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.

HA,HA, ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Clegg should join the Tory party as he is trying to keep his and the tory party happy with his views. Which is impossible.Can any party now sort out the dire problems we have. If the deficit is not got under control and we for go our AAA status, Interest rates will rise. The IMF said a few weeks ago the government had delayed a downgrade. The public cannot afford the private sector pensions. We all should retire at the same age.How do they think they can work for 35 years and the rest of us pay for them to sit at home for another 35 years. If there is strikes, well so be it. Otherwise we are going the same way as Italy, Greece. I am pleased the Tory party are digging in and getting on with it.
otherwise the country will be like the USA, never paying off the debt.

DC.

Simplification for you.

It seems strange that a individual, who has been a diligent "manual worker" for 40 years will be unable to retire (perhaps, if from some ocupations "worn out") until he is 65, 66, 67, 68 and then receive a state pension and a "work pension" of perhaps 5000 a year, which he has contributed to.

While a banker, or "private" employer he work for, and sat on his arse for 30 years is able to retire in good health on a pension of "50,00 or more at an age of 55years of age.

Sometimes, I wonder which has given the most to society the "labourer", or the individual who has inherited "money" and had somebody else invest it for him while they followed their "wishes".

The acceptance speech of "that is how it is", leaves much to be desired.

You have it Fred worn out. 68 if anyone will employ you. The country cannot afford
bankers and workers who retire at 50yrs. They draw a pension and take another job that could be someone elses.

Off for a walk across the farm fields now with the dog.

Just out of interest.

What is the increase in the UK labour force going to produce that are saleable commodities in the World Market?

How are the younger members of society going to get into the labour market, when competing against the older generation, who would prefer to be retired like their betters?

I think, sometime, or other, there has to be a re-consideration of world resources and expectations.

Producing rubbish, in order to keep a market afloat, seems daft to me.

One rubbish bin, when I was a little younger, was sufficient for the average household for a week.

Now the household requires 2-3 bins or equivalent.

The amount of junk which is purchased one week and thrown away the following week, still amazes me.

Another factor to consider, is that there does not seem any increase in personal satisfaction, or social harmony.

I have never thought work was virtuous, or only for the less fortunate members of society.

The "I must have society" has taken over, but also, for some it means "others must provide for me, at a lower price, than I would expect to get, if I provided the object or service for myself..

We are all going to need 100 k netting 80k to purchase a property, feed the family
and to run a car. Not going to be much left, and that is tight. Property prices have been the down fall of this country. They have in my eyes a third more to fall. Its going to hurt people going into negative equity. It would be so nice to purchase a property and just live in it, Without expecting it to double in value overnight. My parents 1st house they owned in the sixties for 5 years, sold for about 500 more then the purchase price. Property has out priced wages. The man who would like to sell his million pound home still needs the first time buyer at the bottom of the chain.
There are few first time buyers now, hence property must fall.

Dreamcatcher

Don't reply to his post's , which most posters here have agreed to do.

The one thing that will stop house prices falling is that price of rented accomodation is rising fast. There has been talk this week of people gazumping over rentals and offering to pay more than has been accepted already by someone else.

Rising rentals will encourage the buy to rent market for a start. If rentals stay high then people will find some way of buying.

Yes I confess I am a pop star to opera fan. Haystack another thought could be in the short term more rentals. Would a first time buyer purchase knowing the value could fall 20% + wiping out the deposit.
You do not get much of a house to rent here in Bishops Stortford,Herts for under
1000 month.What has sold in these parts ranging from 250,000 - 1,000000
is subject to contract. People are finding it very hard to get a morgage, with the banks asking a lot more questions. In blunt terms, Do we trust you to get our money back.

Landlords have also been the down fall of businesses ie shops, look at the pub industry. Rents have to be high due to property prices being far to high.Have landlords got to greedy ?
People are also renting because its going to take years to save the deposit.
Where is the housing market going. I hope not like Spain and USA.

There is a limit to rental returns.

A interesting market for me to watch is the student rental market.

With increasing University charges to students.

Real reduction in parental incomes.

Decrease in parental income.

Disillusionment of those of university age and more importantly, probably a large number of choosing to live at home and go to the local university than live further afield because lack of "family" support.

I live in an area where over the past ten years houses have been bought and advertised for rental.

Many of the houses are up for sale.

Attempts are being made to get out of the market.

This as well as lack of movement in the general "labour market" will drop the prices in the housing market. Possibly for another 18months to 2years.

I do agree with that analysis, Fred.

Boris Jonhson thinks we ought to let the Greeks go it alone (and with a new sub Euro currency called the 'drachma').

I also agree with that analysis too. The 'don't throw good money after bad', particularly when it's 'our money' might be the clincher on it.

Greece should never have been allowed into the Euro. They were refused once because they could make the Euro convergence criteria. The second time they faked it and the rest of Europe knew they faked it (Italy faked it the first time).

What about Turkey , can they be trusted ?

Turkey's economy is expanding much faster than almost any country in the Eurozone.

Bertrams, Het Parool (Amsterdam)
Rescue plan
29 March 2010 Cartoonist
Joep Bertrams (1946) is a Dutch political cartoonist. He has been working for the Amsterdam daily Het Parool since 1982 and produces animated political cartoons for the Dutch TV news show NOVA. With French support, Germany has finally presented a rescue plan for the Greek public finances. It was adopted by the eurozone members on 25 March.

There's no stopping you now that you know how to post images, lol