100% not necessary but in the UK the non resident surcharge is just 2%. Bump it up to 10%-15% asap.
In a country starved of houses, it does feel that second homes and vacant investment lock up and leave properties are luxuries the nation cannot afford.
The occupancy rate in the U.K. is extremely high, in general. It’s one of the indicators of the scale of the shortage of housing
UK has c.30m housing units for a population of c.67m people France has c.38m housing units for a population of c.66m people
The UK is around EIGHT MILLION houses short of France, for the same population to within a margin of error.
That’s the scale of the housing shortage. You can easily build a couple of million new houses without much happening to prices either, because there’s so much pent-up demand and overcrowding in the market. How many 30-year-olds used to live with their parents before 2000, for example? For the vast majority of those in that situation, it isn’t by choice.
Yet France's overcrowding rate is 10x higher than the UK.
Abandoned houses are common in rural France. It's hard to think of any house being abandoned in this country, although I remember once visiting Toxteth in the 1990's, and it resembled descriptions of West Belfast in the 1970's.
Seems incredible now but central London was full of empty/abandoned properties in the early-mid 1980s. Hence my ability - with my friends - to squat in various beautiful Georgian houses/weird eye hospitals in and around Bloomsbury/holborn/fitzrovia for at least two years
We squatted one house on gower street for 6 months - with a room each - which must be worth £5m now
As a student - a STUDENT - I rented on my own a small flat, quite a nice one, just off Ken High St (the posher end). Did that for 2 terms without breaking the bank and all I was on was the grant. You couldn't do that now. Then again, when you think about it, that you could it then was pretty absurd. Today's ridiculous situation probably makes more sense than that.
Yet, as a proportion of income, housing costs for the poorest quartile have been flat since 1990. (And have decreased somewhat for the other quartiles).
Is that right? I'd have thought it would have gone up for most. Anyway, the main problem imo is we have home ownership as our main vehicle for wealth accretion and at the same time home ownership is out of reach unless you have wealth to start with. This unfortunate combination of things is baking high levels of inequality into society. Sort it out, politicians. Fix it.
It is worse than that. Every pound spent on housing is a pound not spent in more productive parts of the economy. And because housing is scarce, two-earner couples can outbid singles for rented as well as bought homes.
Housing spend doesn't quite work like that, unless it involves actually building more houses.
If I have a house, and I sell it to you, the total assets of the pair of us combined are unchanged, regardless of the purchase price.
As a result of all the house price inflation of the last 30 years there are definitely winners and losers. But from a macro economic perspective that just changed who had money to spend in the economy, not the total amount available to spend.
This is different to what happens when value is created (e.g. Michelangelo takes an ordinary lump of marble and makes it priceless by carving it into David) or destroyed (e.g. we spend £300 million on planning documents for the lower Thames Crossing).
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
I'd love to be able to retire. Find something part time that does some active good, and it would be made much easier knowing that I didn't need to do it.
I pretty much did retire I. Early to mid 40s and consulted for a family and a few people who were introduced. Last summer I was asked to analyse a company and then later in the year they asked if I would stay on.
I’m loving actually being back in an office with people and the excitement of a new project to build a company and very happy to be back working.
Maybe a few years off then back in is great but easy for me to say in the sense that I’m very much in control of what I have gone into and all on my own terms.
Happy doing a few years on this and see how I feel but was definitely too young to have that unstructured freedom of retirement.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
Don’t you think that after a year or two of walking and cycling and seeing friends and fam you’d get bored?
I guess it depends how dull your job is and whether you think it benefits society etc
Some jobs are so boring and pointless I can absolutely believe that a life of tedious paid leisure, however tedious, would be vastly preferable. Production line factory work for instance, where you could obviously be replaced by a machine but it’s just cheaper to use a human - soul crushing stuff
Well don't you think after a year or two of travelling the world you'd get bored? My suspicion is that the reason you don't is that you have deadlines and things to deliver - you are producing something as a result of your travels.
My job definitely isn't dull. I'm very lucky. Many of my colleagues are pleasant company; I'm interested in the subject matter. I don't know whether it benefits society but those in charge of spending public money are of the view that my job should exist so it may as well be me that does it. And yet. Even the best days at work don't make me feel as good as a solid three or four hours of low level physical exercise in the fresh air. There is a beautiful country out there to explore and explore again. And I have a list of Things That Need Doing as long as my arm. But I have a nagging doubt about the feeling of ennui that a lifetime solely devoted to Having A Nice Time might engender. Too much pleasure isn't good for our happiness.
Right, enough of contemplating purposelessness. Time to write An Agenda for A Meeting.
French theatre faces bankruptcy after opening its doors to 250 African migrants for a free show... and they refused to leave and remain in the building five weeks later
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
I'd love to be able to retire. Find something part time that does some active good, and it would be made much easier knowing that I didn't need to do it.
I had a friend whose dad retired and faced this problem. He chose to become a driver for the NHS. No doubts whatsoever about doing good - delivering bits of life-saving stuff around the country - not blue-light urgent but tomorrow-not-Friday urgent. If your happy to spend long days driving around the UK - which sounds entirely pleasant to me - seems a good way of living a life which is both valuable and pleasant.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
Don’t you think that after a year or two of walking and cycling and seeing friends and fam you’d get bored?
I guess it depends how dull your job is and whether you think it benefits society etc
Some jobs are so boring and pointless I can absolutely believe that a life of tedious paid leisure, however tedious, would be vastly preferable. Production line factory work for instance, where you could obviously be replaced by a machine but it’s just cheaper to use a human - soul crushing stuff
Well don't you think after a year or two of travelling the world you'd get bored? My suspicion is that the reason you don't is that you have deadlines and things to deliver - you are producing something as a result of your travels.
My job definitely isn't dull. I'm very lucky. Many of my colleagues are pleasant company; I'm interested in the subject matter. I don't know whether it benefits society but those in charge of spending public money are of the view that my job should exist so it may as well be me that does it. And yet. Even the best days at work don't make me feel as good as a solid three or four hours of low level physical exercise in the fresh air. There is a beautiful country out there to explore and explore again. And I have a list of Things That Need Doing as long as my arm. But I have a nagging doubt about the feeling of ennui that a lifetime solely devoted to Having A Nice Time might engender. Too much pleasure isn't good for our happiness.
