- This topic has 84 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 7 months ago by
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Again The Telegraph produces an interesting article, outlook for Spain seems to get bleaker.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/09/16/bcnissing116.xml
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I think we can look a little closer to home and see some very serious problems, how long before house price falls in the UK equal or even overtake Spain?
Have to say it makes my blood boil to hear the Labour Government taking the credit for a decade of stable economics when really the world economy was so benign even the lib-dems would have done a good job, now its all turned sour it seems its a global issue, of course we all know it is but the double standards are tough to swallow. Still at least Gordon saved a bit for a rainy day, oh no he forget! pity because it seems that the mother of all storms is coming and he cant even afford an umberella.
Globalisation is great in the good times, but we are now all so close together that when one falls we all go down like a row of dominoes
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jiminspain
compared to the balls up the tories made, i think Gordon did look pretty good for a few years.
As for now, well the country wants change, and who can blame them? I can’t see where the tories will improve matters though? I’ve heard nothing to give me confidence that they will turn the economy around.
Who’s to say it won’t get worse under them?, remember high inflation, high interest rates?
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goodstich
I agree, I am not suggesting that the tories will or could turn around an economy so heavily affected by global issues. It just rattles me that Labour claimed the benefit for a decade of growth fueled almost entirely by debt rather than policy. Gordon Brown is no better or worse than other world leaders who should have seen the writing on the wall.
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Gordon Brown inherited a strong financial position. He then sold gold reserves after telling everybody he was going to do so. .Naturally the price of gold fell heavily. He then changed the tax situation on pensions, precipitating the demise of final salary pensions.(This was against expert advice) To my knowledge he is the only Chanceller to introduce retrospective legislation on tax. ( the SIPP on second homes is one example of him not listening). He was the architect of the demise of the 10p tax and the recent retrospective tax on . For years he schemed against Tony Blair often blocking ideas but not the war on Iraq. Need I go on. He was the most duplicitious chanceller we have ever had and I for one cannot wait to see the back of this control freak.
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@geoffcouch wrote:
Gordon Brown inherited a strong financial position. He then sold gold reserves after telling everybody he was going to do so. .Naturally the price of gold fell heavily. He then changed the tax situation on pensions, precipitating the demise of final salary pensions.(This was against expert advice)
You forgot to mention the £20,000,000,000 (yes billion) he also received from selling the 3G mobile phone licences
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Geoff – you also forgot to add to your list how this unelected Scot renegaded on the promise in Labour’s manifesto of giving us a referendum on the EU treaty.
Control freak? Absolutely, referendums are not for the ‘little people’ because he and his Mickey Mouse band of incompetents know best. 🙄Will be interesting to see if the Irish, when forced into a second referendum, will hold their ground with another ‘NO’ despite certain sweetners that will be on offer from the EU bunch of Federalists.
Goodstich – haven’t we been here before, a few months ago. 😉
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I think Gordon means well and is ‘straight’, the problem is people just don’t really like him. Also, this argument about him being an un-elected Prime Minister is understandable, but not really true. We don’t vote for a Prime Minister in an election, but our local representative. It is up to The Party to decide who will lead them, not the electorate.
However, selling the gold reserves was reckless. Allowing the expansion of credit to create the illusion of economic growth was reckless. Expanding the population so suddenly was reckless. Allowing property to bubble was reckless. Unemployment is increasing and will need to be paid for. This country is becoming degraded.
However, the Tories always manage to make a bigger mess of things with even higher interest rates. I’m not confident they will sort things out. And sometimes it’s not in the best interests of a party to win an election – this may be one of those times.
I’ve a gut feeling that we may be in for a big interest rate rise in the near future. It may be prudent to lock into long term (10 year rates) now. Scandinavian rates are at 15%. India is 12%. Our current rate of 5.5% may look rather cheap this time next year.
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maximus
i think if Gordon Brown could pee streams of gold, he still wouldn’t be popular at the moment!
I feel the man in the street often doesn’t really know what’s really going on, and the best we can hope for is a sustained period of stable interest rates, low inflation, low unemployment etc.
The main reason Labour have been in for so long, is i think because compared to what went before, these three things looked pretty solid under Gordon Brown.
