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.

55225 - so sticky, have a misread some of the garbage, or are you saying that if labour get into power, the unemployed will quickly rocket to 5m?

a bit of an exaggeration i must say, though first labour have to get into power before doom descends, and that is scarcely a good bet either

he he...... thats what you think.

It will be the worst economic happening this country as ever seen.

The Tories have built an economy on sand.

Trickle-down economics doesent seem to be working



Half global wealth held by the 1%

Oxfam warns of widening inequality gap, days ahead of Davos economic summit in Switzerland


Larry Elliott, economics editor, and Ed Pilkington


The Guardian, Monday 19 January 2015



The Swiss ski resort of Davos, home to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Photograph: Christian Kober/Robert Hardi/REX


Billionaires and politicians gathering in Switzerland this week will come under pressure to tackle rising inequality after a study found that – on current trends – by next year, 1% of the world’s population will own more wealth than the other 99%.

Ahead of this week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the ski resort of Davos, the anti-poverty charity Oxfam said it would use its high-profile role at the gathering to demand urgent action to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

The charity’s research, published today, shows that the share of the world’s wealth owned by the best-off 1% has increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% in 2014, while the least well-off 80% currently own just 5.5%.

Oxfam added that on current trends the richest 1% would own more than 50% of the world’s wealth by 2016.



More: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/19/global-wealth-oxfam-inequality-davos-economic-summit-switzerland

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2916359/Company-sneaky-new-motorway-speed-cameras-paid-2-1m-taxpayer-catch-drivers.html

oxfam
anyone know what % of donations to this charity is spent on admin and the like .... or put another way, what % of every £ donated actually finishes up benefitting a real cause?

this is one charity to which i refuse to subscribe

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/~/link.aspx?_id=938CD43327384DCEBB80BD5F0946E570&_z=z

12 years ago it was just 1% that got through to those that needed it.

Dont know what it is now.

I remember because it was the early days of the internet and there was a action group set up by Winnie on T1PS.

It was when his daughter was born and she nearly died.

Gladly she is now a very nice young lady.

My charity that I work for 72% goes through to beneficiaries. Quite high.

75% of the more than 195,000 charities are reliant on government funding, ie the taxes paid by the tax payer.
2517

195k charities?

Sounds more like a jobs program.

Ed Miliband walks into a bank to cash a cheque. “Good morning”, says Ed, “could you please cash this cheque for me?”

Cashier: “It would be my pleasure Sir, but could you please show me some identification?”

Miliband: “Truthfully… I did not bring my ID with me as I didn’t think there was any need to. But hang on! I’m Ed Miliband, Leader of the Opposition and of the Labour Party!!!”

Cashier: ““Yes Sir, I know who you are, but with all the regulations and monitoring of the banks because of impostors and forgers etc., I must insist on seeing some identification”.

Miliband: “Just ask any of the customers here at the bank who I am and they will tell you. Everybody knows who I am!”

Cashier: “I’m sorry Sir, but these are the bank rules and I must follow them”.

Miliband: “I am urging you please, to cash this cheque for me”.

Cashier: “Look Sir, this is what we can do. One day Colin Montgomery came into the bank without any ID. To prove he was Colin Montgomery he pulled out his putter and putted a ball along the floor and into a small cup. With that sort of skill we knew it was Colin Montgomery and we cashed his cheque. On another occasion, Andy Murray came in without any ID. He pulled out his tennis racquet and lobbed a tennis ball straight into my teacup with such a spectacular shot that we all knew it was Andy Murray.

Ed Miliband stood there thinking and thinking and then finally says, “To be honest, there is nothing that comes to my mind. I can’t think of a single thing that I’m any good at.”

Cashier: “Will it be large or small notes you require Mr Miliband.

http://news.sky.com/story/1410551/uk-economy-set-for-oil-price-fall-dividend

UK Economy Set For Oil Price Fall Dividend

The UK economy is set to grow more than expected this year with falling oil prices boosting consumer spending, according to an influential forecaster.

The EY ITEM Club predicts that GDP will grow by 2.9% in 2015, up 0.5% on its previous estimate in October.