Right, enough of contemplating purposelessness. Time to write An Agenda for A Meeting.
Didn’t Churchill say that his favourite task was bricklaying? I can totally understand that. Physical toil outdoors, that leaves you pleasantly exercised and tired, with a hunger and a thirst - and you’ve built a wall! That must be truly satisfying
You make a very good point about my travels. I am lucky in that I get to write about them, and also as I travel I can knap flints, as I am doing here in Rangoon
Without that, yes, I suspect endless travel might become tiresome and even bleak… tho on the other hand I do still like exploration for the sake of it. Some of my favourite travels have produced no words and I’ve knapped no flints, but I met amazing people or got amazing insights into humanity, life, the universe…
When I get really old I’d quite like to grow a few vegetable and flowers, in the sun. Like Marlon Brando as the aged Godfather, checking his tomatoes
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Do you want a DM on this theme?
Yes I'd be glad for your advice, as I have benefitted from your advice and encouragement in the past.
This is a deal so bad, so obviously stupid, craven, pitiful and self harming, there is no English word in the dictionary to describe it. Unless someone can think of a word which means “to pointlessly give away your property to someone who has no claim on it, while paying them heavily to take it from you”
I wish I could find people like Starmer to negotiate with, in my professional capacity.
It was negotiated by the previous government, wasn't it?
That does not inspire confidence.
The previous government started but then stopped them.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
Don’t you think that after a year or two of walking and cycling and seeing friends and fam you’d get bored?
I guess it depends how dull your job is and whether you think it benefits society etc
Some jobs are so boring and pointless I can absolutely believe that a life of tedious paid leisure, however tedious, would be vastly preferable. Production line factory work for instance, where you could obviously be replaced by a machine but it’s just cheaper to use a human - soul crushing stuff
Isn't it agency?
A lot of paid 'work' means you have to suck up people and work you don't like, and doing it when you don't want to it, whereas retirement does not.
Volunteering, in such instances, would be a good substitute.
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
I'd love to be able to retire. Find something part time that does some active good, and it would be made much easier knowing that I didn't need to do it.
I retired. Got bored. Started work again. It's great.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
Don’t you think that after a year or two of walking and cycling and seeing friends and fam you’d get bored?
I guess it depends how dull your job is and whether you think it benefits society etc
Some jobs are so boring and pointless I can absolutely believe that a life of tedious paid leisure, however tedious, would be vastly preferable. Production line factory work for instance, where you could obviously be replaced by a machine but it’s just cheaper to use a human - soul crushing stuff
Isn't it agency?
A lot of paid 'work' means you have to suck up people and work you don't like, and doing it when you don't want to it, whereas retirement does not.
Volunteering, in such instances, would be a good substitute.
Yes, that’ s crucial
I cannot stand being bossed about. I am happy to take advice, commands, criticism at a distance - eg from an editor or a flint commissioner - but whenever I’ve experienced first hand “right do this now, then this, then this” I bridle and rebel
I need to be in charge of my own work, and therefore life, that’s arguably the greatest positive of all - in freelancing
There is probably a perfectly reasonable justification, for example nut allergies. Small children dying from anaphylactic shock is more joyless than missing out on a birthday cake.
That is not the reason
It is their campaign against obesity
That again seems laudable.
Banning things is almost never laudable. Personal responsibility matters, as does an understanding of moderation.
I have noticed recently that supermarkets appear to be phasing out glass beer and cider bottles and replacing them with cans
At home, none of our family like cans and prefer to drink out of the bottle but apparently all such glass bottles are under threat due to a new green tax
And why are the left so joyless and controlling ?
That's my industry !
One of our customers did can postpone indefinitely a big glass project in Wales recently.
Why do these brewers use labels that are so ruddy difficult to remove, even after soaking or the plastic ones where the plastic peels off and it leaves an adhesive residue. I have saved plenty for my home brewing as bottled beer and wine is far better in a glass than plastic where the alcohol and the fizz leaks over time.
I have a supply of pharmaceutical grade* isopropanol in the shed for just this job, also disinfection, acrylic paint thinning, and so on. Most labels can't cope with that or (depending on the type), old style paint thinners (ie turps), though I find hobby shop thinners such as Humbrol are much less smelly.
*to avoid contamination of anything to do with food or messing up paint
I deal in Pharma grade Isopropanol in my daily work too !!!!
I found hot soaking and washing up liquid and one of those metal scourers do the job with a bit of elbow grease.
For disinfection I use Chemsan no rinse cleaner. It's revolutionary. Although I have found domestic bleach pretty useful.
I think I will take your words of wisdom and take a bottle before I leave. We have the 1Litre bottles of Klercide 70/30 around.
My neighbours like yellow tail chardonnay, chug several bottles a week. Their labels come off a treat.
My tame supplier also sells empty bottles and squeezy bottles with caps so I keep a range of aqueous dilutions (50/50, 70/30 and 100% alc v/v) ready mixed to hand. I got some cheap measuring beakers/tall thingies from Amazon too.
No doubt this sort of discussion would horrify Leon as being Bluesky fodder.
But I only wish I'd discovered this approach decades ago.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
Don’t you think that after a year or two of walking and cycling and seeing friends and fam you’d get bored?
I guess it depends how dull your job is and whether you think it benefits society etc
Some jobs are so boring and pointless I can absolutely believe that a life of tedious paid leisure, however tedious, would be vastly preferable. Production line factory work for instance, where you could obviously be replaced by a machine but it’s just cheaper to use a human - soul crushing stuff
Isn't it agency?
A lot of paid 'work' means you have to suck up people and work you don't like, and doing it when you don't want to it, whereas retirement does not.
Volunteering, in such instances, would be a good substitute.
In many volunteering organisations the people in charge are often those who really, really wanted be in charge.
They can range from the inane to the criminally insane.
It’s worth considering that politics, at the grass root level, is a volunteer endeavour.
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
Don’t you think that after a year or two of walking and cycling and seeing friends and fam you’d get bored?