Things are obviously not looking good now, and what with the war and several unpopular moves by Labour, on top of the world economic situation, i guess he’s a dead duck, and probably any other Labour leader at the moment?
The sooner a change of government takes place, probably the better. It might just give the UK people a much needed boost of confidence, a new broom and all that….at least in the short term? As you say though, would anyone want to take the helm in the present climate?
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@goodstich44 wrote:
i think if Gordon Brown could pee streams of gold, he still wouldn’t be popular at the moment!
You are right but probably because he would just flush it staight down the pan. After a decade of growth (albiet artificial growth) what do we have to show for it? Public sector borrowing down? improved services? reduced crime? etc. Perhaps Gordon thinks to his self sometimes ” I wish the previous Chancellor had done a better job, I would make my job a lot easier now!!!!” 😉
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Quote sky news
It came after the Prime Minister told Sky News the behaviour of some City institutions was ‘irresponsible’.Well thats the kettle calling the fryin pan black, at the end of the day who is responsible for those city institutions? the FSA, and whose is ultimately responsible for the Financial Services Authority yes the chancellor of the exchequer quote “The Chancellor of the Exchequer bears ultimate resonsibility for the regulatory system” sorry Gordon you cant keep passing that hot potato around.
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jiminspain
i can see what you mean, but i still shudder at what state we could be in now if not for Gordons policies in the first few years? I don’t really think public sector borrowing, crime, services etc, would be any better under any of the current choices? If so, at what cost i wonder? It has to come from somewhere, and i’ve heard nothing to convince me that these areas are likely to improve?
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Gordon Brown was elected to be Prime Minister by acclamation. I think there should have been a General Election when Tony Blair resigned. If that had happened when Maggie Thatcher was pushed out we wouldn’t have been saddled with John Major, who was as useless as Gordon Brown. Personal opinion 😉
Nothing under a Labour government has improved since the Conservatives were in power. We have unregulated mass immigration, a vastly more complicated taxation system with heavy reliance on ‘means testing’ that is not understood by the vast majority of those entitled to benefits, a huge increase in the overall tax take from our national GDP which has been pumped into public services with very little ‘real’ improvement to show for it, inadequate spending on our armed forces who are expected to deal with military campaigns that should not be part of our business, an economy that has been built on credit and a massive increase in public sector employment, the further destruction of our manufacturing base, failure to develop new energy sources…..the list goes on. -
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Agree Jim. I don’t think anyone would jump to be PM just now! Add to the list above….a significant decline in the value of sterling against other currencies, the wasteful sale of our gold reserves, the massive increase in total government debt, the falsification of key government statistics such as inflation, unemployment figures etc. The true level of unemployment (between the ages of 21 and 65) is closer to 5 million rather than the 1.7 million quoted today. The destruction of probably the best private pension scheme in the world. Can anyone think of any significant positives?
Hopefully, when we get the next General Election EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the UK who has a right to vote will go to the polling stations. AND.. I’m sick of the PC brigade. It’s hard to find a Christmas card that says “Happy Christmas”. It probably won’t be though for many of us.
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Claire
oh well, have to agree not to agree on this one. I think if the tories had carried on we would have probably had years of further instability, boom/bust etc. On top of that social issues like the minimum wage, ban on cruel sports, tax on ridiculous gaz guzzling cars etc, wouldn’t have been bought in.
Looks like i’m on my own with this one,…….ho-hum.
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With respect Goodstitch(of which I have a great deal for you) none of your examples are life changing measures. I’m sure the minimum wage would have been addressed by the conservatives. There should be a hefty Tax on second homes,imo, but hey… that would affect too many labour ministers. Banning fox hunting, doesn’t do it for me personally. The motorist as we know is an easy target for increasing tax revenue. Weigh all that against my points..no contest….respectfully. 😉
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@jiminspain wrote:
……but who within the rank and file will want to or will have the cahones to step into the breach……
Am sure there are plans for Blair Mark II…Miliband… afoot.
When the time comes for the General Election, Nick Clegg reckons he’s up for it saying at their conference yesterday the LibDems were “headed for government”. 😯
The small detail of the latest opinion poll giving the LibDems only 12 per cent seems to have passed over his head, poor lamb.It seems being totally delusional is a prerequisite for party leaders in the UK.
