goldfinger
- 09 Jun 2005 12:25
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.
Fred1new
- 11 Feb 2014 09:49
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MaxK
- 11 Feb 2014 09:52
- 36394 of 81564
Fred1new
- 11 Feb 2014 09:54
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GF.
Here is another beauty for you.
Imagine having her screeching at you all day!
goldfinger
- 11 Feb 2014 10:24
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The gruesome twosome. YUK.
goldfinger
- 11 Feb 2014 10:27
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Right required field..................... that article I promised you yesterday on Tory lies about the recession.
Labour really must refute constant Tory canard that Labour’s profligate spending caused the recession
February 2nd, 2014
Once more in this last week Cameron and Osborne have been at it again saying all Britain’s current troubles come from ‘profligate’ expenditure by the last Labour government. It is a straightforward lie. In Labour’s years in office before the financial crash in 2008 the highest deficit in real terms was 3.3% of GDP in 2004-5. If this is supposed to be a mark of ‘profligate expenditure’, why on earth doesn’t Labour point out every time this is raised that by that measure Tory governments have been much more profligate than the Labour government ever was. During the Thatcher/Major Tory years the deficit actually exceeded 3.3% of GDP in 10 out of those 18 years! If this is the measure of economic competence, then Labour comes out incomparably better than the Tories. Moreover, whilst Thatcher/Major ran deficits in 16 years out of their 18 and produced minor surpluses in only 2 years, Blair/Brown produced 4 years of surpluses. Nor are these facts just an academic matter. The Tory lies, ignoring these facts, are part of a relentless propaganda campaign to persuade the electorate that Labour wrecked the economy and is therefore ultimately responsible for all the austerity being imposed on the British people. It is not too much to say that if this enormous canard isn’t forcefully refuted, Labour could lose the election on a lie.
So if Labour didn’t wreck the economy, what did? It is too readily assumed it was the bankers’ bailout. In fact the buying of stakes in the banks (to the tune of £68bn) did not directly have an impact on the revenue budget and the deficit. What did have a huge impact on these was the dramatic drop in public tax revenues which was a direct result of the global financial crash and the consequent recession. In the 5-6 years leading up to 2007-8 there was a remarkably consistent straight line trend in public revenues of about 6% a year, i.e. real growth plus inflation. That public income in 2007-8 was £549bn. Based on this trend, any reasonable forecast would have predicted further increases in income in the next 2 years, leading to a predicted income of about £620bn in 2009-10. But as a direct result of the global financial crash and the consequent recession, actual public income was only £512bn in 2009-10.
That massive loss of public tax revenues of around £110bn was the key cause of the deficit, not excessive expenditure. The Tory sound-bites about ‘profligate expenditure’ before the crash are just fanciful inventions designed to undermine Labour’e economic credibility. A simple examination of the deficit figures each year in the decade to 2007-8 exposes them for what they are – a Goebbels-sized lie which needs to be stamped on and eradicated by every Labour spokesman, especially Ed Balls.
Haystack
- 11 Feb 2014 10:27
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There is a new Populus poll out today which shows Labour’s lead over the Conservatives being cut to a mere 2%:
Conservative 34% (up 1%)
Labour 36% (no change)
Lib Dem 11% (up 2%)
UKIP 12% (down 3%)
cynic
- 11 Feb 2014 10:27
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well she's a huge improvement on having our resident pedagogue preaching at you all day
goldfinger
- 11 Feb 2014 10:31
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Hays labour only need 38% for an overall majority.
2517GEORGE
- 11 Feb 2014 10:31
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Where did that article come from gf?
2517
aldwickk
- 11 Feb 2014 10:34
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Not as bad as The gruesome twosome , Fred and Stan
cynic
- 11 Feb 2014 10:35
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39% at a pinch, but of course that needs to be reflected across the country
meanwhile, there's nothing to choose between the idiots on either side, and for that reason, i fear a very low turn-out which merely lets in the lunatics of whatever hue
goldfinger
- 11 Feb 2014 10:35
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Hays trying to CON us all. his poll wasnt out today it was out yesterday in fact 19 hours ago to be precise. Naughty naughty hays.
Heres the latest poll.........
electionista @electionista
UK - YouGov/Sun poll:
CON 33%
LAB 39%
LDEM 10%
UKIP 12%
goldfinger
- 11 Feb 2014 10:37
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GEORGE .......... Michael Meacher.
doodlebug4
- 11 Feb 2014 10:41
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It's very easy to fill in this form online for anyone interested.
The Mail has launched a petition giving people the chance to press the Government to use part of our massive foreign aid budget to help the thousands of British families whose lives have been made a misery by the floods.
Just fill in this form and send it to us. We’ll pass it on to the Prime Minister’s office.
Please revert to the desktop version of our website if viewing on an iPhone.
Alternatively you can click HERE to print a copy and send it to the Daily Mail by post.
Dear Prime Minister,
I strongly urge you to divert some of the £11billion
a year spent on overseas aid to ease the suffering of
British flood victims, and to build and maintain flood
defences to prevent a repetition of this crisis.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556043/Sign-petition-calling-Government-divert-foreign-aid-flood-hit-British-families.html#ixzz2t0bnISz7
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
doodlebug4
- 11 Feb 2014 10:48
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2556412/Breathtaking-incompetence-DOMINIC-SANDBROOK-says-people-run-Britain-never-touch-flood-debacle.html#socialLinks
Haystack
- 11 Feb 2014 10:51
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The monthly ICM/Guardian poll is out. Topline voting intentions are
CON 34%(+2), LAB 38%(+3), LDEM 10%(-4), UKIP 11%(+1)
The poll findings also include a survey of voting intention for the European Parliament elections in May. Surprisingly this shows UKIP in third place behind the Conservatives and Labour. The poll finds that Labour leads with 35%, the Conservatives are on 25%, UKIP on 20%, the Lib Dems on 9% and the Greens on 7%. Many commentators had suggested that UKIP could end up topping the Euro ballot.
goldfinger
- 11 Feb 2014 10:57
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And before any Tory goes screaming but Meacher is a far lefty, heres one from a TORY admitting near as dam it the same thing about the lies over the deficit...........
