FatChancellor

South Northants Q1 2005 52 Q1 2004 135 Thats a huge 61.5% folks

Pre-Op, I've considered a tummy-tuck but it really isn't me I've seen ads in my missus's Cosmo' mags and seen my future, so I'll get back to you.. FC-uk

39 years young, blonde (I was), male and frankly rather fit but the years of abuse will soon take their toll :-) FC-uk

Fat Chancellor .. because I'm neither. Bit too serious on the whole, maybe, like a politician. Guess it's a bit of a dig at my least favourite person, GB. The epitomy of all that has (and is about to) ruin the UK. I used to have a list of manufacturing sites where I worked in the past, about 90 in all .. 15 remain. My daughter says I'm not as funny as I should be FC-uk.

How true:- This is the loss of 500-600 well paid tax-paying jobs. You can't take their cigs off-site to family/ freinds. I know 'cos I worked there, there are allowances and such but it's too complicated to go into here. There is plently of security to ensure you don't get cigs offsite. Some 'sampling' is permitted onsite in the interests of quality assurance, as agreed with the government & excise people etc., but that's it :-) When the NL do-gooders have their way YOU (not MarkG - you're aboslutely on the money) will pay the shortfall in the NHS, mull that one over. I may be off the mark but I think the duty is about the same as all our petrol/diesel fuel duty. I can't confirm as the ONS website doesn't seem to give tax revenue by source. In Italy Tabacco tax revenue is down 25% since the public-places ban. Do you really want that here? Can we readily afford it? I think not without tax rises across the board. The smokers (including me) are subsidising your 'clean-living' standards. If the world were a fair place tabacco would be 15% duty like the Big Macs and Whoppers that kill you off faster (and make pensions viable). Think about it!- How long would you last on 20 Big Macs/day? With 20 cigs/day - I'll make at least 80 ;-) BAT subsidise African Respiritory Diseases (EU agreement) whilst hundreds of times more die of AIDS, their governments are not allowed to divert funding to these vital causes. I know beacuse I've had the good fortune to participate in the industry, some won't understand because we are kept ignorant. For the few that will think this factory closure is a positive, do some research, you might be suprised at what you learn. If you were Gordon Brown tomorrow and given the option to eradicate smoking that same day would you say yes? You'd be suprised that it's not as simple as you might think.

Quite, when I purchased my house in 2000 we were messed about by many vendors who didn't realistically want to sell. When I commented to the EA that many were wasting our time they said typically 1/3 of vendors are complete time wasters but on the off chance the EAs take their sale on, nothing to loose by doing so. I was hoping the Scottish system would have been adopted before now, I guess westminster don't wish to admit that someone else has a better idea.

Hold then 25 point cut in August IMHO.

Good point - so I tried it. Thanks to the wonders of Money 2005 here is my expenditure > 1% in the last year. Clothes 1% Insurance - House, Life excl car insurance 2% Computer kit & CDs, DVDs 2% Supermarket Food, Wine & Cigs 3% Cash Withdrawal from AutoBank 3% Job Expense (flights, hotels, trains & petrol) 4% Bills ( Elec, Oil, BT, Gas, Mobiles ) 5% Holidays incl holiday money 5% Household - Furniture, DIY 8% Savings 17% Car - Insurance, Depreciation, Maint etc. 13% Mortgage 15% Tax & National Insurance 30% Even allowing for indirect costs from China I don't see much influence at all. NB: Before you say it - the total is 107% - all mail kindly to Bill Gates. I am a high rate tax payer so this may give a distored view but I pay more to GB than it takes to buy a Honda S2000, Audi TT etc. EVERY year for cash - yet still I pay for my dentist, perscription and have NO income protection from the state. :angry: FC.

I have a question. If your beloved Gordon has the answers, why has it taken him 7/8 years to even mention this topic. My articulate, intellegent daughter wasn't even born then! Thats a long, long time for a supposed pressing issue. I remember the election pledges both times around .. this has never been amongst them or a major topic ... this is just current headline grabbing. Why didn't GB spend the budget deficits he inherited 7 years ago to do anything with this issue at the time ??? Clearly TB & GB have given up trying to meddle with the NL UK plc project so would like to move the focus elsewhere.. A worthy cause hijacked for personal interest IMHO. I rest my case...

Just got a new laptop from very large PC retailer - asked how busy they'd been over the last few weeks - "Dead." I asked them why - " The Election." Sound familiar? Agreed. I've been watching my local (outer south east) A-U-D-I garage used car list for the last 6 months looking for a newer motor. Not one car from this franchised dealer has moved on since Jan. Not one. I'll make an offer when I'm good and ready - let 'em sweat.

Similar position 1989 2 up/down 62K Mortgage/ 8K deposit (Payments @ 12% fix got to £640 of £820 net pay at one point !!!) 1997 2 up/down 74K sale (NB: 8 years and a lot of inflation for £4K gain) 1997 4 bed Victorian Town House 130K (with 20K savings in meantime - "People don't buy £130K houses") 2000 4 bed Victorian 240K sale 2000 5 Bed Cottage 350K ("We don't normally deal with 350K properties" - solicitors) 2005 5 Bed Cottage 75% equity Just goes to show if you're frugal and play the market - based in instinct, there was no HPC then - you can get yourself ahead. MEW is just secured lending. Moral: When all around you think you've lost it - buy!

I'd sell providing you could find rental local .. Oh, and buy a new keyboard!

They've got one of those "micro people" they use in DFS adverts to walk around!

-7.94% on my postcode - bummer

I think Mart hit the nail on the head there. In recent times we've bought a lot of under-priced stuff that has helped keep our doctored infaltion down. Since the start of the year the 'buy what you need' ethic has evolved and £20 DVD players are of no significance. Everything I HAVE to pay for has inflated greatly.