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Clegg didn’t make a very good start this week when he said he thought State pension was “about 30 pounds per week”
Then there was McCain when asked if he would speak to Zapatero started rambling about Mexico! He didn’t realise he was the Spanish President.
Perhaps they should all take a general Knowledge test before standing for any election.
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Sorry Goodstich but I have to agree with Claire on this, Gordon’s reign as Chancellor was succesful as a result of global conditions and easy access to debt for individuals, institutions, and Goverments. It had little to do with domestic policies. Of course that is just our opinions and I accept your right to differ.
P.S do his sacked party members have any rights to tribunal, I am sure speaking your mind does not consitute gross misconduct.
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@katy wrote:
Perhaps they should all take a general Knowledge test before standing for any election.
That would sink democracy, Katy…..there would be no-one standing. 😆
Talking about US gaffs, do you remember Al Gore when campaigning years ago. He thought they spoke Latin in Latin America.
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Claire
with respect, i seem to remember that by the end of the long tory reign, a long list of disasters was also attributed to them.
i don’t think anyone wants the extremes of left or right wing policies of the 70’s and 80’s, so i’m not sure if anything can or should move much from from a central position, without being very unpopular?
on the smaller issues? minimum wage, smoking ban, foxhunting ban, tax on the worst polluters. Not over PC in my opinion, just common sense that should have been introduced years ago, and relects moving forward to me, and certainly can be life changing!
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With all respect Goodstich you are doing exactly what Gordon Brown does at every qustion time and deflecting the questions away from current issues and reffering back to a Tory party of over a decade ago, sorry but move on Gordon and move on Goodstich. Gordon Brown and the Labour party will be judged on their achievments which can be written on the back of a fag packet, and remembered for their failures which could make war & peace seem like a bit of light bedtime reading!
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my take on this is that any government who is in office for such a long time eventually loses the plot and it all ends in tears.
I believe the time is right for political change and that should the conservative party win at the next election I sincerely hope that they do not remain in office for than two terms in office otherwise we shall be having a similar conversation
Richard
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Claire posted
a vastly more complicated taxation system with heavy reliance on ‘means testing’ that is not understood by the vast majority of those entitled to benefits,What was even worse is that those employed within the tax system hadn’t a clue either!!!
Terms in office is dependant upon the populace but believe PM’s should have to step down after 2 terms in office otherwise they and their ,joined at the hip, cronies start to believe they are Gods 👿 .
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Melosine
yes, a good point of Claire’s on the tax system. Many either don’t know, or pride makes them feel like they are being ridiculed or asked to beg. At least it’s there though.
rights to be in a union, national health, minimum wage, benifits for the worse off are often taken for granted now.
quite agree with the PM thing. Not even sure if two full terms is healthy?
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@goodstich44 wrote:
Claire
I think if the tories had carried on we would have probably had years of further instability, boom/bust etc.
Maybe we would maybe we wouldnt, but the boom/bust we are seeing now looks set to be the worst that many of us can remember. I think that Tony Blair timed his exit to perfection.
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jiminspain
didn’t he just eh!
re boom/bust…….perhaps, but we haven’t got anything like the rampant inflation or interest rates or unemployment we once had you know when…….yet??
don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying this lot are great. I just don’t think on balance the others have made a better job, or will change much? I just think they will find a new way of fleecing us!
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goodstich44 wrote:…….not so sure? compared to what went before him, i think he was a big improvement! People have short memories of the previous mess.
What “mess” are you on about? Brown inherited a strong economic position in 1997, the country was doing very well and had recovered from “Black Wednesday” All Socialists go on about is “Black Wednesday”, which was a pinprick compared with “Meltdown Monday”
Read some history and you will see that Labour has always wrecked any good done by the Tories. Socialism does n´t work, never has never will. Hopefully Brown and his like will be wiped out and then the clown in Madrid in three years times , thenp erhaps both Britain and Spain can look to a better future. -
goodstich44 wrote:jiminspain
i can see what you mean, but i still shudder at what state we could be in now if not for Gordons policies in the first few years? I don’t really think public sector borrowing, crime, services etc, would be any better under any of the current choices? If so, at what cost i wonder? It has to come from somewhere, and i’ve heard nothing to convince me that these areas are likely to improve?
