Catch and release.

[barry luxton]

Regarding labour getting it wrong, according to this link, they could have in copenhagen as well. Does anyone remember the hole in the ozone layer, well that panic died the death as it doesn't fit in with the argument regarding global warming. Remember all the tins of hairspray we had to have greenised. Have a look at the video within it, just wondering if brown and milliband did? Left it on the warming topic as well. Anyone heard anything more about the stolen emails from the uk global warming scientists yet?

 

http://rt.com/Top_News/2009-12-04/climate-...layer-hole.html

 

errr, feel free to substitute the un-pc words of global warming with 'man made climate change' if you so wish.

Edited January 9, 2010 by barry luxton

[gozzer]

With all this anti Brown, and anti NEW Labour (a watered down version of the Tories) talk, you would think that the Tories would be romping ahead in the polls instead of being about 10 points in the lead. Could it be that people have long memories? Or that they don't trust Cameron?

I think we're heading for a hung Parliament.

 

John.

[Sharkbyte]

I think that one would have to be a fool to trust any of today's politicians, regardless of their party.

 

Up the wages of an MP to £250,000, and a cool £1M for the PM (peanuts in the grand scheme) and we may begin to see some serious, credible competition vying for the roles.

[captain cojones]

Yea you get yourself away Steve, go and join the hundreds of thousands of other ex pats who say they hate Britain while soaking up the sun in Spain but still collecting there state pension every week. Have fun Steve keep yourself unselfishly warm.

Regards

 

There are nearer a million british living in spain. Why should they not collect their pension every week, the same as if they were still living in Britain? they have paid into it the same as anyone else.Where they choose to live within the e,u is no ones business but theirs.

Just to keep you going.....they even get the increases in pension, at the same time as a pensioner living in the uk, and if they were recieving the winter heating allowance at the date of leaving........they continue to get that too.

 

By the way, my standard spanish state pension, if i was of retirement age this year, is 12,040€...It will of course be higher by the time i reach retirement age, as we get inflation linked rises every year, plus 4% this year. Poor British pensioners.

[captain cojones]

Evenin Challenge,

 

Unelected brown made a speech saying that the uk was in the best position to ride out this recession, what did he mean by that.

 

Do you think brown will give up our pound to the euro, seeing that it is now worthless?

 

Morning Barry, none of your prime ministers are elected are they? In Britain its the party thats elected into power, not a "presidential" type leader?

 

There seems to be a common theory that "once the pound drops really low that we will be in the Euro"....It doesnt really work like that. The uk should have joined in Jan 2002, they could have then picked a rate of exchange to suit them, a level that would have been a balance between a good rate for exports, but would have enabled imports to be not too expensive. 1.40€ to the pound would have been ok, seeing as how you import so much?

 

You were saying the other day how things are rising in price, some of that will be due to domestic taxes, but a big part is that if...maybe we look at...... fresh fruit for instance, its imported from Spain, it has to be paid in Euros, because the pound is now worth less, they have to spend more pounds to buy the euros to buy the fruit. That extra cost is made up by charging you more for the fruit in the shops.

 

That is reflected across all of the things you buy in. Another example....

Holidays,......TUI ,the German owned Thomsons, have been desperatly trying to renegotiate contracts with hotels here, this last week.They have to pay for their rooms in euros, as they are having to pay more pounds to buy those euros, you pay more for your holidays. They are currently renegotiating to keep those rises as small as possible.....

 

I dont know one single business here, that accepts sterling as payment now, a few years ago it was freely accepted, even by myself! lolol

 

The point is, its only the British who are paying more, nobody else is affected by exchange rates any more.1€ today, is worth 1€ tommorow between france and germany or italy or spain or holland etc.etc

 

Dont wory though,I have doubts that the British would be admitted now anyway, you have too much debt, hanging around you, and if the uk credit rating is dropped as many suspect, the pound could be worth less than 1€.

 

You are doomed!

 

Shame though that the decision to join, was decided by fear of how the tabloid press would hang the ruling party out to dry, rather than economical reasons.

[barry luxton]

Morning Barry, none of your prime ministers are elected are they? In Britain its the party thats elected into power, not a "presidential" type leader?

 

There seems to be a common theory that "once the pound drops really low that we will be in the Euro"....It doesnt really work like that. The uk should have joined in Jan 2002, they could have then picked a rate of exchange to suit them, a level that would have been a balance between a good rate for exports, but would have enabled imports to be not too expensive. 1.40€ to the pound would have been ok, seeing as how you import so much?

 

And a frosty good morning to you Captain cojones. 'Tis here. Got the first bit wrong didn't i, really ment a mandate to govern i suppose, much like a referendum.

 

Usually as recent history has shown brown normally goes positive on something much like the timeing on selling our gold piggy bank reserves. Thats why i suggested that he considers joining the euro now, can't get much worse, can it.

[captain cojones]

can't get much worse, can it.

 

Morning Barry, yep unfortunatly it can, if the credit rating change happens, and the pound really drops, then you will really note the price rises.......( top tip.....change your savings to euros now)

I agree with you about G.Brown though! lol ...Cheers.

[barry luxton]

Morning Barry, yep unfortunatly it can, if the credit rating change happens, and the pound really drops, then you will really note the price rises.......

 

 

Yes, just like the old saying: what goes around comes around. I remember that when dennis healey went to the imf the first time as they had run out of our money. Can't remember if it was before or after the winter of discontent. ahh yes, just found it.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7598647.stm

 

How interesting listning to dennis again after nearly thirty years, press play on the picture link

Edited January 9, 2010 by barry luxton

[captain cojones]

great clip Barry. cheers.

[Guest challenge]

Just back from my Saturday afternoon pass time of watching football. It was a hundred odd mile round trip and I was a bit apprehensive about the weather so I got the train.

Got me thinking about the Tory record on transport.

Bungled rail privatisation – breaking the railway network up into 100 pieces and selling it off at a bargain basement price, wasting billions of taxpayer’s money. After privatisation no new trains came into service for 2 years. By May 1997 Rail track was £700 million behind on its rail investment and maintenance programme. By 1997 there was a funding backlog on London Underground requiring £16 billion of investment over the first 15 years of the PPP to reverse;

At the same time they introduced Highway maintenance spending cut’s by 21% between 93/94 and 96/97 - roads were in their worst condition for 20 years by 1997.

Got there and back fine, unfortunately my team could only manage a draw a bit of an anticlimax after watching them stuff that lot from the wrong side of the Pennines last week

Sorry was I drifting there. Regards.