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.

sticky's memory is short .... in 70s it was certainly about 3.5x the prime earners salart + 2/2.5x the secondary which probably had to be the spouse

4x in today's climate is not unreasonable, but of course much will depend on your underlying creditability .... don't forget that mortgage rates are nowhere near the terrifying 10/12% they were in late 70s and 80s, and it's 33/1 against that they'll ever get back to that rate - even with a labour gov't

A lot of people have been given 6x joint income.

I know someone who has been offered 6 x salary, albeit with a decent deposit.

If you had a mind, add that to help to buy and you have the makings of a decent bust down the road.


On a serious note....£600k, and they need help to buy?

6X joint income spells disaster to me hays.

I think its stupidity.

electionista ‏@electionista 33seconds ago....
UK - YouGov/@Sun_Politics #EP2014 poll:

UKIP 27%(22 seats)
LAB 26%(22)
CON 22%(16)
GRN 9%(4)
LDEM 9%(3

News just out bookies taking very big bets and in volume........Interest Rates to rise in the Autumn.

Get ready to eat your hat Hays.

Manuel.........Im looking forward to you full and unreserved thread Public and Groveling apology. Remember the bet.

Gideon cant afford interest rate rise when borrowing £100 Billion a year.

But cant wait to see his face if they do move up!!!!!!!

And he doesent need to borrow a penny of it, where do you think official money comes from in the first place?

Last updated: May 21, 2014 8:05 pm
Bank of England edges towards decision on interest rate rise
By Emily Cadman and Sarah O’Connor
s
The Bank of England is moving closer to a rate rise after some members of the interest-rate setting Monetary Policy Committee indicated they stand ready to vote for an earlier-than-expected increase.
The bank, which has kept interest rates at the historically low rate of 0.5 per cent since 2009, would be the first leading central bank to increase rates since the European Central Bank tightened its monetary policy in the summer of 2011.

The BoE’s move would come on the back of data showing that the economic recovery in Britain has gathered strength.
Quarterly economic growth has averaged close to 0.8 per cent in the past year, while property prices are rising again, prompting fears of an incipient housing bubble.
While still below the MPC’s 2 per cent target, inflation also edged up to 1.8 per cent in April.

The bank has so far been cautious about the prospects of an early rise. The minutes from the May meeting, released on Wednesday, showed that members voted unanimously to keep rates and gilt purchases on hold.
But the minutes also recorded that “for some members, the monetary policy decision was becoming more balanced”, suggesting there may be some dissenting votes on the committee as early as this summer.

Sterling moved to fresh day highs on the combination of more hawkish signals from the minutes alongside stronger-than-forecast retail sales data for April.
Stating explicitly that there were a “variety of views on the appropriate path of monetary policy”, the minutes laid out the argument that “the more gradual the intended rise in bank rate, the earlier it might be necessary to start tightening policy”. The bank thinks this risk must be weighed against the possibility that earlier tightening could hit output.

George Buckley, UK economist at Deutsche Bank, said the debate was “clearly shifting in favour of moving rates in the not too distant future”.

But attempts to read the runes on the MPC’s next moves are complicated by the fact that the committee itself is set to change significantly: three new members will arrive in the next three months – two of them from outside the central bank. Economists have been poring over the incoming members’ writings and speeches for clues about how they might vote on interest rates.
In a further sign of the UK economy gathering strength, retail sales volume rose 1.3 per cent between March and April to reach an annual growth rate of 6.9 per cent – the fastest in a decade.
The retail sales numbers were flattered by the timing of Easter – which fell in March last year and April this year – but were nonetheless stronger than economists had expected.

Of course you are correct MaxK. May be not him, but deep pockets will be required by some to cover the largesse.

sticky - you don't read my posts :-) ...... i'll be more than happy to make a fulsome grovel if rates go up before year end

post 41051 paraphrases(!) the minutes of the last BoE meeting

What you're voting for when you vote for an MEP:

MEPs are expected to attend four-day meetings in Strasbourg every month (not August) and two-day meetings in Brussels six times a year, where the Parliament's committees, political groups and other organs also mainly meet.

MEPs have few or no powers over health, education, housing, law & order or defence, but significant powers over environmental standards, consumer protection, trade, employment law.

Amongst other things MEPs: have to approve nearly all EU legislation, table parliamentary questions for Question Time or written answer, approve international agreements (such as trade agreements) and accession of new member states to the union, jointly with the Council of the European Union agree the EU’s annual budget.

Since the last election in 2009, the European Parliament has brought in a price cap on mobile roaming charges, worked on new financial regulations for banks - including capping bonuses, implemented farming reform by bringing in taxpayer-funded farm subsidies, brought in reform to save fish stocks by giving more powers back to fishing regions and backing down on quotas and written a number of anti tobacco laws.

Q: So if MEPs have few or no powers over health, education, housing, law & order or defence, then within the EU, who does?

A: Unelected EU beaurocrats.

Charlie seems to be taking over from his dad in the area of making gaffs.

Why was it a gaffe? I think he made the comment in a private conversation in full knowledge that it would reach the public domain and a lot of people agree with what he said.

I find it interesting that a 'private' conversation made by Charles is being used as his defence.

ie. He said it in private and what he said was not for public ears.

The same excuse didn't work for, say Ron Atkinson, did it?

It is a gaffe because he is not supposed to be involved in or comment on political matters.

If you're feeling unhappy, it might be an idea to move to Iran. There's plenty there to cheer you up:

FULL VIDEO:



Until you get arrested for displaying it in public.

THE ARRESTS, SUB TITLES and CLIPS of the VIDEO:

He has been around long enough to know that things he says in 'private' are very likely to be made public and for once I agree with Nick Clegg's comments.

And whilst the media are agog at charlies antics, the real business is being done behind the scenes....no dolla's involved either.



Russia seals £237bn deal to sell gas to China




Triumphant Putin hails ‘strategic energy alliance’ that will lessen dependency on trade with Europe


Peter Popham

Wednesday 21 May 2014


Vladimir Putin snatched triumph from the jaws of humiliation today, overseeing with President Xi Jinping a $400bn (£237bn) deal to sell Russian gas to China. The signing between Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation, which had been widely expected to happen during the hours of daylight, finally came at 4am, shortly before Mr Putin flew back to Moscow.

“This is the biggest contract in the history of the gas sector of the former USSR,” Mr Putin claimed after the signing in Shanghai.


More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/russia-seals-237bn-deal-to-sell-gas-to-china-9411326.html