It was dear Gordon´s policies of the first few years that are the problem now , stealing from pension funds, selling gold then these errors were compounded with a mad wild credit boom where people were encouraged to get into debt and live on borrowed money. Large increases in numbers of government workers on big salaries and pensions.
Blair took Britain into a war based entirely on lies and double dealing.
Dear Gordon will try to blame world events but the main problems have been caused by his mad policies. He should read what Mr Wilkins Micawber said in David Copperfield over a 150 years ago about spending above or under ones incomes.
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goodstich44 wrote:Claire
oh well, have to agree not to agree on this one. I think if the tories had carried on we would have probably had years of further instability, boom/bust etc. On top of that social issues like the minimum wage, ban on cruel sports, tax on ridiculous gaz guzzling cars etc, wouldn’t have been bought in.
Looks like i’m on my own with this one,…….ho-hum.
Brown has brought boom and bust. It is a pity that Labour did n´t worry about the economy instead of beinng anti cruel sports , immigration etc. and fighting a war on lies and one day the truth will come out about Dr Kelly.
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jiminspain wrote:Never forget a few years ago when in Pennsylvania on business we went to a local surf and turf restuarant and the waitress asked where we were from I replied proudly “Bristol England” to which she replied “aw gee is that out of state”, the mind boggles
Well said “Jiminspain” your story did make me laugh, especially as it is so true. I love America and the Americans in America very much, when they travel they are the biggest pains in the butt going. I do wonder sometimes if geography is taught in their schools, as their knowledge of anywhere outside the USA , is let us say sketchy at best.
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@135yearswaiting wrote:
@jiminspain wrote:
Never forget a few years ago when in Pennsylvania on business we went to a local surf and turf restuarant and the waitress asked where we were from I replied proudly “Bristol England” to which she replied “aw gee is that out of state”, the mind boggles
Well said “Jiminspain” your story did make me laugh, especially as it is so true. I love America and the Americans in America very much, when they travel they are the biggest pains in the butt going. I do wonder sometimes if geography is taught in their schools, as their knowledge of anywhere outside the USA , is let us say sketchy at best.
The out of state joke has been doing the rounds for years, only the name of the town changes! USA is a big place so don’t stereotype. Many know most places in Europe better than most of us. You would probably get the same answer vice-versa in lots of British places.
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Sorry to say Katy it was no joke, also on the same trip the guys from the factory I was visiting wanted to take me early morning fishing, they insisted I would need a licence and I duly went to K-mart, wallmart, JC penny etc going to their sports dept trying to get said licence. Two stores only had 7 day licences and would not sell me them because I only wanted it for one day!!, I think it was k-mart who had a one day licence and after filling in the form detailing my height weight, distinguishing marks (I am serious for a one day fishing licence) she then refused to sell it to me after I gave her my address as follows house no, street, Bristol ENGLAND postcode, she said sorry sir I cant accept that zip code, after a few attempts to explain I gave up and broke the law by fishing with no licence!!. I could however have bought a pump action shotgun over the counter and they did a lovely line in 8x XL shirts.
As for stereotyping well dont know how well travelled you are in the states Katy, and I admit that my experience is limited to the eastern states and great lakes area I but found these types of experiences even in NYC. The US has to be the most insular places I have ever been, a one hour news slot will contain 55mins of local drivel and adverts 4 mins of national (USA) news and 1 minute of international news if you are lucky. Oh and did I get pissed with everyone thinking I was an Australian. Could go on but I want to watch the Ryder Cup Highlights
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Bristol in America?
Bristol, Connecticut, USA
Bristol, Florida, USA
Bristol, Georgia, USA
Bristol, Illinois, USA
Bristol, Indiana, USA
Bristol, Maine, USA
Bristol, New Hampshire, USA
Bristol, Pennsylvania, USA (take note Jim!)
