The Politics Thread

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Four-square behind whom, LK? I think I started the discussion by being four-square behind BA, and I think it's important that it is kept in business for some of the reasons you have mentioned.

[BWFC_Insane]

BA are by far and away the best in-flight experience I have ever (ahem) experienced. This costs, yes. Is it good? Yes. Is it better than others offer? In my very humble experience, yes. Is this a typical example of the British not supporting their own high quality goods? Again, in my experience, yes. If this was happening in France or Germany, the country would be four-square behind them.Why? Ask yourselves, but we have a world-wide respected carrier. Stop being small-minded, and first and foremost understand that. Theres precious little else in this country to be proud of.

Which is fine. But in a free market its about demand, not necessarily about who provides the highest quality service. Especially in a recession.

I think the point is, if BA can't adapt to the market then it ain't really got much chance of long term survival!

[Hoboh]

BA are by far and away the best in-flight experience I have ever (ahem) experienced. This costs, yes. Is it good? Yes. Is it better than others offer? In my very humble experience, yes. Is this a typical example of the British not supporting their own high quality goods? Again, in my experience, yes. If this was happening in France or Germany, the country would be four-square behind them.Why? Ask yourselves, but we have a world-wide respected carrier. Stop being small-minded, and first and foremost understand that. Theres precious little else in this country to be proud of.

Which is fine. But in a free market its about demand, not necessarily about who provides the highest quality service. Especially in a recession.

I think the point is, if BA can't adapt to the market then it ain't really got much chance of long term survival!

BING!!!

The pennies are finally beginning to drop are they? BWFCI in those who work and pay tax will not be content to squander our hard earned on stupid schemes to prop up the bone idle or those who think they are "owed" by "right" the opportunity to stay exactly were they are how they want to be!

3 points at West Ham to celebrate this Socialist collapse

[Worthy4England]

BA are by far and away the best in-flight experience I have ever (ahem) experienced. This costs, yes. Is it good? Yes. Is it better than others offer? In my very humble experience, yes. Is this a typical example of the British not supporting their own high quality goods? Again, in my experience, yes. If this was happening in France or Germany, the country would be four-square behind them.Why? Ask yourselves, but we have a world-wide respected carrier. Stop being small-minded, and first and foremost understand that. Theres precious little else in this country to be proud of.

All well and good, but here in the real world where we're trying to keep two factories running, BA price themselves out of the market, probably due to their having a surfeit of overpaid tea-pourers. My best 'in flight experiences' have been Iberia (Heathrow to Barcelona) and BMI (Manchester to Chicago) both a fraction of the BA price.

Yes but we need them all in business class to pour the wine, whilst we watch the cattle being hearded to the rear of the plane...

[Bruce Rioja]

BA are by far and away the best in-flight experience I have ever (ahem) experienced. This costs, yes. Is it good? Yes. Is it better than others offer? In my very humble experience, yes. Is this a typical example of the British not supporting their own high quality goods? Again, in my experience, yes. If this was happening in France or Germany, the country would be four-square behind them.Why? Ask yourselves, but we have a world-wide respected carrier. Stop being small-minded, and first and foremost understand that. Theres precious little else in this country to be proud of.

All well and good, but here in the real world where we're trying to keep two factories running, BA price themselves out of the market, probably due to their having a surfeit of overpaid tea-pourers. My best 'in flight experiences' have been Iberia (Heathrow to Barcelona) and BMI (Manchester to Chicago) both a fraction of the BA price.

Yes but we need them all in business class to pour the wine, whilst we watch the cattle being hearded to the rear of the plane...

I didn't know that Jet2 had a business class?!

[Prufrock]

Mrs Des Kelly came across as a self absorbed git. I was pleasantly surprised by the audience questions, normally the London ones tend to gravitate towards "give us tax cuts and get rid of these foreigners". I was pleasantly surprised by the generally adult attitude to the John Venables stuff. Only the numbers-and-letters lady demanded that the public know everything, everyone else in the room felt that wasn't the case. The main conclusion that could be drawn from last night is that we are badly represented as a people by our politicians. Says it all when I'm nodding sagely to Will Self's opinion.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/soci ... 003092540/

[superjohnmcginlay]

Hope nobody likes cider.

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

As an owner of a small business, that part of it doesn't seem that bad. £2.5bn to help support small businesses for skills and innovation. £94bn available for small business loans (shifting deficit from one place to another, though?). One year cut on business rates from October.

And then the petrol hike just negates it. 3p rise over 10 months, and that's without what the global markets will do. I'm anticipating it to have risen by at least 20p a litre by then. Which would put me out of business.

[Hoboh]

The cost of Labours war?

A further £4 billion allocated to fund military operations in Afghanistan.

1 nuke about 1 mill if they hated the Afghans so much.

Anybody got their cash in Lloyds T S B get it out now, Darling will ruin them and you will end up paying!

[Athers]

I enjoyed the stamp duty moment... (even if the premise was Tory it's also a nice little move as it won't cost that much)

Although it 'seemed' a decent budget when Darling was presenting it, the figures for govt deficit he was smoothly talking through are still hugely scary to me.. but then the horse has bolted for all that basically and it's been the forecast for a while.

[Worthy4England]

I enjoyed the stamp duty moment... (even if the premise was Tory it's also a nice little move as it won't cost that much)

Although it 'seemed' a decent budget when Darling was presenting it, the figures for govt deficit he was smoothly talking through are still hugely scary to me.. but then the horse has bolted for all that basically and it's been the forecast for a while.

Hoboh's fooked. 10% on Cider....

There goes the White Lightening bill through the roof.