I guess it depends how dull your job is and whether you think it benefits society etc
Some jobs are so boring and pointless I can absolutely believe that a life of tedious paid leisure, however tedious, would be vastly preferable. Production line factory work for instance, where you could obviously be replaced by a machine but it’s just cheaper to use a human - soul crushing stuff
Isn't it agency?
A lot of paid 'work' means you have to suck up people and work you don't like, and doing it when you don't want to it, whereas retirement does not.
Volunteering, in such instances, would be a good substitute.
Yes, that’ s crucial
I cannot stand being bossed about. I am happy to take advice, commands, criticism at a distance - eg from an editor or a flint commissioner - but whenever I’ve experienced first hand “right do this now, then this, then this” I bridle and rebel
I need to be in charge of my own work, and therefore life, that’s arguably the greatest positive of all - in freelancing
"I do not want to dwell on the circumstances, except to say that my phone was stolen and that London is becoming a reeking cesspool of criminality. Perhaps, also, that anyone caught cycling a Lime Bike without a clean criminal record should have the book thrown at them.
The worst part was that at the time of snatching, my phone was unlocked, and therefore wide open for fraudulent activity. I disabled all online banking in time, but that didn’t stop the cretin from ordering himself a couple of Ubers and very nearly a PS5. In a brainwave that was pure Conan Doyle, I looked at the addresses these were ordered to, and they were all to the same flat – a clue.
I took this information to the police station to be added to my police report. I was duly informed this piece of evidence was not substantial enough to warrant an officers going to the address to ask questions, let alone arresting anyone. To me, this seemed like finding a murder weapon with fingerprints on at the scene of the crime, but discounting it because it wasn’t found in the murderer’s hand. Alas, what do I know?"
1) See, this is one of the many reasons not to have things on your phone. 2) How was his phone unlocked? My phone locks itself at the drop of a hat. It's mildly irritating and I would change it if I could be bothered. There's presumably a setting. 3) I hear stories like this a lot. And yet, on the few times I have interactions with the police, they have had a puppyish eagerness to get on with the job of taking down baddies. It seems unlikely that GMP are uniquely good. Maybe the Met are uniquely bad?
Re: locking / unlocking.
If you are paranoid you could either:
1) Keep a second phone at home with the banking apps on it 2) Create a second profile on your main phone with all the apps that you don't want unlocked when walking around. 3*) If using Android, hack your phone to install a hardened version with sub-profiles that do the same things as 2).
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Not great news for Slab, Tories, Reform, SLD - but even then SNP on only 33. At that level the details of constituencies will be very important, especially with Reform in the mix (works both ways, potentially).
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
Don’t you think that after a year or two of walking and cycling and seeing friends and fam you’d get bored?
I guess it depends how dull your job is and whether you think it benefits society etc
Some jobs are so boring and pointless I can absolutely believe that a life of tedious paid leisure, however tedious, would be vastly preferable. Production line factory work for instance, where you could obviously be replaced by a machine but it’s just cheaper to use a human - soul crushing stuff
Isn't it agency?
A lot of paid 'work' means you have to suck up people and work you don't like, and doing it when you don't want to it, whereas retirement does not.
Volunteering, in such instances, would be a good substitute.
In many volunteering organisations the people in charge are often those who really, really wanted be in charge.
They can range from the inane to the criminally insane.
It’s worth considering that politics, at the grass root level, is a volunteer endeavour.
You can always walk away and do something else, though. Including starting your own volunteering organisation.
It is a bit harder if you can't just quit on the spot.
It is definitely lack of agency that is the issue with paid work. Particularly in large corporations, where all sorts of shit gets mandated for no valid reason.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
That’s absolutely not true
More like a thousand or more, I would say - tho the number is, sadly, diminishing fast
DJI just made life a lot easier for would be domestic terrorists in the US.
Breaking from @hntrbrkmedia: China’s DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, has disabled U.S. geofencing on its drones, enabling flights over airports, military bases, and no-fly zones.
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Well that's [self-moderated to avoid the risk of causing psychological distress to anyone].
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Well that's [self-moderated to avoid the risk of causing psychological distress to anyone].
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
DJI just made life a lot easier for would be domestic terrorists in the US.
Breaking from @hntrbrkmedia: China’s DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, has disabled U.S. geofencing on its drones, enabling flights over airports, military bases, and no-fly zones.
The problem with geofencing is that it requires time and effort to maintain the database, and that users won’t check the NOTAMs (notices to airmen, containing temporary information about airspace) themselves if the drone is supposed to do it for you, also false positives of airspace restrictions preventing use where it is allowed.
Against that, is the requirement for pilots to be aware of where they are (just like manned plane pilots!) and the potential use of drones by bad actors.
Could just be the Chinese playing games though, to make the US invest more time and money in anti-drone technology around key sites and events.
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
There is probably a perfectly reasonable justification, for example nut allergies. Small children dying from anaphylactic shock is more joyless than missing out on a birthday cake.
That is not the reason
It is their campaign against obesity
That again seems laudable.
Banning things is almost never laudable. Personal responsibility matters, as does an understanding of moderation.
I have noticed recently that supermarkets appear to be phasing out glass beer and cider bottles and replacing them with cans
At home, none of our family like cans and prefer to drink out of the bottle but apparently all such glass bottles are under threat due to a new green tax
And why are the left so joyless and controlling ?
That's my industry !
One of our customers did can postpone indefinitely a big glass project in Wales recently.
Why do these brewers use labels that are so ruddy difficult to remove, even after soaking or the plastic ones where the plastic peels off and it leaves an adhesive residue. I have saved plenty for my home brewing as bottled beer and wine is far better in a glass than plastic where the alcohol and the fizz leaks over time.
I have a supply of pharmaceutical grade* isopropanol in the shed for just this job, also disinfection, acrylic paint thinning, and so on. Most labels can't cope with that or (depending on the type), old style paint thinners (ie turps), though I find hobby shop thinners such as Humbrol are much less smelly.
*to avoid contamination of anything to do with food or messing up paint
I deal in Pharma grade Isopropanol in my daily work too !!!!
