ChinaReader

But if you get a good degree it's still the money. I don't apply 1% of what I learned at university, but I couldn't do what I do without a degree, because employers except some evidence of ability to learn. Now if when they look up your uni in the league tables your ranked 173rd, you're stuffed. But if it's in the top ten, twenty, or thirty, I think it counts. And you certainly can't go overseas waving your GNVQ 2 and Labour NewStart on-the-job-training certificate (or whatever it's called), imho. Halfway decent degrees open doors.

1200 Net is presumably about 20k.p.a. gross. So you should be paying 40 per month to your student loan. It shouldn't hurt too much...?

Yes, another annoying mythical headline from SpinBear. And there was me about to ask my boss for a 12% pay rise this month... "Well look, RB said so..."

You are right - i don't think bankruptcy would clear your student loan. They'll just wait. However, in theory you could take a cash advance on your CC's, with some huge fee naturally, pay a lump some to the Student Loan Company to clear your student loan, and then not do repayments on your card and go bankrupt. Pretty extreme though; and possibly illegal, I dunno. And bearing in mind Financial institutions will only ever get more clever at using data on you, I wouldn't want a record that showed I played games. It is just a 9% graduate tax without having to bring in legislation for graduate tax.

When the spinners rely on news that old to try and support the market, even though reports for May are already negative, it just counts as bear food. A bit like "last year they went up 12% - buy now"... um, yeah, what about last month?

Yes. In fact, it doesn't really add up even before you pay the rates and other costs...!

Yes, let's not try that one again!

It has more or less been stated openly by most countries that China is the main threat to the countries interests in the long term. But it's interesting that Russia have stated (almost) that this on military grounds, not just economical grounds.

This year is the year of China in Russia. Last year was the year of Russia in China. Actually, they're quite good neighbours. Economically still not as strong as some, and militarily still a fraction of the annual budget of the US for example. But China popping a derelict (Chinese) weather satellite out the sky got the wind up the Americans, in a very different way to the way the US reacts when small middle-Eastern countries mess around.

Oi - don't spoil it. :angry:

Paul, the maximum annual raise is often included in the contract, to protect the tenant. Good effort pretending CPI means something though - 1-0 to the tenant chez vous.

Some businesses on hard times do appeal to their suppliers and customers and say words to the effect of "we're in a world of trouble - either we have to renegotiate the supply chain or we'll just fold"... sometimes they get a positive response if it's in everyone's best interest. But with a customer on the end with a wide choice of properties (20 million in the UK isn't it?), renegotiating isn't going to appeal at one end of this particularly point type of supply chain.

Beacuse politicians have more foresight than the general public... Oh no wait.

1) Have you ever done the homework and found out how much they paid for the house? 2) If you're going to ask for a bribe to leave, phrase it as moving costs. 3) Looking at vacant flats nearby wouldn't be a bad idea. Sitting in the house of a bankrupt landlord isn't as much fun as sitting in the house of a solvent landlord... harder to get things fixed for free for example!

With detailed implementation advice like that you should go for .info I don't suppose there's yet a law against incitement to BTL-victimisation... but your website might inspire one.

Shanghai Daily "I cannot help admiring Chen and Ren for their expertise in basic economic and extrapolation. But this is nothing but sophistry. They have overlooked the facts that disprove their theory. They may be deliberately trying to delay the day when the bubble bursts by trying to get people to believe this rubbish." Just thought I'd share what's going on here on t'other side of the world - in spite of the potential for high demand, people are calling price drops here too. I'll go back to my corner now. Thanks for visiting.

Subject to the landlord's approval and monthly inspections - not quite the same. Because you live there. Ok, you don't build conservatories for them - but you make it nice for your benefit not theirs. Most people don't (or at least didn't used to) get a new kitchen to add value to the house, but to have a nice kitchen. So, the German system then. I've never been asked to leave a property. Choose a landlord as carefully as you would choose a house to buy, and you probably won't have a problem. Momert, Monopoly - thanks both for the local view, and for all the great detail momert. All credit to the Germans for a good system.

A Wishful Bear not a Certain Bear then - fair enough. Answer: People will continue to pay rents that are half the cost of the mortgage. I'd also suggest owning will become less of a social desire as legislation is improved when the larger number of tenants become a significant voting proportion with more clout than the landlords. In Germany I gather when you rent you can use the space as if you effectively own it, e.g. can decorate however you want and the landlord can't object. Much more power to the tenant - but maybe a tenant in Germany can explain this a bit better?

Wouldn't rates at this level reinvigorate the Yen carry trade by widening the gap between US and Japanese rates, and increase the availability of credit in the US...? It's complicated this global economy isn't it!

So you were doing swapsies in the 80s - me too. Ah Top Trumps. Great. Hopefully the economy won't get so bad that we have to resort to trading in our Top Trumps though... that would be scandalous. I'm guessing this isn't quite where BoomBoom meant the thread to go though...

Crazy idea. 你好 (Psst... psst... caps lock.)

The little lines by region will give you more than the percentages in brackets. Think visual. Like the Olympics logo.

Lol. Awesomely funny.

It did descend into a bit of a schoolyard argument at the end though didn't it...

How about: 10% of people on the dole get a job as a Dole Day Worker Supervisor, on 400 a week. 90% get dole at 100 quid a week, and have to work one day a week to earn it. Best of both worlds. Day jobs are a habit, and an easy one to break, imho, so the routine of 9-5 at least once a week is psychologically quite important I think. And if nothing else, the Supervisors will be able to give decent references to the good workers, which will help them back to a job they want...