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.

Greeklol.all four possible
I cannot understand how the markets have held up so wellI still believe we are in recession? the number of Britons claiming unemployment benefits fell unexpectedly in FebruaryI would say the number of threatening adverts on TV for illegally claiming benefitsalong with the degree of difficulty has helped crucially the number of people in employment also fell to a four-year lowvery worrying!The latest labour market data don't help to clear up any of the uncertainty about the economic outlookCity bonuses asidewage rates are poorwhich might have helped with labour/employmentbut figures dont seem to back this theory upand also leave families with less money in their pockets to spendor debt manage?RBS and Lloys committed to lend an extra 25 billion and 14 billion respectively in return for state supporton the understanding that credit-starved businesses could surviveof course the Banks failed miserablyblaming falling demand for business loans due to recessionwho buys that one?I struggle to feel positive about the marketsbut obviously those holding the big bucks are confidentor are investors/small traders getting mugged into another big hitI like to think I am covered as Labour seeks to cut a budget deficit set to hit 12 percent

Fred,

Between God and my wife taking notice of me, I think I have better odds on the wife. So no chance there then.

Tabasco,

I have no faith in the markets whatsoever, due to the huge amount of debt to which I feel, the Government has buried it's head in the sand hoping it will just go away. Whoever gets in, I can't see things improving for several years, unless they bite the bullet now. I decided to take a chance about a month ago and sold out of the market, only retaining the few shares I have in Blue Sky or Bust type companies. You know those that can possibly go up or down by double digits because of news relating directly to them. Over 50% of my portfolio is now in cash.
May of course have called it wrong, but when confidence goes, it is hard to get it back. Sooner miss out on a small rally than stay in awaiting a massive drop, when everyone does wake up to the debt, bond crisis.

Greek a good disciplined call
The banks were given a life-linein return they were given a target and asked to lend money to those businesses in urgent needthey were also warned about bonusesthey failed on both countsif they cannot be trusted in those circumstances.I would never trust them againthey claim to be irreplaceableI saygive it a go!

No mention of :

Vat fraud and Tax fraud or dubious "avoidance" .

If some of that was in the kitty the funds may look a little better.

I wonder how the latter equate to "benefit fraud".

Similarly I have been taking some cash out as well, although I have picked up 1 or 2 more small oilies and a gold miner, Norseman (NGL). I must have it wrong because for the life of me I cannot see this market going higher, infact I'm surprised how resilient it has been, and with the consumer about to get hit with higher taxes etc. how can the housing, retail and motor industries continue to defy gravity?
2517

Georgethey cant!

Fredthat is designer avoidancefor the privileged fewI believe the chancellor has three times more tax revenue than he expectedfrom the one-off Bankers bonus tax

Budget started now

Spot on with that three times, tabasco.
2517

Its officialthe chance-the-law has been right about everythingDarling was born at a very early agehe is an orthodox right handed south pawwith a straightforward contrary naturewhos ambiguity is as clear as a freshly polished dartboard and verbal ornamentation that has the euphoria of a hip hop singer at a Bin Laden Garden Partyje comprends

Growth for 2011 of 3-3.5%, what planet is this character on. It's well known that growth is going to be severely restrained for the foreseeable future, I would hazard a guess that this figure will be reduced somewhat.
2517

Do they have tall toilets in ParliamentCameron sounded high on pot?spiritually
illuminated!.Cleggsnorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre!

I thought Cameron had given it up.

Performs like Dell boy in disguise.

Yerbut so do I Fred

Tabby,

I am getting worried now.

8-)

You are just trying to be lefter than I am.

That is offside!

==========

Interesting budget. but would like to see in printed.

But it does show the complexities of government.

The amount of work which goes into its preparation must be collosal.

Au contraire. Fromage frais

Fredtheres not a lot of work in preparationwhen you make it up?

With Easter coming up soon, I thought you might like the following. It starts with non-religious humorist Australian, Seb Thorne's Dad', getting his 'Easter Play Parent's Invitation' from the School. Then a diatribe follows, thus:

With reference to the 'bankers tax'. when first muted AD stated that as it was intended to be a deterrent to persuade banks to forgo these bonuses, and that if it raised anything at all it should be looked at as a failure. His estimate was 500,000,000 max.
As this tax has raised 2,000,000,000 it is obviously a failure X 4, and yet he touted it as if it was a personal success.

I appreciate he had no room to give anything away, but I was waiting for far more detail on where savings were coming from, quangos, think tanks, and all the other public bodies out there waisting money.

It was announced yesterday that for the first time, public sector workers now account for over 50% of the work force. Not saying that there are not many public sector workers who don't work hard and earn their money, but as we all know there are now far more 'jobs for the boys' with the number of chiefs forever increasing faster than the Indians.

Also the bit about Tax Dodgers got me. I wonder if it includes all those MP's who did not pay CGT on their second homes (because they switched prior to sale) or the tax not paid on their fiddled expenses (they were allowed tax exemptions on allowances that they were not entitled to). And many of these schemes are avoidance which will never be as wrong as dodging (fiddling). Pot, kettle, black, springs to mind.

Fiddling B******s

What a way to run a country.

Greek.

If the tories were to be elected the phrase, "you ain't seen anything yet" comes to mind.


What is needed is a coalition government to :

1) sort out expenses
2) lobbying
3) making all full time MPs on salaries raised to reasonable levels.
4) accommodation provided of appropriate standard (Pentoville)
4) deal with the house of lords and provide a smaller ? elected house in place for six years
5) sort out party financing (limiting the total amount for elections canvassing and advertising.
6) face up to economic problems
7) address taxation and avoidance
8) bring in proportional representation
9) Introduce fixed term government.

That would be a start!

tabasco - 22 Mar 2010 14:13 - 8637 of 8710
from a girl brought up in a Bermondsey slum without her now deceased drugged up Fatherand a Mother that is less than sanethe girl done good

She was not bought up in a slum unless you like to term all bermondsey council estates as slum, then I was bought up in a slum as well.