I found hot soaking and washing up liquid and one of those metal scourers do the job with a bit of elbow grease.
For disinfection I use Chemsan no rinse cleaner. It's revolutionary. Although I have found domestic bleach pretty useful.
I think I will take your words of wisdom and take a bottle before I leave. We have the 1Litre bottles of Klercide 70/30 around.
My neighbours like yellow tail chardonnay, chug several bottles a week. Their labels come off a treat.
My tame supplier also sells empty bottles and squeezy bottles with caps so I keep a range of aqueous dilutions (50/50, 70/30 and 100% alc v/v) ready mixed to hand. I got some cheap measuring beakers/tall thingies from Amazon too.
No doubt this sort of discussion would horrify Leon as being Bluesky fodder.
But I only wish I'd discovered this approach decades ago.
Indeed. But I am glad I have learned it now. There's a cider I get from a farm shop in Worcester and the front label peels off a treat, the back one is horrendous. Wish I had known this before I started cleaning them. Literally scraping the glue off with a knife to start.
I got some syringes from Amazon for dispensing finings into wine. Amazon really is a godsend.
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Well that's [self-moderated to avoid the risk of causing psychological distress to anyone].
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
Well, historically speaking...
Pretending male victims don't exist because of sexism in decades and centuries past is very 21st century of you.
The lack of mention of the boys (over 100, I believe) who were victims at Rotherham is concerning. The view that men can be perpetrators of sexual crime but not victims is deeply unhealthy.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
That’s absolutely not true
More like a thousand or more, I would say - tho the number is, sadly, diminishing fast
Just go into a big Waterstone's. Still seem to be lots of new novels being published. Not sure how the economics works tho, as the RRP does not seem to have changed in 20 years. Always amazed at how low the price of the lovely hardback Everyman World's Classics are. No more than a disposable paperback.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
DJI just made life a lot easier for would be domestic terrorists in the US.
Breaking from @hntrbrkmedia: China’s DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, has disabled U.S. geofencing on its drones, enabling flights over airports, military bases, and no-fly zones.
a) Know how to hack the firmware to disable the geofencing, or b) Use a non-DJI drone
The current set up is a bit irritating. I had a failed flight due to a football stadium 1km away although I had permission to fly and it wasn't a match day.
There is also a no fly zone over nature reserves, which is pointless if the owner of said nature reserve has asked you to take pictures of it.
I'm not going to write an autobiography but in my v. early 50's I was lucky enough to find a really interesting NHS job. Didn't take me far afield but I met all sorts of interesting people really making a (good) difference to other people's lives in all sorts of ways.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Ha, I now feel slightly better for my 1,000 sales of Bane of Souls back in the day. (Everything else was much lower, mind).
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
They don’t seem to stop and wonder what kind of life is that? To work, and then drop dead.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
Literary fiction is essentially dead, partly because most of it is shite
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
They don’t seem to stop and wonder what kind of life is that? To work, and then drop dead.
I totally get it.
I thoroughly enjoy what I do for work. It allows me to travel, see my friends and do what I would in all likelihood probably be doing as a hobby anyway - if I were able to afford it.
That old adage of finding something you love, then never having to work a day in your life, is bang on....
DJI just made life a lot easier for would be domestic terrorists in the US.
Breaking from @hntrbrkmedia: China’s DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, has disabled U.S. geofencing on its drones, enabling flights over airports, military bases, and no-fly zones.
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Well that's [self-moderated to avoid the risk of causing psychological distress to anyone].
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
Well, historically speaking...
Pretending male victims don't exist because of sexism in decades and centuries past is very 21st century of you.
The lack of mention of the boys (over 100, I believe) who were victims at Rotherham is concerning. The view that men can be perpetrators of sexual crime but not victims is deeply unhealthy.
The feminist view point is that only males do bad things because all men are bad. All of us. And when some men do bad things we should all apologise for them, for being male. Presumably Lucy Letby is a actually man.
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Well that's [self-moderated to avoid the risk of causing psychological distress to anyone].
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
Well, historically speaking...
Pretending male victims don't exist because of sexism in decades and centuries past is very 21st century of you.
The lack of mention of the boys (over 100, I believe) who were victims at Rotherham is concerning. The view that men can be perpetrators of sexual crime but not victims is deeply unhealthy.
It was a joke you numpty. I was pointing out your counter-example wasn't a particularly good one.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
Literary fiction is essentially dead, partly because most of it is shite
Is it shite, or has it simply become “feminised”, and therefore less appealing, maybe, to the likes of you and me.
In other literary news, I viewed an apartment next door the late Philip Roth’s a week or so ago.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Go on the Tube or a train and see how many people are reading a book, as compared to looking at their smartphones scrolling TikTok or watching vids, then remember what it was like 30-40 years ago
Book-reading is disappearing as a pastime, and doing so fast. This doesn’t make me happy but it is the case
IQs are falling, attention spans are dwindling, and at the same time competition for eyes and minds is only getting fiercer
I love me a good book, especially history, memoir, some science, even a smidgen of poetry. Can’t stand novels tho. Made up bollocks
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Go on the Tube or a train and see how many people are reading a book, as compared to looking at their smartphones scrolling TikTok or watching vids, then remember what it was like 30-40 years ago
Book-reading is disappearing as a pastime, and doing so fast. This doesn’t make me happy but it is the case
IQs are falling, attention spans are dwindling, and at the same time competition for eyes and minds is only getting fiercer
I love me a good book, especially history, memoir, some science, even a smidgen of poetry. Can’t stand novels tho. Made up bollocks
I’m thinking of starting a reading group.
At least in a place like Manhattan, there are a lot of people who actually resent being held hostage by their smartphones. There is a new desire to attend again to the long form.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Ha, I now feel slightly better for my 1,000 sales of Bane of Souls back in the day. (Everything else was much lower, mind).
One way that some writers can make a fair living, who typically sell a couple of thousand per book (and getting a couple of thousand purchasers is no mean achievement) is through subscriptions.
A best selling author is not (as some might think) someone who sells hundreds of thousands or millions, per book, but someone getting 30,000 + sales.