The forecast is also more optimistic than the 2.4% predicted in Chancellor's George Osborne's Autumn Statement in December.

The plunge in oil costs - with Brent crude losing more than 50% of its value since June last year - has seen unleaded petrol costs hit a five-year low, giving a shot in the arm to household budgets.

The ITEM Club report also predicts inflation will average around zero in 2015 - turning negative in the early months of the year.

The low inflation rate will also help hold off a decision by the Bank of England on increasing interest rates.

The report predicts that rates will not rise from their current record low of 0.5% until the spring of 2016, followed by a gradual rise of 0.25% every three months.

Peter Spencer, EY ITEM Club's chief economic adviser, said: "Not every economy will be a winner from oil prices collapsing, but the UK certainly is.

"We have described the previous weakness of commodity prices as a silver lining in the storm clouds gathering over the world economy.

"But with oil prices now down over 50% since last June, this silver lining has turned to gold.

"While it is not a game changer in terms of growth prospects, falling oil prices come just as the recovery was losing momentum and will move the game up to a higher level for a year or two."

Alongside the benefit of low inflation, the ITEM Club is expecting wage growth of 3.5% in 2015, resulting in a rise in real disposable incomes of 3.7%.

As a result, real household consumption is set to increase by 2.9% this year and 2.6% in 2016.
Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: "Falling oil prices act like a giant tax cut to the economy and will further boost our already established recovery.

"Consumers felt the pain when oil prices were high. It's only fair that they, and the economy, should feel the full benefit when they are falling."

Meanwhile, the Confederation of British Industry said Britain's financial sector reported the biggest upsurge in business in nearly 20 years in the last three months of 2014.

Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI's director of economics, said: "The upswing in growth among financial services firms continues on a solid footing, with overall optimism, business volumes and profits up."

Deflation though is on the horizon though Hays.

Tories taking us into JAP style deflation for 25 years????

stop being an ass!
try the whole of europe currently heading for deflation

"stop being an ass" - Why stop now he's been doing it for over 10 years.

We won't have deflation except in a technical sense. To get real deflation you need prices falling across the board. We have a falling price of oil. That should reduce costs for companies. I expect that those savings will be used up by increased profit margin, reinvestment and pay rises and not falling product prices. The falling oil price should give quite a boost to the economy in general. If that boost puts more money in pockets then that will cause inflation to rise slightly.
It has all come at an ideal time for the run up to the GE.

Just in case Napoleon, Hazy, DB. missed it


In London an old priest lay dying in the hospital.



For years he had faithfully served the people of the nation's capital.



He motioned for his nurse to come near.

"Yes, Father?" said the nurse.

"I would really like to see the Prime Minister and the Treasurer

before I die", whispered the priest.

"I'll see what I can do, Father", replied the nurse.

The nurse sent the request to Parliament and waited for a response.

Soon the word arrived; Prime Minister David Camoran and Treasurer

George Osbourne would be delighted to visit the priest.

As they went to the hospital, David commented to George, "I don't

know why the old priest wants to see us, but it will certainly will

help our images and might even get me re-elected Prime Minister. After

all, I need a ratings boost



George agreed that it was a good thing.

When they arrived at the priest's room, the priest took David's hand

in his right hand and George's hand in his left.

There was silence and a look of serenity on the old priest's face.

Finally David Camoron spoke. "Father, of all the people you could have

chosen, why did you choose us to be with you as you near the end?"



The old priest slowly replied, "I have always tried to pattern my life

after that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

"Amen", said David. "Amen", said George.

The old priest continued, "Jesus died between two lying thieving

b%st*rds; I would like to do the same

Did anyone see Sunday Politics? There was an item where Miliband was shown eating the famous bacon sandwich. The comment was "the way Ed Miliband was eating a bacon sandwich compared to a normal person".

That really sums him up!

"compared to a normal person".

Haze,

What stunted you in early childhood?

didn't see it but sounds something like the way the nazis portrayed and caricatured the jews

cynic
I am not clear what you are implying. If you are talking about Miliband then it is just a caricature of a single person. What surprised me was the casual use of the implication that Miliband is not normal. It does seem to be a widely held belief.