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.

Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all. Thanks for the fun and interesting comments through a miserable year on the markets.

Seasons greetings to one and all.

As 2009 looks like being a bit of a bitch, remember a couple of points.

Yesterday is history
Tommorow is a mystery
But today is a gift, that is why it is called the present.

Problems are cowards. They never attack on their own. They hang around and attack as a gang, all at once. So celebrate the good times and the little victories. Make every nanosecond count, every reply sincere or witty or telling. Treat everyone as the most important person in the world. Then you will have your own personal gang for when the problems attack.
And even if it does get you down, the sun will still rise tomorrow, and children will still laugh, and one day, 2009 will be 20 years ago and you will start conversations by saying, "do you remember 2009 when we........................." and you will laugh at it all.

Have a great year everybody.

Alan

Cheers Alan, same to you and everyone! It may be a gloomy outlook but 2009 can still be a great year. Your health is your wealth; Alan can testify to that ;o)

Happy New Year fine people.

Happy New Year to all, and hoping it is a more prosperous one (not too difficult).

Greek.

Might be an election year when we get rid of this government....."Brown saving the world".....that really sums it up doesn't it !.

The 30 year rule allowed a small insight into the late 70's recently.
This caused me to pause and consider what happened then.
I'm sure you all remember, but as an aide memoire;
The sterling crisis. Oil shortages and rising petrol prices. The winter of discontent. The huge power wielded by the unions as union leaders hammered down the door of number 10 and demanded to be heard.
This was followed by the end of the steel industries, coal industries, car industries, engineering and manufacture in general.
Fast forward 30 years to a sterling crisis, an oil crisis, strikes starting in local government. The huge power wielded by financial and bank leaders as they hammer down the doors of number 10 demanding help.
The reaction of The Maggon in 1979 was to take them all on and shut down anyone who disagreed. What would she do now???
I disagreed with her policy at the time. The glories of the last 20 years have caused me to question whether I was right in my opposition of her. I now know that I was right in my opposition.
The powerful circles of opinion formers and the media are capito-centric, based almost exclusively in the south east. They had no qualms in supporting the destruction of an entire economy based in the north and midlands. Would they now support the end of our southern based financial industry? Would they hell.
Yes I hear the argument that the entire economy depends on our financial services, but in 1979, our economy was entirely dependant on manufacture and raw materials. There is almost no difference.
Tebbit was happy to tell miners, dockers, steelworkers et al to get on their bikes and look for other work. Will he now tell bankers to do the same?
The Maggon was lauded in the south for creating a hell hole in the north of despair amd ghetto to save the prosperous south. Who has the balls to tell the south to go to hell for the sake of the north?
I am not trying to portray an image of a divided country, or rest the blame and cure on the south. I am trying to draw the parallel of the late 70's / early 80's and now. The cure then was unpalatable and supported by many on here. If the same cure was applied now, there would be rioting in London.
So the question remains whether there is an alternative cure.
I suggested on here, some time ago that the best answer was for number 10 to guarantee secured payments of individuals. This has been done now in many ways and I still remain committed to the idea. Banks balance sheets will improve as less debt is written off and margins start to climb. The rest of the economy will benefit as people are more ready to spend.
In summary, GB is steering us in the right direction. Like The Maggon, he will need time for the benefits to work through. Unlike The Maggon, he will not be rescued by a war and he will not tell the whole south east to go to hell. For that, many should be thankful.

Just re-read that and I think I need a lie down. What a boatload of pompous crap.....................

Tony Blair is to receive the United States's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from his friend George Bush next Tuesday, at a White House ceremony during the latter's last week in office.

So that will be nice for him, won't it?

The medal, a five-pointed white star, was first introduced by President Harry Truman just after the second world war and later revived to reward eminent citizens for distinguished service in peacetime by president John F Kennedy.

Although among its previous 400 recipients there are American figures such as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye and Arnold Palmer, it has also been presented to every post-war president and to senior politicians and military men.

The medal is awarded "for especially meritorious contributions to security or the national interests of the United States, world peace or cultural or other significant public or private endeavours". It was not immediately clear last night under which heading the former prime minister had qualified. He is only the second British prime minister to receive the award, following Margaret Thatcher in 1991, though other recipients have included Lord Carrington, the former foreign secretary, and Lord Robertson, former defence secretary and secretary general of Nato.

Blair will find himself among others he will recognise. Donald Rumsfeld received the medal in 1977 for his original period in administration service; vice-president Dick Cheney got his in 1991; and President Bush has previously awarded other prominent figures involved in the Iraq campaign - Paul Bremer, the US's former director in Baghdad, General Tommy Franks, and George Tenet, former director of the CIA.

Blair was previously also awarded the US's other highest civilian honour, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 2003, for his support of the US invasion of Iraq, though he has never collected it.