Bristol, Rhode Island, USA
Bristol, South Dakota, USA
Bristol, Tennessee, USA
Bristol, Vermont, USA
Bristol, Virginia, USA
Bristol, West Virginia, USA
Bristol, Wisconsin, USAI’m not surprised anyone would get confused. 😕
My little ‘twopence worth’ is the (true) story of an American, while on a guided-tour of Windsor Castle, looked up at a passing jet just about to land at Heathrow. The tour guide overheard him as he turned to his wife and said “just can’t understand why these Kings and Queens of England would want to build their castle so near to the airport, the noise is dreadful”.
This thread and all these tales of economy woes and recession is making me thoroughly depressed. 🙁
As it’s the weekend why not click below, see how much Spanish you can understand and enjoy – it may just lift your mood. 😀
So come on guys, put on your high-heeled boots – see if you can strut it like Selena, God rest her soul (she died from a bullet in the back aged 23yrs – makes our woes seem trivial).
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@135yearswaiting wrote:
All Socialists go on about is “Black Wednesday”, which was a pinprick compared with “Meltdown Monday”
Although America is nationalising their banking system I wouldn’t call them socialist
@135yearswaiting wrote:
Read some history and you will see that Labour has always wrecked any good done by the Tories.
Is that true? My history books tell me that in the 50s and early 60s the Tories ran the economy into the ground leaving Labour to pick up the pieces. MacMillan was a great politician but a lousy leader. Then in the early 70s we had the Barber Boom which led to the 3 day week and Labour having to bail them out.
Now, I accept that Labour caused the current mess but you will not have failed to notice that this is New Labour, in thrall to Thatcherism who Blair adored. Everyone assumes that the Tories will be the party to sort out the mess but maybe the electorate will read their history books and elect a socialist government.
@135yearswaiting wrote:
Socialism does n´t work, never has never will.
Let’s hope that the American brand of socialism does work or we are all doomed. Doomed, I tell ye! 😉
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@mike wrote:
we are all doomed. Doomed, I tell ye! 😉
I gather Selena didn’t work for you then Mike. 🙁
Perhaps this will.
Not so much a case of being doomed – more of ‘Apocalypse Now’. I needed a stiff drink by the time I finished reading it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1058601/Apocalypse-Now–New-world-order-devastating-implications-Western-nations.html -
@charlie wrote:
I gather Selena didn’t work for you then Mike. 🙁
I feel the love, Charlie
@charlie wrote:
Not so much a case of being doomed – more of ‘Apocalypse Now’. I needed a stiff drink by the time I finished reading it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1058601/Apocalypse-Now–New-world-order-devastating-implications-Western-nations.htmlI have a bunker. It has all that I need. Tinned food, bottled water, guns and bullets and a Thai woman I have met through the internet. I hope to create a super race after World War III. The Thai woman arrives next week, I sent her air fare yesterday.
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@mike wrote:
The Thai woman arrives next week, I sent her air fare yesterday.
So no more ‘The Grumpy Old Men’ thread for you then. 😉
…..unless your Thai woman is really a big fat black bloke in Nigeria called Samson…… 🙁
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@charlie wrote:
@mike wrote:
we are all doomed. Doomed, I tell ye! 😉
I gather Selena didn’t work for you then Mike. 🙁
Perhaps this will.
Not so much a case of being doomed – more of ‘Apocalypse Now’. I needed a stiff drink by the time I finished reading it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1058601/Apocalypse-Now–New-world-order-devastating-implications-Western-nations.htmlWhat a wonderful article. Maybe I’ve been a little too harsh on the Daily Mail. 😆
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@charlie wrote:
@mike wrote:
The Thai woman arrives next week, I sent her air fare yesterday.
So no more ‘The Grumpy Old Men’ thread for you then. 😉
…..unless your Thai woman is really a big fat black bloke in Nigeria called Samson…… 🙁
Actually, I was this week approached through Skype by a Ghanain woman. She is a Christian woman seeking a caring and sensitive man. I don’t know who gave her my name! 😮
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@maximus wrote:
…forget Spain I’m off to PagoPago. 😕
Maximus – I hope you mean the one in Samoa
because dressing in ladies clothes won’t help you if it’s really Armaggedon.
http://www.pagopago.co.ukTrust me.
