lulu

No, we cant afford the bailouts (unless we get some new money printing machines asap) but what does that mean to the person on the street? They will still be able to walk down the street and go buy some food? Or will inflation go mental or will the supply networks break down? I genuinely am intregued (if I could spell it! ) as from my point of view little would actually change

I know nothing about this woman but the IR policy of the current governemnt is to me very 'anti Tory'. Traditionally they (the Tories) have pandered for the votes of the wealthy with money in the bank. Right now IR's are so low that many many pensioners are losing out thanks to their savings not only earning eff-all but also being eroded by inflation. The Tories seem to be going for the old 'NuLabour' voters and it is going to do them no good at all. Most of those are trapped in some timewarp where Thatcher is still in charge. which means apparently that no matter now cack the Labour party are they will vote for them.... I do worry about the IQ level of the UK population some times...

The thing is, say the shit is about to hit the fan. What exactly are people expecting to happen? Ok sothe Eurozone goes tits up, the UK banks are dragged into the mire what does that mean to the people on the street? Sorry for sounding thick but I really dont know and cant even really speculate.

I am sorry to confirm that it is true there is going to be a 35 minute overlap this very weekend http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2045385/X-Factor-v-Strictly-Come-Dancing-2011-TV-ratings-battle-heats-again.html?ito=feeds-newsxml Thankfully most of the people affected will be fully signed up Sky members so they will be able to rescue the situation via the magic of the Sky + box hopefully this will be enough to avoid a major catastrophe but only time will tell....

Yes, but apparently it is going to clash with Strictly, surely this needs some intervention....

What about the farmers - they are currently having to take it sideways from the big supermarkets and milk processors.... The Unions talk about going on strike to preserve pensions and such perks for teachers and the like - if anyone should going on strike it should be the 'hard working British farmers' (and cows) who are currently working for nothing - farmers are generally paid less for their milk than it costs to produce (one wages are taken into account).

All the DM readers I know are either retired or are about to retire so are all happily settled in their 5 bedroom houses with conservatories and property flipping like they deserve the extra money despite having decent final salary pensions. There is many years in the DM yet

Wait until Mr Brown gets his knighthood... if he doesnt he will be the first Prime Minister probably ever not to have got one (or the equivalent) though thinking about it - Blair has not been 'recognised' yet has he? (personally speaking I would have them both in the Tower, their management of the economy being one of the lowest charges....)

What kind of old fashioned morons need kitchens! The socially aspirational will be living exciting lifestyles that do not need kitchens. Space for a microwave is all that is needed in 21st Century Britain. I hope you are not expecting people to be doing something as old fashioned as 'cooking'? Why cook when you can pay a premium for some questionable crap in a microwavable tray?!

Corrected - to make it sound less selfish

Very possibly but for every 'mrbadexample' there are many thousands of money grabbing idiots who think that being a LL involves nothing more than collecting the rent and acting as a total ***t the the poor unfortunate who is living in their 'investment'.

Especially when one has not particular desire to own any of them so are not feeling pressured to keep up with everyone else. My old Nokia was probably cutting edge about 15 years ago yet it does everything I want it too. A woman at my work turned up with a Blackberry a few months ago, all she does with it is call her husband/family and has confessed that she does not really know how to do anything else on it. It does make me wonder how many of these new gadgets are actually used to their full capabilites?

This thread sums up just about everything that is wrong with the BLT 'boom'. People with no experience becoming LL's and even worse seem totally clueless regarding the risks and responsibilities this involves. Someone should forward that link to Grant Schapps and ask why people choosing to rent should be put at the mercy of morons who very obviously do not know what they are doing....

Really?! My dad has had almost 70 years of his fill of lying politicians and he is very firmly of the opinion that Balls is the most odious he has had the misfortune to have to listen to. The scary thing is that so many Labour voters (no doubt the type who would vote Labour even if there were not a candidate) do not see anything wrong with him....