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
It is not "cranking on" it is continuing to make a contribution to society rather than assuming one has a "right" to expect that society has an obligation to keep doling out the handouts long after the individual has chewed up any taxes they paid before they retired. The sad reality is that in spite of many UK pensioners saying "I paid my taxes" very few of them will have paid enough to have covered everything that they take out from the state in their lifetime, particularly if they retire early.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Go on the Tube or a train and see how many people are reading a book, as compared to looking at their smartphones scrolling TikTok or watching vids, then remember what it was like 30-40 years ago
Book-reading is disappearing as a pastime, and doing so fast. This doesn’t make me happy but it is the case
IQs are falling, attention spans are dwindling, and at the same time competition for eyes and minds is only getting fiercer
I love me a good book, especially history, memoir, some science, even a smidgen of poetry. Can’t stand novels tho. Made up bollocks
True, but these days I download books on my phone, more than buying physical copies.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
In principle, I'd love to retire. I have a job which isn't unpleasant. Interesting, with a good work-life balance. But if they didn't pay me to do it I wouldn't do it. What would I do instead? Lots of walking, I suspect. Lots of cycling. More time for parenting. More time for my parents in the future. More time for friendships. More time to watch sport. But perhaps the nice thing about paid employment is the feeling that someone values your contribution so much that they are willing to spend hefty sums just on having you around to join in with their projects? Perhaps that confirmation of your value is very good for you, even if you wouldn't necessarily choose to do what you're doing over 'having a nice time'?
I'd love to be able to retire. Find something part time that does some active good, and it would be made much easier knowing that I didn't need to do it.
I had a friend whose dad retired and faced this problem. He chose to become a driver for the NHS. No doubts whatsoever about doing good - delivering bits of life-saving stuff around the country - not blue-light urgent but tomorrow-not-Friday urgent. If your happy to spend long days driving around the UK - which sounds entirely pleasant to me - seems a good way of living a life which is both valuable and pleasant.
I mean, that would be literally perfect. Hence the name. But I need a bigger nest egg first!
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
There's currently a 97 year-old Federal Circuit judge in the US taking legal action against a decision to suspend her from the bench for refusing to take a medical examination to determine her mental fitness. .
100% not necessary but in the UK the non resident surcharge is just 2%. Bump it up to 10%-15% asap.
In a country starved of houses, it does feel that second homes and vacant investment lock up and leave properties are luxuries the nation cannot afford.
The occupancy rate in the U.K. is extremely high, in general. It’s one of the indicators of the scale of the shortage of housing
UK has c.30m housing units for a population of c.67m people France has c.38m housing units for a population of c.66m people
The UK is around EIGHT MILLION houses short of France, for the same population to within a margin of error.
That’s the scale of the housing shortage. You can easily build a couple of million new houses without much happening to prices either, because there’s so much pent-up demand and overcrowding in the market. How many 30-year-olds used to live with their parents before 2000, for example? For the vast majority of those in that situation, it isn’t by choice.
Yet France's overcrowding rate is 10x higher than the UK.
Abandoned houses are common in rural France. It's hard to think of any house being abandoned in this country, although I remember once visiting Toxteth in the 1990's, and it resembled descriptions of West Belfast in the 1970's.
Seems incredible now but central London was full of empty/abandoned properties in the early-mid 1980s. Hence my ability - with my friends - to squat in various beautiful Georgian houses/weird eye hospitals in and around Bloomsbury/holborn/fitzrovia for at least two years
We squatted one house on gower street for 6 months - with a room each - which must be worth £5m now
As a student - a STUDENT - I rented on my own a small flat, quite a nice one, just off Ken High St (the posher end). Did that for 2 terms without breaking the bank and all I was on was the grant. You couldn't do that now. Then again, when you think about it, that you could it then was pretty absurd. Today's ridiculous situation probably makes more sense than that.
Yet, as a proportion of income, housing costs for the poorest quartile have been flat since 1990. (And have decreased somewhat for the other quartiles).
Is that right? I'd have thought it would have gone up for most. Anyway, the main problem imo is we have home ownership as our main vehicle for wealth accretion and at the same time home ownership is out of reach unless you have wealth to start with. This unfortunate combination of things is baking high levels of inequality into society. Sort it out, politicians. Fix it.
It is worse than that. Every pound spent on housing is a pound not spent in more productive parts of the economy. And because housing is scarce, two-earner couples can outbid singles for rented as well as bought homes.
Housing spend doesn't quite work like that, unless it involves actually building more houses.
If I have a house, and I sell it to you, the total assets of the pair of us combined are unchanged, regardless of the purchase price.
As a result of all the house price inflation of the last 30 years there are definitely winners and losers. But from a macro economic perspective that just changed who had money to spend in the economy, not the total amount available to spend.
This is different to what happens when value is created (e.g. Michelangelo takes an ordinary lump of marble and makes it priceless by carving it into David) or destroyed (e.g. we spend £300 million on planning documents for the lower Thames Crossing).
That’s not correct though - it assumes everyone has the same profile. If Monet flows from young family ( with high consumption needs) to middle class investor then it may restrict money available for consumption
100% not necessary but in the UK the non resident surcharge is just 2%. Bump it up to 10%-15% asap.
In a country starved of houses, it does feel that second homes and vacant investment lock up and leave properties are luxuries the nation cannot afford.
The occupancy rate in the U.K. is extremely high, in general. It’s one of the indicators of the scale of the shortage of housing
UK has c.30m housing units for a population of c.67m people France has c.38m housing units for a population of c.66m people
The UK is around EIGHT MILLION houses short of France, for the same population to within a margin of error.
That’s the scale of the housing shortage. You can easily build a couple of million new houses without much happening to prices either, because there’s so much pent-up demand and overcrowding in the market. How many 30-year-olds used to live with their parents before 2000, for example? For the vast majority of those in that situation, it isn’t by choice.
Yet France's overcrowding rate is 10x higher than the UK.
Abandoned houses are common in rural France. It's hard to think of any house being abandoned in this country, although I remember once visiting Toxteth in the 1990's, and it resembled descriptions of West Belfast in the 1970's.
