[Archived] Bad News Britain

[Rover down South]

The news is just full of bad stuff at the moment, this country really is going down the pan fast.

It really is getting beyond a joke with the fuel prices & guess what, they now plan to put car tax up again.

Why is Gordon Brown prime minister anyway, surely we should have had an Election, he just stepped into Blairs shoes & has played a big part of destroying this once proud nation.

[Flopsy]

It's never as bad as it appears in the press, but its never as good as the politico's would ahve you believe.

Fuel Tax wont go up and VED will be fudged, probably by these godawful tax credits.

[yoda]

Lawyers = paid liars

Politicians = professional liars

Gordon Brown should be deported back to Scotland now that they have devolution

A very big recession is taking shape with no home based manufacturing to help the country out of the sticky stuff, oil at record high's and the housing market about to collapse.

Have fun!

[modes98]

Why is Gordon Brown prime minister anyway, surely we should have had an Election, he just stepped into Blairs shoes & has played a big part of destroying this once proud nation.

You vote for the party and policy, not the PM. If the country had wanted change they had a chance to vote for it.

The sad truth is, it didn't really matter who was in charge this still would have happened. Brown just picked an awful time to take over but that was his choice and he will pay for it.

[Flopsy]

He was in charge of the economy for the past 11 years, its partially his fault.

How ever manufacturing is doing a lot better than we think because of the low value of the pound.

[broadsword]

A lot of the problems are global problems as well.

The government couldn't have prevented the credit crunch, and I'm not sure it could've prevented the over-heating of the housing market, either.

However, it could stop people being taxed to death, only to completely piddle tax revenues up the wall. The abolition of the 10p tax rate by the Labour govt just shows how far they've gone from their roots. The New Labour project is dead, however.

We're probably the least well-equipped to ride out the global economic conditions, thanks to Labour's profligacy with public finances (raiding private pensions, selling gold at the bottom of the market as well). the govt's just as bad as people who borrowed too much when money was cheap, they blew all the money when times were good, and now there's no public money to help prop up the economy.

Of course, the ability to set interest rates (not only a monetary control, but a social control) has been surrendered to the Bank of England monetary policy committe (not elected by the public) so the government can't alleviate matters with interest rate changes, although they'd probably bungle that as well.

The party of government is also up the creek as well, they're deeply in the red, and if they want the unions to bail them out, they may have to dance to the unions' tune, so here's to public sector pay-rises above inflation that we can ill afford.

Gordon Brown will probably go down as one of the worst (if not the worst) Prime Ministers of the modern era.

After all of his claptrap about eliminating boom and bust (impossible to do) we're abovut to hit a big bust, the signs are all there of a storm coming.

I think he's a flawed individual and I think most politicians who make it to the top must be. Who trusts a man who bites his nails for goodness' sakes.

[broadsword]

You vote for the party and policy, not the PM. If the country had wanted change they had a chance to vote for it.

The sad truth is, it didn't really matter who was in charge this still would have happened. Brown just picked an awful time to take over but that was his choice and he will pay for it.

No you don't ... you vote to elect a local candidate.

Most votes are dead votes, they don't change anything.

First past the post is flawed.

and we live in a democracy?

[Paul]

I'm healthy, my wife is healthy, my kids are healthy, they have a great start in life, my disabled son has been accepted at college, he'll be cared for by the state whenever necessary. I have a house, enough to eat and drink, I don't get cold in winter, I don't have to walk ten miles a day to get water, the kids used to get a bus to school, the shops are full of everything I could desire. I don't live in a country where I'm threatened with violence if I speak out against the government. I have more computing power in my dining room than was needed to put the first rocket on the moon. I watch DVDs, TV, digital radio. I'm going to have a holiday in a few weeks. If I'm ill or injured I can see a doctor in 2-3 hours, my teeth get checked every 9 months. I have a job. I have fuel delivered into my house through wires and pipes.

Oil is going up, food is going up. Live with it, drink a bit less, give up something. There's a lot less traffic on the road so I have the feeling oil prices and road charging might be a real solution to our congestion problems.

Life in modern Britain is good..............stop friggin moaning and get on with it. There's a lot moe to life than the Daily Mail tells us about.

