Tag Archives: heinrich hoffmann

Why hearing the shipping forecast makes me optimistic

When the dulcet tones of the BBC’s Shipping Forecast turn to the weather in German Bight, two thoughts often flit through my mind – both related to the history of Heligoland, an island (or strictly speaking, an inhabited island and a small uninhabited neighbour) that previously gave its name to that shipping forecast area until a name change in 1956.

The first thought is a reminder of how unbalanced  the information provided online can be. Google “Heligoland” and you will usually find results dominated by music (Heligoland was an album title for Massive Attack) and military history (Heligoland was the site …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , , and | 5 Comments
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  • Ruth Bright
    Hi Jana that is a very fair point. I always pay careful attention to your comments. However, the use of barracks and other MoD property seems preferable to hote...
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    To add to Jenny's comment, you can build entitlement to a state pension without paying a penny. You can get NI credits if you are claiming benefits for being i...
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    NI is income tax by another name, so putting it together with income tax makes sense. NI is not put in a fund to pay future pensions. Today's pensions are paid ...