Seems incredible now but central London was full of empty/abandoned properties in the early-mid 1980s. Hence my ability - with my friends - to squat in various beautiful Georgian houses/weird eye hospitals in and around Bloomsbury/holborn/fitzrovia for at least two years
We squatted one house on gower street for 6 months - with a room each - which must be worth £5m now
As a student - a STUDENT - I rented on my own a small flat, quite a nice one, just off Ken High St (the posher end). Did that for 2 terms without breaking the bank and all I was on was the grant. You couldn't do that now. Then again, when you think about it, that you could it then was pretty absurd. Today's ridiculous situation probably makes more sense than that.
Yet, as a proportion of income, housing costs for the poorest quartile have been flat since 1990. (And have decreased somewhat for the other quartiles).
Is that right? I'd have thought it would have gone up for most. Anyway, the main problem imo is we have home ownership as our main vehicle for wealth accretion and at the same time home ownership is out of reach unless you have wealth to start with. This unfortunate combination of things is baking high levels of inequality into society. Sort it out, politicians. Fix it.
It is worse than that. Every pound spent on housing is a pound not spent in more productive parts of the economy. And because housing is scarce, two-earner couples can outbid singles for rented as well as bought homes.
Housing spend doesn't quite work like that, unless it involves actually building more houses.
If I have a house, and I sell it to you, the total assets of the pair of us combined are unchanged, regardless of the purchase price.
As a result of all the house price inflation of the last 30 years there are definitely winners and losers. But from a macro economic perspective that just changed who had money to spend in the economy, not the total amount available to spend.
This is different to what happens when value is created (e.g. Michelangelo takes an ordinary lump of marble and makes it priceless by carving it into David) or destroyed (e.g. we spend £300 million on planning documents for the lower Thames Crossing).
But the price is not constant. The amount locked up in housing has increased, and the amount left for other spending shrunk.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
Literary fiction is essentially dead, partly because most of it is shite
I binge read Mick Herron last year - all the Slough House stuff plus most of the rest of what he has written. Not a dud among them.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Go on the Tube or a train and see how many people are reading a book, as compared to looking at their smartphones scrolling TikTok or watching vids, then remember what it was like 30-40 years ago
Book-reading is disappearing as a pastime, and doing so fast. This doesn’t make me happy but it is the case
IQs are falling, attention spans are dwindling, and at the same time competition for eyes and minds is only getting fiercer
I love me a good book, especially history, memoir, some science, even a smidgen of poetry. Can’t stand novels tho. Made up bollocks
True, but these days I download books on my phone, more than buying physical copies.
Book sales have increased again, as kindles have plateaued. Newspapers, on the other hand, you can't even give away, hence the decline of the Standard and Metro.
DJI just made life a lot easier for would be domestic terrorists in the US.
Breaking from @hntrbrkmedia: China’s DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, has disabled U.S. geofencing on its drones, enabling flights over airports, military bases, and no-fly zones.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Go on the Tube or a train and see how many people are reading a book, as compared to looking at their smartphones scrolling TikTok or watching vids, then remember what it was like 30-40 years ago
Book-reading is disappearing as a pastime, and doing so fast. This doesn’t make me happy but it is the case
IQs are falling, attention spans are dwindling, and at the same time competition for eyes and minds is only getting fiercer
I love me a good book, especially history, memoir, some science, even a smidgen of poetry. Can’t stand novels tho. Made up bollocks
True, but these days I download books on my phone, more than buying physical copies.
I can't do that. One of the pleasures of book reading, for me at least, is putting the finished book on the shelf where it's there on display, a trophy, a memory of time past.
The question is, how much does one need to retire on?
An S&P500 tracker has averaged around 7% annual returns in the long term, so a holding of $500k pays $35k/year, a holding of $1m pays $70k, and a holding of $2m pays $140k.
The question is, how much does one need to retire on?
Depends of your retirement plans are Viking river cruises all year round, or fast cars young women and expensive booze and going out in a blaze of glory or sitting by a two bar fire looking forward to the one day a week you get to give werthers originals to an ungrateful grandchild I guess.
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
I'm not going to write an autobiography but in my v. early 50's I was lucky enough to find a really interesting NHS job. Didn't take me far afield but I met all sorts of interesting people really making a (good) difference to other people's lives in all sorts of ways.
I, for one, would be interested in more on that. No idea whether it was research linked, but there's an awful lot of the more interesting research happening - or starting - at the margins of NHS departments.
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
Literary fiction is essentially dead, partly because most of it is shite
I binge read Mick Herron last year - all the Slough House stuff plus most of the rest of what he has written. Not a dud among them.
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
Rather, she seems to be left carrying the bag while Trump’s inflationary stance tests global risk appetite for sovereign bonds.
The NYT today reports that “In Global Market Rout, Britain is the ‘Weakest Link’”.
No, she is partly to blame, not entirely but she has not helped. Our borrowing costs are higher than nations like Germany and Greece.
Hopefully that lunatic will dial down on his inflationary policies. Especially given he campaigned against the high inflation seen under Biden. Somewhat unfair on Biden as that was global too.
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
They don’t seem to stop and wonder what kind of life is that? To work, and then drop dead.
One of my colleagues told me today, as I am retiring in 6 weeks, people's life expectancy post retirement is 8 years !!!!!
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
They don’t seem to stop and wonder what kind of life is that? To work, and then drop dead.
One of my colleagues told me today, as I am retiring in 6 weeks, people's life expectancy post retirement is 8 years !!!!!
If it helps I have managed 15 years and now with my pacemaker hopefully a few more
And do not hesitate to do whatever you want when you retire and enjoy it
Posting it without comment shows a distinct lack of ambition OLB, you could have written “posted for only the 59th time in the last few days since the publicity stunt hit the media.”
Reassuring, the fact I hadn't seen it suggests I don't spend as much time on here as I fear! FWIW, I used to work in a pizza restaurant and so consider myself an authority on this topic. Pineapple on pizza is fine.
