CynicAl

I remember back in the late 80s when a property in Argyll, say Lochgilphead, would be worth about half of a similar propery in the central belt town that I stayed in, now that ratio has nearly reveresed. It must be terrible for the locals, growing up knowing that the best you can hope for is to be lucky to get one of the very few remaining council houses if you don't want to move away.

I think that most would argue that BTL is an 'investment' that takes something essential out of the affordability range of many. As gold is not a necessity, it is difficult to argue that it's speculation is destructive to society other than the funds not being available for a proper productive use.

What winds me up is that people are very eager to moan about cheats, but even when they know of one, they refuse to 'infom the authorities', yet continue to moan about the authorities not doing enough to catch people. Now, IF we had a STASI.....(that last bit was a joke)

Okay, so are we talking about some sort of side by side dual state, where some would choose to contribute to the state and others not. If you choose to pay then should you become ill/unemployed/unable to work the state comes to your aid. If you choose not to, then it is up to you to sort yourself out? And those that opt out would give money to charities etc. if they saw fit? I suppose, practically, you have some difficulty determing what is in and out. Emergency care would need to be in to deal with road accidents and such like, I suppose. It's an interesting concept, and I suppose that new technology would assist in it's provision (making it harder to pretend to be someone else - though not impossible). I can't help thinking that there would end up being people who opt out and then go to the state because their kids are starving. And then, of course, the state would feed the kids.

Well, we'll see what is suggested. As for bogeymen, it's just a demonstration of principal. If a kid is born with a condition that requires expensive care, then I think it is correct that the state 'makes' us all put our hands in our pockets to help. I don't think that we can rely upon the milk of human kindness.

If you can provide me an example of somewhere that is better than here that does not have a welfare state then I am willing to listen. As for point two, yes. Isn't the alternative anarchy? How would you propose to deal with paedophiles and murderers if the state is not allowed to impose morality, through the judiciary, on us?

Because it makes the world a better place. And it cannot be your choice, because collectively we would choose to pay less than would be necessary.

No. People are inherently greedy, most would not help to a sufficient level. Look around, how many philanthropists do you see? And what proportion of your pay would you give up voluntarily and regularly?

Nearly a 50% drop in the asking price for this land....great. Still wouldn't live there though. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-21858233.html?maxPrice=150000&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&pageNumber=1&fromSummary=true&backToListURL=%2Fproperty-for-sale%2Ffind.html%3FlocationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E61347%26insId%3D2%26maxPrice%3D150000%26displayPropertyType%3Dhouses%26oldDisplayPropertyType%3Dhouses Here is the property bee stuff... 14 November 2009 17:28:50 * Agents Address found: 15 Alva Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4PH * Detailed Description found: Tenure: Freehold Location The small village of Glencraig is located near to the larger town of Lochgelly where there are primary and secondary schools as well as several nurseries and a main street wi... 14 November 2009 17:19:45 * Price changed: from 'Guide Price £210,000' to '£150,000 (Fixed Price)' 24 July 2009 00:14:26 * Agents Telephone changed: from '08450130847' to '08453050498' 23 January 2009 11:49:45 * Brief Description changed: Development site of circa 0.4 acres of detailed planning application submitted for 4 detached luxury homes. Kirkcaldy 10 miles, Glenrothes 10 miles, Edinburgh 24 miles, St. Andrews 30 miles [Found by S-Express] 10 January 2009 21:08:11 * Brief Description changed: NEW PRICE! Development site of circa 0.4 acres of detailed planning application submitted for 4 detached luxury homes. Kirkcaldy 10 miles, Glenrothes 10 miles, Edinburgh 24 miles, St. Andrews 30 miles [Found by sequencer] * Price changed: from 'Offers Over £295,000' to 'Guide Price £210,000' [Found by sequencer] 02 October 2008 00:00:41 * Agent found: DMH Baird Lumsden * Agents Location found: Edinburgh * Agents Telephone found: 08450130847 24 June 2008 19:47:26 * Brief Description found: Development site of circa 0.4 acres of detailed planning application submitted for 4 detached luxury homes. Kirkcaldy 10 miles, Glenrothes 10 miles, Edinburgh 24 miles, St. Andrews 30 miles [Found by mightymoose1972] * Price found: Offers Over £295,000 [Found by mightymoose1972] * Status found: Available [Found by mightymoose1972] * Subtitle found: plot [Found by mightymoose1972] * Title found: Lochcraig Court, Glencraig, KY5 [Found by mightymoose1972]

Anyone know where I can find a 50 year gold chart in Sterling. The longest duration I can find is 20 years. Thanks.

