3 Generations^

Yes and the papers told of low rates of pay if you worked for the RF

MaizieD

Elegran

So why do you pull up the ragwort year after year, MaizieD? It isn't all that ugly, in comparison with some other weeds, and if your horses ate it, you would be saved the effort.

What on earth are you on about, Elegran?

I was replying to you saying "I think that there is a bit of over dramatisation of the ‘dangers’ of ragwort happening on this thread. And I speak as one who has horses, dogs and ragwort (which we pull up year after year after year)"

You think the comments about ragwort are overdramatic, yet you yourself have horses and dogs and pull up the ragwort every year. Why? Aesthetics or animal safety?

Any minute now MPs will vote themselves another pay rise, because of how poorly paid they are.

We've been over this many times. MPs don't vote themselves pay rises, the rises are set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa). The rises are implemented whether the MPs want them or not. They have no choice.

IPSA was set up specifically to stop MPs voting for their pay rises.

If they don't want the rise they are free to give it away; most obviously by donating it to a charity. But they don't have any control over how much they get.

The supposedly independent ipsa group are chosen by The leader of the house of commons, so the question of how independent comes to mind.

Elegran

MaizieD

Elegran

So why do you pull up the ragwort year after year, MaizieD? It isn't all that ugly, in comparison with some other weeds, and if your horses ate it, you would be saved the effort.

What on earth are you on about, Elegran?

I was replying to you saying "I think that there is a bit of over dramatisation of the ‘dangers’ of ragwort happening on this thread. And I speak as one who has horses, dogs and ragwort (which we pull up year after year after year)"

You think the comments about ragwort are overdramatic, yet you yourself have horses and dogs and pull up the ragwort every year. Why? Aesthetics or animal safety?

The comments are overdramatic.

I did a lot of Googling

There is no question about the toxicity of ragwort. If eaten it causes liver damage. But there is a big question mark over how much needs to be ingested before it causes death. For large animals, such as horses and cattle it certainly wouldn't be one plant. It would need to be repeatedly eaten over a long period, or eaten in very large amounts, before it caused acute liver failure.

It's most likely to be eaten when dried and more palatable. This is why, as a responsible horse owner I pull all ragwort where the horses graze. They're big animals who don't watch where they put their feet, they can cut down a plant by walking on it and that's when it becomes dangerous as it dries out. Conversely, they are pretty expert at not eating plants which are not palatable to them, live ragwort is unpleasantly bitter. Which is why I don't panic when I see live ragwort plants in their field, I just pull them up and burn them.

Of course I keep a sharp eye on our hay field and remove every single plant I find.

Ragwort in fields is unavoidable, the seed get blown in and can survive for years in the soil until conditions are right for them to germinate. Regular removal is tiresome but necessary because the seeds come in from other areas every year.

Interestingly I was recently told of a lad who was doing casual work for a farmer and spent the day pulling ragwort. The reason that the ragwort was there was because they had been able to spray herbicide to remove it this spring, contrary to the farm's usual practice. If the ragwort was regularly sprayed annually to destroy it how come it grew in quantity when it wasn't sprayed?

As for dogs, how many dogs regularly eat growing plants of any sort (apart from grass)?

I'm sure Charles was cross about the ragwort because it shouldn't have been in a pristine garden area, not because he though his dogs would eat it.

As for poisoning watercourses, I couldn't find any reference to that but I'd be happy to see any reputable research that says it does.

silverlining48

The supposedly independent ipsa group are chosen by The leader of the house of commons, so the question of how independent comes to mind.

🤣🤣🤣

I'm sure Charles was cross about the ragwort because it shouldn't have been in a pristine garden area, not because he though his dogs would eat it.

Good to have inner knowledge of the minds of the RF, or anyone else for that matter.

silverlining48

The supposedly independent ipsa group are chosen by The leader of the house of commons, so the question of how independent comes to mind.

Oh, FGS. Why don't you just say that you don't like politicians?

Is the IPSA scheme available for other state funded bodies?

silverlining48
The supposedly independent ipsa group are chosen by The leader of the house of commons, so the question of how independent comes to mind.

MaizieD
Oh, FGS. Why don't you just say that you don't like politicians?

Weird accusation.
But in that case, MaizieD,

Why don't you just say that you do like politicians?

Not weird accusation at all. Why would a poster be determined to believe that MPs pay rises are some sort of scandal masked by the supposed (in their view) independence of the body which determines the rises?

I don't like or dislike politicians. There are good and bad, but I wouldn't go as far as thinking that everything they do has to be seen as some sort of corrupt attempt to profit from their role.

Maizie Not sure why you state I don’t like politicians. There are some good some bad and many in between.
I was just querying the independence of ipsa and thought it a reasonable point.

From the Act (2009) setting up IPSA:

The IPSA is to consist of the following members—

(a)one member who is to chair it (“the chair”) appointed in accordance with paragraph 2, and

(b)four other members (referred to in this Schedule as “ordinary members”) appointed in accordance with that paragraph.

(2)At least one of the members of the IPSA must be a person who has held (but no longer holds) high judicial office (within the meaning of Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4)).

[F1(3)At least one of the members of the IPSA must be a person who is eligible for appointment as a statutory auditor by virtue of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of the Companies Act 2006.]

(4)One of the members of the IPSA (“the Parliamentary member”) must be a person who has been (but is no longer) a member of the House of Commons.

(5)Apart from the Parliamentary member, a person who has been a member of the House of Commons at any time within the last five years may not be a member of the IPSA.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/13/contents

Any help?

To return to the original post, that does seem a high turnover of staff. I've never had a business, but I did run a school, and my School Improvement Partner would certainly have been asking some pointed questions if this were happening there. I would hope that I would have seen this and be looking at the causes, perhaps scrutinising the exit interviews to see if there was a problem.

I can't give dates, but I do remember MPs receiving increases in salaries at a time when most people were prohibited from receiving any pay rise. During the recession?

The Chair of IPSA is appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons via the Speaker's Committee for IPSA.

ITCGS.

I think that there is a bit of over dramatisation of the ‘dangers’ of ragwort happening on this thread. And I speak as one who has horses, dogs and ragwort (which we pull up year after year after year)

Why, if it's not a great problem?

One problem is that it spreads by seed and by root and can take over, as it has on verges around here in Councils' misguided attempts at 'rewilding'.

Is anyone else having trouble adjusting to Charles being the king?

When people say "King Charles" my mind always turns to an image of a little, droopy eared spaniel with a round face.

Perhaps it is because Queen Elizabeth came to the throne when I was still tiny and she was all I knew until very recently.

To me he is still Prince Charles unless I think about it. As for 'the third person' in his marriage to Diana being Queen, I just can't get my head round it.

No, I have no trouble in thinking of Charles being our King.

For obvious reasons, he will have nowhere near as long as his mother in the role of monarch, but in his own words, I hope he is ‘spared’ for many years to come, not least because it will give William and Catherine more time to bring up their family in relative normality.

What of Diana’s lovers? there certainly more than three in her marriage and she was certainly a third in several marriages

Oh my.

Gardeners resigning, ragwort, the King's wives - all in one post.