Your “should I retire” discourse is inferesting. I echo those who warn you of having nothing at all to do. Many find it less fun than they expected
But of course it depends on those hobbies of yours. May I ask what they are? If they are truly absorbing then you’re sorted - go for it
My ideal life would be a life of travel and flint knapping. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being well paid to do what I would ideally do anyway - if I had all the money in the world
I DREAD the concept of retirement. I might have to do something I DON’T like doing
My main hobby is writing. I keep plugging away at that, have just finished a first draft of my second novel (first not published). If I could become a published author with the prospect of even some meagre earnings I would retire soon. I am also involved in various local community groups and activities and would like to be able to do more there. And parents and parents in law are reaching ages where they might need more of my time too. We have no mortgage, no school fees, some property income, my wife has a well paid job and I will get a little bit of pension income when I turn 50 so I could stop soon, depending on how comfy a retirement we are after and how much we want to help the kids through Uni and early adulthood.
Someone said a few years ago that there are only about 10 novelists in the UK able to make a decent living from writing. Depressing if true.
I think it's probably a few more than that, but the point stands that novelists don't tend to make much money. There's an oft-quoted 2022 figure that the median annual earnings for a writer in the UK is £7k. A common estimate for sales for a first novel, in its first year, is 200-300 copies. That says, it depends what you are writing. Literary fiction sells peanuts. Genre stuff, like romance and fantasy, can sell much more.
300 copies is terrifying, in a market the size of the UK.
Go on the Tube or a train and see how many people are reading a book, as compared to looking at their smartphones scrolling TikTok or watching vids, then remember what it was like 30-40 years ago
Book-reading is disappearing as a pastime, and doing so fast. This doesn’t make me happy but it is the case
IQs are falling, attention spans are dwindling, and at the same time competition for eyes and minds is only getting fiercer
I love me a good book, especially history, memoir, some science, even a smidgen of poetry. Can’t stand novels tho. Made up bollocks
True, but these days I download books on my phone, more than buying physical copies.
I can't do that. One of the pleasures of book reading, for me at least, is putting the finished book on the shelf where it's there on display, a trophy, a memory of time past.
I guess so. But with great characterisation, plot, depth and wider commentary, his stuff is literature in all but name. He's a fine writer.
Mauritius government has set a special cabinet meeting for 1030am Port Louis tomorrow (15th) which would be 0630 UK time - to sign off Chagos deal
Sources around negotiations telling me that Mauritius asked for a 50 year lease only on Diego Garcia, not 99 and UK may have caved
Sweet Jesus Christ. Starmer deserves to get REDACTED for this
I bet the total bill hasn't halved. Also, putting money aside - on what planet would the planks (Particularly the incoming administration) want us to halve the time of the lease ?!?
I think I might renounce my citizenship. I would rather be a citizen of any country on earth, than this shit-heap of spineless cowardice that is the UK
Further to retirement, obviously it depends on your circumstances and your personality. Also the extent to which you define yourself by your job and/or are boosted in self-esteem by its status. The latter is human nature, I think. Even I was afflicted. I used to enjoy the impact on people, the respect I'd see in their eyes, when I'd say I was a Chartered Accountant or (even more so until 2008) a bond trader. That doesn't happen now and I miss it.
Mauritius government has set a special cabinet meeting for 1030am Port Louis tomorrow (15th) which would be 0630 UK time - to sign off Chagos deal
Sources around negotiations telling me that Mauritius asked for a 50 year lease only on Diego Garcia, not 99 and UK may have caved
Sweet Jesus Christ. Starmer deserves to get REDACTED for this
I bet the total bill hasn't halved. Also, putting money aside - on what planet would the planks (Particularly the incoming administration) want us to halve the time of the lease ?!?
It’s just utter madness. What is going on in their heads?
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Well that's [self-moderated to avoid the risk of causing psychological distress to anyone].
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
Well, historically speaking...
Pretending male victims don't exist because of sexism in decades and centuries past is very 21st century of you.
The lack of mention of the boys (over 100, I believe) who were victims at Rotherham is concerning. The view that men can be perpetrators of sexual crime but not victims is deeply unhealthy.
Also, with DV, the split is something like 3:2 or 2:1, calling this "disproportionate" to negate the experiences of such a large minority is outrageous.
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
They don’t seem to stop and wonder what kind of life is that? To work, and then drop dead.
I totally get it.
I thoroughly enjoy what I do for work. It allows me to travel, see my friends and do what I would in all likelihood probably be doing as a hobby anyway - if I were able to afford it.
That old adage of finding something you love, then never having to work a day in your life, is bang on....
Further to retirement, obviously it depends on your circumstances and your personality. Also the extent to which you define yourself by your job and/or are boosted in self-esteem by its status. The latter is human nature, I think. Even I was afflicted. I used to enjoy the impact on people, the respect I'd see in their eyes, when I'd say I was a Chartered Accountant or (even more so until 2008) a bond trader. That doesn't happen now and I miss it.
Don’t worry Kinabalu, I’m in awe of you by virtue of you being an ex-chartered accountant and an ex bond trader - nobody can take that away from you.
When Muhammed Ali retired people still feared his punch, still bowed to his wit and wisdom and craved his approval - you are the Ali of PB.
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
Well that's [self-moderated to avoid the risk of causing psychological distress to anyone].
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
Well, historically speaking...
Pretending male victims don't exist because of sexism in decades and centuries past is very 21st century of you.
The lack of mention of the boys (over 100, I believe) who were victims at Rotherham is concerning. The view that men can be perpetrators of sexual crime but not victims is deeply unhealthy.
The feminist view point is that only males do bad things because all men are bad. All of us. And when some men do bad things we should all apologise for them, for being male. Presumably Lucy Letby is a actually man.
That's a bit of a caricature of feminism though. Re sex crimes, MD makes a good point, and this is not to argue with it, but the truth is that most victims are female and virtually all perpetrators are male. So if you say this is a crime generally committed by men on women and girls that wouldn't be wrong or misleading.
Further to retirement, obviously it depends on your circumstances and your personality. Also the extent to which you define yourself by your job and/or are boosted in self-esteem by its status. The latter is human nature, I think. Even I was afflicted. I used to enjoy the impact on people, the respect I'd see in their eyes, when I'd say I was a Chartered Accountant or (even more so until 2008) a bond trader. That doesn't happen now and I miss it.