(from a ‘worried’ Charlie :(…..) -
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Listen you lot! This used to be a very sensible and helpful site with tons of good sound advice. After all this doom and gloom I thought I try some of your suggestions to cheer myself up. I put on the high heels and did some strutting, as suggested by our dear friend Charlie with dire results, so now on crutches and a bloody nose. Then, to my dismay, my dear friend Samson from Nigeria seems to be in a bit of bother. He sounded so nice and had wonderful ideas how to make a lot of dosh and he only asked for a small deposit and my bank account details. Don´t know who to turn to now 😥 😥 😥
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Silly Sunday is nearly over now, back to the doom and gloom on Monday morning no doubt.
Will be rooting through the Daily Mail for you Mike. Just knew you could be converted. 😉Maximus – don’t worry, your secret is safe with us, and the real Maximus wore a (Roman) skirt anyway.
Laggen – am devastated to be the cause of you on crutches complete with bloody nose. Maybe it would be safer for you to enjoy Selena by doing what one lady did (who like me, also loves the song Si Una Vez). Expect to see your rendering on Youtube one day soon. 😀
(see it through to the end, it’s the best bit)
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Charlie – I thought I was the real Maximus – Oh God, perhaps I don’t exist……
Laggen – I had an email from Samson’s wife – Princess Kofee. Her family has been killed by her mad uncle and she is holed up in hotel in Togo and has millions to deposit.
Just goes to show ‘You can choose your friends but not your family’! 😀
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Charlie, I will get myself ready for youtube once my nose stops bleeding and my legs will once again work thanks to your silly suggestions about the stratting thing in high heels. Mind you, I loved the link you posted. Lovely voice. maximus, I am truly devastated to hear Samson is married 😯 He never mentioned this to me and had actually asked me to be his princess once I had paid the deposit.Ohhhh where is the gin!! Now I am more depressed than ever 😥
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@charlie wrote:
Will be rooting through the Daily Mail for you Mike. Just knew you could be converted. 😉
I always read the Daily Mail during Fashion Week. Who could resist?
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…….seems samson has new plans!!
A consortium of wealthy Nigerians are planning to take over Newcastle United, according to a report in Africa.
Current owner Mike Ashley is trying to find a buyer for the ailing Barclays Premier League club, after proving unsuccessful with his initial efforts to secure a sale. Ashley has announced he wants to sell his interest in Newcastle just 16 months after staging a £134.4million takeover.
Dubai International Capital (DIC) have ruled themselves out of the running but a Nigerian company claim they have £350million behind them – and are bidding to secure the remaining funding which would improve their chances of a successful takeover. -
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rt21
gamble, what gamble?
As long as the Nigerians have a distant link to some royal family, or very rich uncles with massive gold reserves that only Mike Ashley can convert to cash, then i see no problem.
All they want is details of his bank account with a few million in it, so that they can add to his fortune! How can he go wrong?
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‘More economic woes’ is the thread title.
Well we will have if Gordon Brown’s speech (and David Miliband’s) was anything to go by.
More aid to Africa? How about ‘aid’ to our elderly living on a pittance, and thousands of whom die each Winter as they can’t afford to keep warm?? I don’t know the figures for last year, but one Winter just a few Winters ago it was 36,000 who died from hypothermia.
As for Miliband pontificating about democracy when his party refused to allow us a referendum on the EU treaty….and where was the discussion/vote to allow Shariah courts to operate in the UK?
Am I the only one who wanted to ‘throw up’ when watching them?
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To be honest Katy, I feel the whole lot of our MP’s have lost the plot, whatever their party, when they voted themselves salary increases and that £23,000 receipt-free expense allowance while everyone else was told to tighten their belts. Every single MP who voted for that, in my book, marks them down as purely self-serving and nothing else.
The Daily Mail ( 😀 ) named and shamed them at the time. I just hope their local constituents took note and none of those MP’s get re-elected. I am reaching the point where I am in total despair of all politicians. The Tories were mainly brought down by sleaze (not the state of the country), but goodness Labour has certainly excelled in that department.
Is there any party with some ‘onest injuns or will power always eventually corrupt????? Proportional representation should be brought in and ‘government’ should be balanced by all MP’s voting on everything. They were elected by the people so should have a voice. At least this way, and knowing how each MP votes on what, we can make our voice heard when it comes to local/general elections.