................on the other hand Paul Ince

[Beta Ray Bill]

Just got back from the Seychelles and when walking down the beach one afternoon a local started chatting to me. He was so envious of what we have in the UK, I said, he lives on a tropical paradise island. He replied but you live in a land of plenty and we don't. And the Seychelles isn't exactly third world.

My friend I was with commented a shortwhile after that it is good to have our way of life in the UK for 46 weeks a year, and get away from it for 6 weeks a year. Far better than only experiencing the British way of life 6 weeks a year and doing with far less for the other 46...

[jim mk2]

The news is just full of bad stuff at the moment, this country really is going down the pan fast.

It really is getting beyond a joke with the fuel prices & guess what, they now plan to put car tax up again.

Why is Gordon Brown prime minister anyway, surely we should have had an Election, he just stepped into Blairs shoes & has played a big part of destroying this once proud nation.

Stop reading the Daily Mail (aka the Daily Seig Heil) and you'll feel alot better about Britain and life in general.

Oil is going up, food is going up. Live with it, drink a bit less, give up something. There's a lot less traffic on the road so I have the feeling oil prices and road charging might be a real solution to our congestion problems.

Exactly. So why is billions being spent on widening the M1, M6, M25 and other road capacity enhancements schemes ? Yesterday's solution (which never worked) for yesterday's problem.

[adopted scouser]

I'm healthy, my wife is healthy, my kids are healthy, they have a great start in life, my disabled son has been accepted at college, he'll be cared for by the state whenever necessary. I have a house, enough to eat and drink, I don't get cold in winter, I don't have to walk ten miles a day to get water, the kids used to get a bus to school, the shops are full of everything I could desire. I don't live in a country where I'm threatened with violence if I speak out against the government. I have more computing power in my dining room than was needed to put the first rocket on the moon. I watch DVDs, TV, digital radio. I'm going to have a holiday in a few weeks. If I'm ill or injured I can see a doctor in 2-3 hours, my teeth get checked every 9 months. I have a job. I have fuel delivered into my house through wires and pipes.

Oil is going up, food is going up. Live with it, drink a bit less, give up something. There's a lot less traffic on the road so I have the feeling oil prices and road charging might be a real solution to our congestion problems.

Life in modern Britain is good..............stop friggin moaning and get on with it. There's a lot moe to life than the Daily Mail tells us about.

................on the other hand Paul Ince

I'm voting for you

[Rover down South]

I'm healthy, my wife is healthy, my kids are healthy, they have a great start in life, my disabled son has been accepted at college, he'll be cared for by the state whenever necessary. I have a house, enough to eat and drink, I don't get cold in winter, I don't have to walk ten miles a day to get water, the kids used to get a bus to school, the shops are full of everything I could desire. I don't live in a country where I'm threatened with violence if I speak out against the government. I have more computing power in my dining room than was needed to put the first rocket on the moon. I watch DVDs, TV, digital radio. I'm going to have a holiday in a few weeks. If I'm ill or injured I can see a doctor in 2-3 hours, my teeth get checked every 9 months. I have a job. I have fuel delivered into my house through wires and pipes.

Oil is going up, food is going up. Live with it, drink a bit less, give up something. There's a lot less traffic on the road so I have the feeling oil prices and road charging might be a real solution to our congestion problems.

Life in modern Britain is good..............stop friggin moaning and get on with it. There's a lot moe to life than the Daily Mail tells us about.

................on the other hand Paul Ince

You are lucky you have your own house. I need a staggering deposit to buy my first home, so I am giving up a lot to save for that, a part of my life where I should be out enjoying myself, but I can't, as I have a car to run (ha ha) & money to try & save.

The only light at the end of the tunnel is that house prices will probably fall enough for me to snap up a bargain.

But for those who have recently invested in their first property, I feel sorry for them.

[Rover down South]

Stop reading the Daily Mail (aka the Daily Seig Heil) and you'll feel alot better about Britain and life in general.

Exactly. So why is billions being spent on widening the M1, M6, M25 and other road capacity enhancements schemes ? Yesterday's solution (which never worked) for yesterday's problem.

I certainly DO NOT read that paper.

Maybe up north things don't seem as bad, but here in the south two bedroom terraced houses where I am are approx £220,000 & petrol is £1.27 a litre.

Not having a go, but how does that compare to where you are? Is it the same up north, I don't know thats why I'm asking?

[roversmum]

I certainly DO NOT read that paper.