He will receive next week's award alongside John Howard, the former Australian prime minister, and varo Uribe, the president of Colombia. A White House spokeswoman said the three were being honoured by the president "for their efforts to promote democracy, human rights and peace abroad".

The award was criticised by the Lib Dems, but Blair's spokesman said he regarded the medal as reflecting the courage of the British armed forces.

Presumably it allows him to give out free milky bars!

I think it is quite right that Tony Blair receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I would just love to be the person that presents the award, as long as I could put it where those 5 points would do the most good.

I had a dream.

Dreamt last night that the FTSE finished 2009 back above 6000 points. Unfortunately those sharing my bed (Girls Aloud) did not agree.

If only dreams came true even partly. Now which part of my dream would I choose, and what are the odds.


Could have been down to all that Flu medication.
Still unusual dream (the ftse that is).

I sometimes dream of girls - but not aloud. I do it quietly and whilst I am asleep.

I think my wife suspects something, because she keeps saying to me, particularly whilst we are shopping, "In your dreams!" ;-)

I've just seen the news covering the guy that jumped into a frozen lake to save his dog. I must say I'm not sure I would have done the same thing.

I think it is one of those decisions that you take at the time. Guy took a foolhardy but brave decision. Now if it had been his wife and not mans best friend, who knows.
I hope he took a hazard risk assessment prior to jumping in.

Now if it had been Girls Aloud, skinny dipping! (no not you skinny).
Would obviously have jumped in, dragged them out and gave them the required body rub.

If it had been Gordon Brown would any of you lot have risked your life by going in after him, (thats to save him by the way, not to stop him getting out.

Greekman - I think we are thinking along similar lines - an even worse scenario would be if it was his wife hodling his gold clubs!

Im off for a pint (or two..or maybe more) and calling it an early day.

this so called santa claus rally didnt last so long.

bah humbug.

Good morning Me (Well it is the talk to yourself thread) I must have had a good festive season since I put on at least a 1/4 stone. How do you get 1/4 stone? Surely if yoe try breaking one into 4 all you get is 4 small stones. Anyway I have just been using my new Wollies frying pan - the one with the cast iron 25 year guarantee - to fry up a couple of eggs and a few other odds and ends that I found in the 'fridge. The wife is working from home today, so obviously she will switch on the mobile at about 9:00, start some work and get up sometime afterwards. No hope of her making me breakfast.

You should go to Bunny's Beer Basement This_is_me; you can have virtually anything there!

Dead pleased with my little self today..............

Every year I swear that I will buy next years Christmas pressies in the sales. (Go on, admit it, you all swear the same and never do it.)
This year I did, and to make it even better, and more savings I have done it on-line, with a discount company from Nigeria.
I know what your going to say, the payment is not safe, but there was a little drawing of a padlock, with the symbol "honestguv" at the side, so I'll be fine.
Anyway, to give you an idea of the savings, I got the kids, 1000 of Woolworths vouchers and any 10 DVD's of their choice from Zavvi for just 500 each, payable by Western Union money transfer.
Better still, the e-mail back said if I send an extra 1000 they will refund 2000, due to some profit they make on exchange rates and their bank accounts bonus for large payments.
Saved the best till last, though. I was told that as their 10,000th customer, I had the right to buy the wife a round the world air ticket for just 250, plus taxes, If i bought myself one at full price of 1995 plus taxes.
I can't wait for Christmas 2009 to see the wifes face when she opens it. She will love it, particularly as they say it is very cheap to upgrade to first class with XL Airlines.

Alan,

You have been done. If you had gone to e-bay you could have bought all those presseis a lot cheaper.

Now how about this for a brilliant idea, to save money.
A few months ago my brother completed a Mori Poll on how he thought his local council (Nottingham) was performing. Last week he received an invitation to attend a seminar at a city hotel. At this seminar many council aspects were discussed and my brother admitted it was very interesting as well as being an eye opener.
As you would expect, all attending were plied with refreshment, Tea/Coffee and a buffet. Prior to leaving they also received a goodie bag, made of hessian with the council logo thereon, containing a Pen and Note book, a door sticker (no pedlars, good bought at the door type) one of those monster thingies that sit on top of your computer and a few other items.
Oh yes, not forgetting a nice bonus of 50 each for attending. After the meeting my brother asked the organiser if all the excepted ideas would be followed up, or just forgotten as all such suggestions/ideas always are. He was told that all would be put to the next council meeting (no Councillors attended this seminar) for discussion.

A total of 80 persons attended this seminar.
80 x 50 =4,000.
Cost of refreshments, Hire of Hotel meeting room, Cost of wages re organisation, presentation etc, must be at least another 1,000.
So this little get together must have cost at least 5,000.

OK, if this seminar resulted in any savings over 5,000, then I would except its worth, but who out there has experienced anything coming from such meetings, opinion polls. What a waste of money!