I know, there must be a million reasons why this won’t work. 🙁
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……..what really makes me want to throw up, is watching the USA pull money out of a virtually bottomless pit, to help greedy *ankers (*choose b or w) out of a situation they have created, so that they don’t wreck the ecomomy between them. How handy!
As if the fat cats haven’t had it good enough for years, they now have the ultimate safety net. Meanwhile for the huge amount of people in the world without the most basic needs, water, food, basic medical facilities, it’s ‘tough luck’, we can’t afford to help you. Nothing new really, but still Sickening.
…….anyway, a good bit of news today.
UK Trade and Investment Minister Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham said: “These are excellent figures. Once again, the UK has been ranked as the most successful destination for inward investment anywhere in Europe.
“This year, the expectation is that the worldwide slowdown, including the twin global shocks of the credit crunch and rising energy and food prices, will make it more difficult for every economy to attract investment.
“However, the 2007 figures are recognition of the fact that overseas businesses investing abroad find the UK an ideal destination.”
……Digby is no fan of Gordon Brown if you can believe the reports, but was a good choice of man for the job.
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…bit more good news.
‘Gordon Brown will hail a new £1.5 billion drive to eradicate deaths from malaria in the developing world by 2015 at an emergency United Nations summit on world poverty and disease.
The initiative, to develop a vaccine and distribute bed nets and sprays over the coming years, is expected to save the lives of one million people who die from malaria every year.
It will be announced by the Prime Minister and Microsoft boss Bill Gates in New York, where 90 world leaders are gathering at the UN to discuss getting progress on the Millennium Development Goals back on track.
Mr Brown is also meeting Wall Street hedge fund chiefs to discuss the global financial turmoil which has sent shockwaves through the markets over the last week -
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Please pass the bucket to me when you have finished. What I find utterly incredible about this Labour government is their failure to understand or more likely admit to the reasons why they are so unpopular. Every minister trots out the same disingenuous argument that people are hurting through high food and energy prices and some how they blame the government although these problems and the credit crunch are issues that have arisen elsewhere. Not our fault gov. They fail to admit most people hate the government for reasons of their own making. Here’s a sample from own list:
1. Unfair stealth taxes over the last 11 years.
2. Council tax – inflation busting rises year on year and deteriorating local services.
3. The 10% tax rate fiasco and no comittment to correct it beyond this tax year.
4. Constant change and interference in public services and presiding over burgeoning and expensive quangos, bureaucracy, target culture and jobsworths at every level.
5. Allowing the police to prosecute decent ordinary folk who try to defend their property against yobs and burglers.
6. Petty tax raising bin rules and motoring offenses and the application of anti-terrorist legislation against peaceful protestors.
7. Waste of public money with a flawed ID scheme and inability to keep personal data safe.
8. A lack of banking regulation allowing a debt fuelled economy and boom and bust.
9. Age discrimination in the tax and benefits system – everything geared to children and the elderly. The low paid single person or couples without children are ignored.
10. Alienating the police with excessive paperwork and their pay deal and reducing their effectiveness to meet the needs of the public they serve.
11. Destruction of a fine pension system.
I am not saying the Tories will be much better but surely they or the Liberal Democrats can’t do worse.
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You’ve only just touched the surface Mikegrant………
Perhaps this goes some way to explain why a record number of people have left the UK over the last 3 years. 😥
I don’t know why we are all so suprised. Socialists always make a mess of things. They are very good at spending other’s money, and , like all socialists, are very good at telling us what is good for us!
And let’s be honest about one other thing. The Tories left office having put in place the fundamentals for economic expansion. Labour where lucky – and now not so lucky. The trouble is they will be leaving a big mess behind.
I know a lot of people making their escape plans – including me! 😉
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So true Richard….
Isn’t the technology now in place for us to make decisions daily on important issues, and not our ‘so called’ elected representatives? Couldn’t we sit in front of the telly, and during the adverts, between the X-Factor and Wife-Swap (now that’s what I call real telly! 😆 ) , press the red-button to bring backing ‘birching’ or the blue button to let the offenders off. Why not, also have a yellow button to punish the victim of crime, because they must have left a window open, or been wearing the wrong clothes.- oops – forget, we already have that in society. 😥
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