So he has admitted his is culpable - just when exactly do the court cases begin... Some bloke during the riots apparently served time for robbing some bottled water, what should be the punishment for *ucking up so many peoples lives - of course I would have Brown in the docks first....

Good find, thanks for posting. I am deeply addicted to Property Bee the history of price rises and falls can amuse me for hours.... (does that make me sad?! ) What I find most remarkable was being the sad case that I am I went straight for the history without even taking a glance at the pictures of the house. I was quite shocked that such a large price has been attached to a grotty old terrace... The money laundering regulations at the bottom of the page are illuminating - not sure I have seen that before on Rightmove.

I am sure there are places you can go to help you in your sad plight....

Probably a case of the vendors needing someone else to pay for their MEW A few years ago they probably would have sold to some mug for the £230K valuation. Sadly many now do not realise things have now changed and the banks are no longer throwing invented money around like confetti quite so much as they used to.

I agree, there are tonnes of Romanians here who very obviously have no intention of working are devote their lives to begging - presumably this gives them a better standard of living that staying back in Romania. I am sure there are plenty of Turks with a similar view on live especially if the beneifts situation is not constrained so that only those who have paid in can get anything out. It is all the more galling that I have paid in the system for years yet I know if I were to lose my job tomorrow I would qualify for the sum total of naff all thanks for saving for several years in the misguided hope that i may be able to afford to buy a home to live in. They will come from Turkey and be given free places to live before they are ever sent home...

Add to that that the 'fatties' like the 'smokers' are less likely to live quite so long so at the end of the day they are probably cheaper to look after over their lifespans than 'normal' people. Is it not suggested somewhere that this generation of kids are likely to have shorter lifespans than their parents did?

That is so right. Some of the costs where i work (not NHS but associated costs) have risen 20%+ within a year we can just about cover it for now but if it continues things will start to look a bit more questionable.

Sounds like you would not be affected by the potential new ruling. Anyone with medical reasons will surely still be given the most appropriate treatment? There is a more fundemental issue here however. Many of my friends (all turning 30sih) are absolutely terrified at the prospect of natural delivery and I am now convinced that the soaps/films etc are responsible. How often does one see a 'regular' birth on a soap now? There is almost always some crisis and horrendous life or death situation no wonder so many who do not need to 'elect' for what they percieve as the easy way out. I know a number of people who have given birth naturally and whilst they maybe didn't enjoy the experience things were 'normal' these are the stories that need circulating. Maybe it is because I am from farming stock and I have experienced hundreds of births from all kind of different animals that I have a more realistic idea of what it involves I am not surprised so many mothers reluctant to go through with things.

I assume you are joking?! Excess rented property reduces the desirablity of an area (as a neighbour in my block of flats keeps reminding me - she is just about the only owner occupier left) people are not around for long enough to create a sense of community and as such they do not care much for maintainance. Most LL's dont give a stuff about such things either and only do the minimum they can get away with.

I agree, there are all kinds of things that I would like to have but cannot/will not buy whilst I am renting a home. Instead I am living amongst the LL's cast off furniture that are all past their best. I have a series of the cheapest coffee tables and book cases etc that I can throw away when I move. Even my kitchen equipment is limited to what I would ideally want due to lack of space and desire to move it all some day. The decor leaves much to be desired and a few tins of paint and a weekend would improve things immesurably but why should I put the effort in to improve things for the LL? I am not allowed a pet so there is a loss in vet fees, food etc. I do not have a garden (and the waiting time for an allotment is huge) but ideally I would have a greenhouse and accumulate all the crap that being a gardener seems to necessitate. And of course I aspire to some twig based purchases but am restricled by the fact I am only a renter and do not need to add £20K to the value of my home. There is a big chunk of spending there that is currently going into servicing large mortgages (whether OO's of LL's) which could be there supporting the economy and local businesses. If only someone in the media would grasp this end of the story and point out just exactly what damage NuLabour's house price boom has had on the country.

Hence the desire to nick the most 'desirable' mobile phones, plasma TV's and the rest I guess.