Maybe up north things don't seem as bad, but here in the south two bedroom terraced houses where I am are approx £220,000 & petrol is £1.27 a litre.

Not having a go, but how does that compare to where you are? Is it the same up north, I don't know thats why I'm asking?

Which is why people who regularly castigate the paper should sometimes read it!

[rosie]

Depends where you are up north I imagine. Where I live, petrol is between 116.9 and 123.9 and the average price for a 3 bed semi is £235k. Nothing's moving at the moment and hasn't really since last autumn.

Living here is expensive but I'd rather live here than somewhere unstable and violent or with serious starvation and disease problems. I'd also rather live here than mainland Europe because I love this country. It ain't all bad, in my opinion.

[yoda]

He was in charge of the economy for the past 11 years, its partially his fault.

How ever manufacturing is doing a lot better than we think because of the low value of the pound.

11 years, I think he has a lot to do with it,

Manufacturing doing better! only the miniscule amount that is left

[jim mk2]

You are lucky you have your own house. I need a staggering deposit to buy my first home, so I am giving up a lot to save for that, a part of my life where I should be out enjoying myself, but I can't, as I have a car to run (ha ha) & money to try & save.

Rent for the next five years or more because houses are going to get much cheaper.

Encouraging to hear that good old-fashioned saving is back in fashion. I paid £500 for my first house in 1952, which I couldn't really afford at the time and for the first few years sat on wooden boxes until I had saved up enough money to buy furniture !

With money lending tight because of the credit crunch, there should be plenty of bargains to be had if you are a cash buyer.

[jim mk2]

Which is why people who regularly castigate the paper should sometimes read it!

You don't have to read it mum because Enoch (aka bluephil) regurgitates its bile here on a regular basis.

[yoda]

You don't have to read it mum because Enoch (aka bluephil) regurgitates its bile here on a regular basis.

Whao!

upset because labour are taking a spanking are we

[roversmum]

You don't have to read it mum because Enoch (aka bluephil) regurgitates its bile here on a regular basis.

Of course, you might have to read articles like this about an ex soldier being killed because he asked some thugs not to swear in front of an elderly lady

and this where a council is now charging a Downs Syndrome man for the privilege of washing their dishes.

[yoda]

Of course, you might have to read articles like this

So much for labour being tough on crime!

[broadsword]

Ah no, it doesn't count Mum, it's reported in the Daily Mail, see?

They make things up to scare us, if it's not reported in the Murdoch press then it didn't happen, Alistair Campbell says so.

[Claytons Left Boot]

No one has mentioned the weather yet!

Cracking post Paul!

[rosie]

Good point - the weather's @#/? at the moment. How is one meant to plan that bbq?!

[Bazzanotsogreat]

A lot of the problems are global problems as well.

The government couldn't have prevented the credit crunch, and I'm not sure it could've prevented the over-heating of the housing market, either.

However, it could stop people being taxed to death, only to completely piddle tax revenues up the wall. The abolition of the 10p tax rate by the Labour govt just shows how far they've gone from their roots. The New Labour project is dead, however.

We're probably the least well-equipped to ride out the global economic conditions, thanks to Labour's profligacy with public finances (raiding private pensions, selling gold at the bottom of the market as well). the govt's just as bad as people who borrowed too much when money was cheap, they blew all the money when times were good, and now there's no public money to help prop up the economy.

The problems facing us are not global; they effect three countries the US , UK & Canada. The credit crunch is due to collapse of the North-American sub-prime market with the only economies to be hit by this is the three above. You go to Russia, China or India and ask them whether they believe they in a recession.

The government could have helped with the credit crunch by not bailing out Northern Rock ( to the tune of anywhere between £65-85 billion pounds)- even that was preventable as Mr Brown was informed that NR had overstretched itself a full-year before it collapsed. He didn’t act as he was too busy trying undermine Tony Blair.

Labour have presided over the greatest period of global growth of the past 100 years; what did they have in reserve in case of downturn; the highest ration of national debt in the Western world.

Things seem gloomy because they are gloomy. Their no point trying to ‘dress things up’ and say they are not and then turn on people saying they are doom mongers. Take my sister for example she brought her first house a little over a year ago taking out a mortgage to cover 95% of the properties value; the house is know worth 10% less than when she brought leaving her in negative equity. Real problems affecting , real people.