Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Goldfinger

It makes Jimmy Carr feel better

It matters not what the Libs propose. They will be placed third as in previous elections. Any popular policies will only serve to preserve some of their seats. The election will be either Labour or Conservative with most seat and an outside majority is anyones's guess. Third place will be Libs. A long back in fourth place will be UKIP with most likely no MPs. There is a slim chance that UKIP might get a handful of seats, say 4.

Alders Im pointing at rises here........

F.T., 03/08/2012

Higher stamp duty deters luxury buyers By Ed Hammond and Jim Pickard in London

Foreign Buyers Start To Shun Britain.

The number of luxury homes sold in London has declined sharply in the wake of tough stamp duty measures launched in March, raising doubt about an increase in tax revenue for the government.

Sales of homes worth more than £2m – the threshold at which the government increased the levy from 5 to 7 per cent – have fallen 24 per cent during the four months since the budget. The slump is a stark contrast to the market for homes worth between £1m and £2m in London, which soared by 26 per cent over the same period, according to data produced for the Financial Times by Knight Frank, the property services group.

Taking in the decline in transactions, the net tax gain from the £2m-plus market in London is £11.8m. The figures will make grim reading for the Treasury, which is expecting to garner an extra £150m from changes to stamp duty that also include a 15 per cent charge for house-buying through corporate vehicles.

“It seems clear that the new 7 per cent rate is dissuading some buyers from buying, in addition some sales which would have been at £2m and a bit have now been renegotiated to a bit under £2m,” said Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s head of residential research. The slowdown in the market is being felt by estate agents.

Fishfinger,

What is the point in posting some claptrap from an article that is now over 1 year old and which uses data that is 18 months old???

If, for one moment, you had exercised that substitute for a brain you are roadtesting for one of your impoverished, idiotic northern mates, you would know that K+C house prices are currently rising annually at a rate of 5.9% and average £1,586,426 per sale, Hammersmith & Fulham at 9.5% annually (£753,952 average sale price) and Westminster is rising at 19.4% (£1,383,45). These figures are from the latest Land Registry data.

Sales over £2m have been outperforming the above averages! In K+C, for instance, the average price of a semi is £4,772,222 and its price has risen 29.4% in the last 12 months.

If you must pollute the thread with your socialist propaganda and garbage, please try to ensure that it is factually accurate garbage!

My grovelling apology to Herr Schäuble


By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Economics Last updated: September 17th, 2013



Wolfgang Schäuble: he's right about everything



German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has been vindicated.

For my part, I have been wrong about everything. German discipline policies for the eurozone have been a tremendous success. I am ashamed for suggesting otherwise.

As the wise, patient, and always self-effacing Mr Schäuble writes today in The Financial Times, the Euro-sceptics talk and write relentless drivel.

“Ignore the doomsayers: Europe is being fixed” is the headline:


The eurozone is clearly on the mend both structurally and cyclically.

What is happening turns out to be pretty much what the proponents of Europe’s cool-headed crisis management predicted. The fiscal and structural repair work is paying off, laying the foundations for sustainable growth. This has taken critical observers aback. It should not have, because, in truth, we have seen it all before, many times and in many places.

Despite what the critics of the European crisis management would have us believe, we live in the real world, not in a parallel universe where well-established economic principles no longer apply.


A good read: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100025568/my-grovelling-apology-to-herr-schauble/

The second part of the news article shows it was indeed the Lib Dems (in paticular VINCEY CABLE) who secured the increase in stamp duty and the increase in tax revenue recieved by the government since the date of the FT article. The success or otherwise of the higher-rate band is being watched carefully in Westminster, not least by Liberal Democrat ministers. George Osborne, the chancellor, announced a cut in the upper income tax rate in March from 50p to 45p, despite hostility from Lib Dems who thought the move was a mistake at a time of sweeping national cuts. That resistance was only assuaged when the chancellor offered the 7 per cent stamp duty rate as a quid pro quo.

The measure fell short of the “mansion tax” favoured by Vince Cable, business secretary – designed to be an annual levy that would be hard to avoid – but was designed to have a similar, albeit smaller, effect. Of course, we would be disappointed if the 7 per cent band doesn’t raise much, that goes without saying,” said one Lib Dem aide. However, the Treasury said it was standing by its prediction of raising £150m, despite the disappointing figures.

“The estimate for yield from the new 7 per cent rate of SDLT [stamp duty land tax] for residential properties over £2m is audited and approved by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility,” the Treasury said.

Hils,

Back to your old charming self.

OBC,

No, just felt like a bit of muppet baiting.

Fred....re-arrange these words,......... trap fell a mug into.

Was initially set up for dope cynic but who cares.

I repeat my earlier post which the Lib Dems are also thinking on the same lines.....

Im all in favour of taxing foreigners here who are asset rich and are soley here to take advantage of our tax laws on property. Russian and Chinese and Polski billionaires who have property after property empty in London (Kensington) and dont live here or work here but working families like teachers and nurses doctors, solicitors cant afford to live in most of London.

Their has to be a re-balance.

OLD underlined Fred.

Is he getting his pension?.

It doesn't matter what the Libs are thinking. They don't have and won't have the power to introduce legislation.

They will if it's another hung job....

Most Labour voters are dissatisfied with him, he’s alienated old union allies, and some in his shadow cabinet admit he’s struggling. Iain Martin examines the problems facing Ed Miliband

In private, some backbenchers are critical. “Yes, he is struggling very badly,” said one MP. Another depressed backbencher was particularly blunt: “It’s terrible. His personal ratings are catastrophic.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ed-miliband/10309221/Why-so-cheerful-Ed-Miliband-Youve-nothing-to-smile-about.html

And yes, good gif, they'll sell their arses to anyone.

I can't be more pleased that Labour has Ed Miliband as leader. It looks like Kinnock all over again.

I think UKIP are the Cons problem - as said above - they can win Conservative seats allowing Labour to be the next government. They have no chance on their own.

Sounds like Ed Balls is going to be bounced to the side lines. lol

I can't see UKIP winning any seats from any party. The danger is splitting the vote and allowing Labour to win a seat. UKIP don't have the level support to start winning their own seats. It was the surge in Lib support that cost the Conservatives an outright victory. Although the Libs surged in popularity it did not translate into many extra seats. The Libs have a rump of safe seats and then they pick up a few depending on how they are favoured with the public. UKIP does not have that solid support to enable them to get seats. They can only get seats by taking them from other parties. That is very unlikely as even the marginal seats of other parties usually have a close second party. That means they will usually have to beat at least two parties in a constituencies. There is no doubting the potential disruptive effect of UKIP in the election, but they are miles away from getting seats. You only have to look at the last election. There was a huge buzz about the Lubs with Clegg being very popular. Their percentage did surge at the election, but they did not get the increased seats that they expected. IIt was that experience that made them even more determined to bring AV, which is what is needed for minority parties like Libs and UKIP.

UKIP does well in the EU elections because they use AV. Without it, they are nowhere.