Finally! Exposed! The Deficit Myth! So, David Cameron When Are You Going to Apologise?
Posted: 24/10/2012 07:33
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on"
- Winston Churchill
As a Conservative I have no pleasure in exposing David Cameron's deficit claims. However, as long as the party continues to talk down the economy via the blame game, confidence will not be given an opportunity to return. For it is an undeniable and inescapable economic fact: without confidence and certainty there can be no real growth.
Below are the three deficit claims - the mess. The evidence comes from the IMF, OECD, OBR, HM Treasury, ONS and even George Osborne. The claims put into context are:
CLAIM 1
The last government left the biggest debt in the developed world.
After continuously stating the UK had the biggest debt in the world George Osborne admits to the Treasury Select Committee that he did not know the UK had the lowest debt in the G7? Watch: Also, confirmed by the OECD Those who use cash terms (instead of percentages) do so to scare, mislead and give half the story.
Its common sense, in cash terms a millionaire's debt would be greater than most people. Therefore, the UK would have a higher debt and deficit than most countries because, we are the sixth largest economy. Hence, its laughable to compare UK's debt and deficit with Tuvalu's who only have a GDP/Income of £24 million whilst, the UK's income is £1.7 Trillion.
Finally, Labour in 1997 inherited a debt of 42% of GDP. By the start of the global banking crises 2008 the debt had fallen to 35% - a near 22% reduction page 6 ONS Surprisingly, a debt of 42% was not seen as a major problem and yet at 35% the sky was falling down?
CLAIM 2
Labour created the biggest deficit in the developed world by overspending.
Firstly, the much banded about 2010 deficit of over 11% is false. This is the PSNB (total borrowings) and not the actual budget deficit which was -7.7% - OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook March 2012 page 19 table 1.2
Secondly, in 1997 Labour inherited a deficit of 3.9% of GDP (not a balanced budget ) and by 2008 it had fallen to 2.1% - a reduction of a near 50% - Impressive! Hence, it's implausible and ludicrous to claim there was overspending. The deficit was then exacerbated by the global banking crises after 2008. See HM Treasury. Note, the 1994 deficit of near 8% haaaaaah!
Thirdly, the IMF have also concluded the same. They reveal the UK experienced an increase in the deficit as result of a large loss in output/GDP caused by the global banking crisis and not even as result of the bank bailouts, fiscal stimulus and bringing forward of capital spending. It's basic economics: when output falls the deficit increases.
Finally, the large loss in output occurred because the UK like the US have the biggest financial centres and as this was a global banking crises we suffered the most. Hence, the UK had the 2nd highest deficit in the G7 (Not The World) after the US and not as a result of overspending prior to and after 2008- as the IMF concur.
CLAIM 3
Our borrowing costs are low because the markets have confidence in George Osborne's austerity plan and without it the UK will end up like Greece.
Yes, the markets have confidence in our austerity plan and that's why PIMCO the worlds largest bond holder have been warning against buying UK debt.
The real reason why our borrowing costs have fallen and remained low since 2008 is because, savings have increased. As a result, the demand and price for bonds have increased and as there is inverse relationship between the price of bonds and its yield (interest rate) the rates have fallen. Also, the markets expect the economy to remain stagnate. Which means the price for bonds will remain high and hence, our borrowing costs will also remain low.
Secondly, the UK is considered a safe heaven because, investors are reassured the Bank of England will buy up bonds in an event of any sell off - which increases the price of bonds and reduces the effective rate. Note, how rates fell across the EU recently when the ECB announced its bond buying program. Thirdly, because, we are not in the Euro we can devalue our currency to increase exports. Moreover, UK bonds are attractive because, we haven't defaulted on its debt for over 300 years.
David Cameron would like people to believe the markets lend in the same way as retail banks lend to you and I.
Overall, when the facts and figures are put into context these juvenile deficit narratives and sound bites ("mere words and no evidence") simply fail to stand up to the actual facts. The deficit myth is the grosses lie ever enforced upon the people and it has been sold by exploiting people's economic illiteracy.
So, David Cameron when are you going to apologise?
Cameron is playing the blame game to depress confidence and growth to justify austerity. Secondly, to use austerity as justification for a smaller state to gain lower taxes. Thirdly, to paint Labour as a party that can not be trusted with the country's finances again. Therefore, we Conservatives will win a second term because, people vote out of fear. The latter strategy worked the last time in office (18 years) and will work again because, in the end, elections are won and lost on economic credibility. Hence, as people believe Labour created the mess they won't be trusted again.
Finally, as the truth is the greatest enemy of the a lie I urge you to share this on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, text and email etc etc. So the truth can be discovered by all. Finally, have no doubt, people have been mislead by the use of the following strategy:
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it" Joseph Goebbels
goldfinger
- 11 Feb 2014 11:00
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Haystack
- 11 Feb 2014 11:04
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Is there a site where I can sign that I am happy with the foreign aid and don't want it diverted.
cynic
- 11 Feb 2014 11:11
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there's certain to be an emergency slush fund for this sort of thing ...... that said, what do you guys consider can actually be done with immediate effect?