[Hoboh]

I enjoyed the stamp duty moment... (even if the premise was Tory it's also a nice little move as it won't cost that much)

Although it 'seemed' a decent budget when Darling was presenting it, the figures for govt deficit he was smoothly talking through are still hugely scary to me.. but then the horse has bolted for all that basically and it's been the forecast for a while.

Hoboh's fooked. 10% on Cider....

There goes the White Lightening bill through the roof.

Sherry you fool!

[Lord Kangana]

No Tax on Meths either hobo!

Alls good with the world.

[Bruce Rioja]

I enjoyed the stamp duty moment...

Can someone help me out here? I heard this and thought 'yipee', as I'm hoping to move house this year and won't be troubling the £250K + bracket. However, Our Kid reckons that the raised threshold is only applicable to first time buyers. Anyone?

[Athers]

I enjoyed the stamp duty moment...

Can someone help me out here? I heard this and thought 'yipee', as I'm hoping to move house this year and won't be troubling the £250K + bracket. However, Our Kid reckons that the raised threshold is only applicable to first time buyers. Anyone?

Your kid is right I'm afraid

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8585903.stm

From 25 March first-time buyers purchasing properties worth up to £250,000 will pay no stamp duty. The plan is for this to continue for two years.

According to the Treasury, a first-time buyer is classed as someone who has not previously owned a property anywhere in the world.

[Bruce Rioja]

Cheers Athers.

See though - if they'd have opened it up to all then I could move easlier, thus making a property that's more realistically within a first time buyer's price band available.

Do they never consider cause and effect, these people?

[as]

Cheers Athers.

See though - if they'd have opened it up to all then I could move easlier, thus making a property that's more realistically within a first time buyer's price band available.

Do they never consider cause and effect, these people?

You still need a 25% deposit, and don't expect any help from the bank with that one!

[TANGODANCER]

The crazy rise in housing prices has made it almost impossible for first-time buyers; young married couples, single people etc, to buy property. I read an article a few weeks back where more young folks, males particularly, are moving back with their parents beacause they just can't afford to even rent places. Houses in my own area are no longer sale-only, lots of them are now rented properties where families never seem to stay very long. I had a Polish couple next door a few months back who were a decent family with kids and the guy working. They only lasted about three months then had to find somewhere cheaper. Unless prices come down, which isn't very likely, pretty soon nobody will be able to pay their mortgages off in their lifetimes.

A while back, my grandson moved into a decent flat with a mate who then became redundant and he had to move back in with his dad because he couldn't carry the rent on his own. Luckily, he's in a steady relationsip and they're both working, so now they rent together. If the relationhip should end, he, like thosands of others, will be back to square one. Not a very encouraging prospect for the future of youth.

[BWFC_Insane]

The crazy rise in housing prices has made it almost impossible for first-time buyers; young married couples, single people etc, to buy property. I read an article a few weeks back where more young folks, males particularly, are moving back with their parents beacause they just can't afford to even rent places. Houses in my own area are no longer sale-only, lots of them are now rented properties where families never seem to stay very long. I had a Polish couple next door a few months back who were a decent family with kids and the guy working. They only lasted about three months then had to find somewhere cheaper. Unless prices come down, which isn't very likely, pretty soon nobody will be able to pay their mortgages off in their lifetimes.

A while back, my grandson moved into a decent flat with a mate who then became redundant and he had to move back in with his dad because he couldn't carry the rent on his own. Luckily, he's in a steady relationsip and they're both working, so now they rent together. If the relationhip should end, he, like thosands of others, will be back to square one. Not a very encouraging prospect for the future of youth.

I agree TD. And its a major problem of the model in our country of "earning a property".

In some other countries renting is FAR more prevalent than home-owning and as such it drives the cost of the rental market down meaning that people can afford to rent on their own if required. In reality a lifetime mortgage IS effectively the same as renting.

The trend for "trading up" hasn't helped either, whereas rather than buying a house and working hard to pay off your mortgage folk are now encouraged to knock a wall through, make a big fook off open space then sell it for 20% more than you bought it to some unsuspecting saps.

[superjohnmcginlay]

The crazy rise in housing prices has made it almost impossible for first-time buyers; young married couples, single people etc, to buy property. I read an article a few weeks back where more young folks, males particularly, are moving back with their parents beacause they just can't afford to even rent places. Houses in my own area are no longer sale-only, lots of them are now rented properties where families never seem to stay very long. I had a Polish couple next door a few months back who were a decent family with kids and the guy working. They only lasted about three months then had to find somewhere cheaper. Unless prices come down, which isn't very likely, pretty soon nobody will be able to pay their mortgages off in their lifetimes.

A while back, my grandson moved into a decent flat with a mate who then became redundant and he had to move back in with his dad because he couldn't carry the rent on his own. Luckily, he's in a steady relationsip and they're both working, so now they rent together. If the relationhip should end, he, like thosands of others, will be back to square one. Not a very encouraging prospect for the future of youth.

I agree TD. And its a major problem of the model in our country of "earning a property".

In some other countries renting is FAR more prevalent than home-owning and as such it drives the cost of the rental market down meaning that people can afford to rent on their own if required. In reality a lifetime mortgage IS effectively the same as renting.

The trend for "trading up" hasn't helped either, whereas rather than buying a house and working hard to pay off your mortgage folk are now encouraged to knock a wall through, make a big fook off open space then sell it for 20% more than you bought it to some unsuspecting saps.

With the minor exception that you don't get to keep the house at the end of the rental period. All you've done is pay someone else's mortgage. I'll stick with the ownership ta.