It beggars belief; the lack of common sense. If you make them rent they will pad their pockets indirectly (renting from each other being the most obvious way - thus having their capital and interest paid for by us). Can't we just make them live in state owned places? Any rise of fall in value would become irrelevant, and make them administrate repairs as they do now, only submitting expenses for ALL work, and have some civil servant with the authority to decline expenses which are excessive (say £1000 sofas and the like). Personally, I'd have a BIG block of flats bought for them and stick them all in there. Might have benefits for security costs....leaves them a bit more vulnerable to someone flying a plane into the lot of them though.

I work in manufacturing, in a position that gives me significant forward view to the market. We are really suffering. All the work that we have taken in during the last year has been government work, UK, US or Japan. The private sector is not spending any money at all and they are trying to squeeze us on existing contracts. Even our MRO part of the business is seeing a very significant drop off in business. Our company has continuously reduced headcount for the last few years, and we'll be dropping more unless we manage to secure more government work in the next few months. Manufacturing for oil and gas seem to be picking up quite quickly now that the oil and gas prices have returned to high levels.

Of course, one might think that a 10% drop in available rentals may occur at the same time as a similar level of people looking to rent having found places (amazingly) thus reducing the demand for rental. Or that these properties have been sold to people that were previously renting, with the same result. I could be wrong, and in fact the accomodation is now available in a parallel universe..... Or people are deliberately leaving the places empty and just allowing the massive capital appreciation on the property to take place.

There were a couple of Lib Dems with their hands in the honey pot that I am aware of, but still, I like the cut of this man's jib! Maybe I should become a Lib Dem...

Yeah, you may have a point about it breaking even. And the government really needs money now. Personally, I would only have given out cheap loans to those that need it. Is that weird? Means test a loan and you only get it if you are poor? TBH, I think that most degrees handed out today are nearly worthless. So many graduates end up in jobs that in years gone by didn't need a degree. So the benefit of their higher education was just to keep them off the unemployment statistics for 3 years. They are being sold a pup.

I think the OP is suggesting is that a low interest loan that is given to help students should not have the capital eroded purely because your parents have the ability to pay it off for you. Admittedly, Labour have been doing a similar thing: Salary sacrifice to allow the purchase of PCs and bicycles from tax free income. This effectively gives higher rate tax payers a greater discount than basic rate tax payers. It appears contradictory to me to have a massive bureaucracy in place to redistribute wealth but then have a number of other systems in place to give it back. I think the reference to an 'ultra-socialist state' is hyperbole, or do you advocate anarchy instead? No? Thought not.

I believe that the difficulty arises once you actually try and arrange the mortgage. I am told that the online calcutors are optimistic compared to the multiples people are finally offered. Maybe someone has some experience or anecdotals.....? Personally, the repayment figure on a fixed rate for what they would lend me scares bejesus out of me...

S'just tradition. In the days before Prime Ministers, when parliament didn't agree with the monarch it was usually the speaker that got the chop. Hence, at that time they had to be dragged to the chair. It's just pantomime now.

Er, no thanks, juggernaut, and I think about £170k-ish at peak. £152k is back to about 2004-5.

Spot the difference: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sa...newHome%3Dfalse http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sa...newHome%3Dfalse Now, one is unders offer and the other not...... £152f.p. is under offer, the o/o£165k is not. They are about 100 yards apart. Maybe the dodgy bathroom is worth the extra £13k?

The graph on the BBC and the average price in the table on the Nationwide report show 3 consecutive monthly rises. Did they report a rise last month and the month before or are these retrospective changes? Edit: Just checked, they did, nominal value went up but seasonally adjusted percentage was down in April.

Yes, how terrible it would be if key workers were actually able to live within the communities that they service. My, that might improve things, a sense of community may be restarted. I paint a picture of such a terrible society. Of course, 10 years ago this was the case. Oh, my Utopian dreaming....

Yes, that's right, all the teachers I know in Manchester that share a rented house because none of them can afford to buy a house, and the numerous Edinburgh coppers that live 15-20 miles from their work because they could only afford to buy pokey flats in Inverkeithing or South Queensferry, yes the overpriced houses didn't affect them at all.

This one appeared on Nethouseprice http://www.nethouseprices.com/index.php?co...&incode=8FL Looks at the £30,050 drop in 4 months, as entries 1 & 3 are for this house.

+1 A velvet revolution. Sadly a new political party is probably the only way. A single issue party to completely change the structures that govern this country. We are ruled by a small minority of egotists who appear to be nothing more than common criminals.