Respect, or that galling realisation that they were now talking to an accountant - and might not be able to easily get out of a dull conversation?
Further to retirement, obviously it depends on your circumstances and your personality. Also the extent to which you define yourself by your job and/or are boosted in self-esteem by its status. The latter is human nature, I think. Even I was afflicted. I used to enjoy the impact on people, the respect I'd see in their eyes, when I'd say I was a Chartered Accountant or (even more so until 2008) a bond trader. That doesn't happen now and I miss it.
For me what seems odd seeing them interviewing people to replace me. It feels strange. It has no right to be, I am leaving of my own volition and not because I hate the place. I don't. I have a good Manager and work with a great team.
All the same it feels a little odd seeing them interviewing to replace me - even though they haven't got the recruitment signed off yet !!!!
Mauritius government has set a special cabinet meeting for 1030am Port Louis tomorrow (15th) which would be 0630 UK time - to sign off Chagos deal
Sources around negotiations telling me that Mauritius asked for a 50 year lease only on Diego Garcia, not 99 and UK may have caved
Sweet Jesus Christ. Starmer deserves to get REDACTED for this
I bet the total bill hasn't halved. Also, putting money aside - on what planet would the planks (Particularly the incoming administration) want us to halve the time of the lease ?!?
It’s just utter madness. What is going on in their heads?
I think I might renounce my citizenship. I would rather be a citizen of any country on earth, than this shit-heap of spineless cowardice that is the UK
I thought briefly about retiring just before I came to the U.S., but it seemed farcical to do so in my mid 40s.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
They don’t seem to stop and wonder what kind of life is that? To work, and then drop dead.
One of my colleagues told me today, as I am retiring in 6 weeks, people's life expectancy post retirement is 8 years !!!!!
Fortunately that's not true, unless you have been doing a very tough paper round all these years?
Perhaps the UK has folded and given Mauritius what it wants. But perhaps a Tory peer and Guido contributor is not the most reliable source. We will find out soon enough, I guess.
Further to retirement, obviously it depends on your circumstances and your personality. Also the extent to which you define yourself by your job and/or are boosted in self-esteem by its status. The latter is human nature, I think. Even I was afflicted. I used to enjoy the impact on people, the respect I'd see in their eyes, when I'd say I was a Chartered Accountant or (even more so until 2008) a bond trader. That doesn't happen now and I miss it.
Respect, or that galling realisation that they were now talking to an accountant - and might not be able to easily get out of a dull conversation?
No, it was definitely respect. And I still get it from time to time but I have to work for it now. I can't just give it the big "I am".
Further to retirement, obviously it depends on your circumstances and your personality. Also the extent to which you define yourself by your job and/or are boosted in self-esteem by its status. The latter is human nature, I think. Even I was afflicted. I used to enjoy the impact on people, the respect I'd see in their eyes, when I'd say I was a Chartered Accountant or (even more so until 2008) a bond trader. That doesn't happen now and I miss it.
Don’t worry Kinabalu, I’m in awe of you by virtue of you being an ex-chartered accountant and an ex bond trader - nobody can take that away from you.
When Muhammed Ali retired people still feared his punch, still bowed to his wit and wisdom and craved his approval - you are the Ali of PB.
Respect.
Well thank you. Yes, on here everybody knows who and what I was. It's very gratifying. But IRL (dreaded term) that's not so much the case. I present as just a bloke like any other. Nothing special.
I think I might renounce my citizenship. I would rather be a citizen of any country on earth, than this shit-heap of spineless cowardice that is the UK
It would be the end of your travels.
Well we would hardly be in "a nation mourns" territory if a minor journal lost its resident travel freeloader though, would we?
I think the utter hatred and contempt for this country from right wing nutters is why I struggle to have any respect for them.
Why don't you just f*ck off to Turkmenistan and leave people who still give a shit about truth and decency a nice break? Don't let the door bang you on the ass as you leave.
I think I might renounce my citizenship. I would rather be a citizen of any country on earth, than this shit-heap of spineless cowardice that is the UK
It would be the end of your travels.
Well we would hardly be in "a nation mourns" territory if a minor journal lost its resident travel freeloader though, would we?
I think the utter hatred and contempt for this country from right wing nutters is why I struggle to have any respect for them.
Why don't you just f*ck off to Turkmenistan and leave people who still give a shit about truth and decency a nice break? Don't let the door bang you on the ass as you leave.
1. Food industry consulting - big group of main clients plus another I am developing a project with which may become the main revenue feed later this year. 2. YouTube takes another c. 10 hours a week. Been doing the Tesla channel for 2 and a bit years, its delivered enough Tesla credit to give me free charging for the lifetime of this car plus a pot to cover maintenance / servicing / repairs. 3. Need to spend some more time on the toys business as its died off since Christmas. I like the idea of selling toys! About to do a load of social media work to relaunch that. Modest investment so far dipping a toe in the water, and its clearly got potential 4. The shop which my wife runs and I am the minority partner in. Retail is tough, but there's definitely something here if we keep it going and develop the range & customer base
I feel like I never stop, and TBH that's the way I like it. I have a low boredom threshold and I've enjoyed creating and developing these businesses over the last 5 years far more than I have working for someone else. I still need the consulting gigs to pay the bills, but clearly there is life in the other projects which may become quite fulfilling in the future. I just want the options! Retirement is much closer than when I started out, but I'm having too much fun to think about stopping. And you never know, I might get elected at some point as well...
Further to retirement, obviously it depends on your circumstances and your personality. Also the extent to which you define yourself by your job and/or are boosted in self-esteem by its status. The latter is human nature, I think. Even I was afflicted. I used to enjoy the impact on people, the respect I'd see in their eyes, when I'd say I was a Chartered Accountant or (even more so until 2008) a bond trader. That doesn't happen now and I miss it.
Don’t worry Kinabalu, I’m in awe of you by virtue of you being an ex-chartered accountant and an ex bond trader - nobody can take that away from you.
When Muhammed Ali retired people still feared his punch, still bowed to his wit and wisdom and craved his approval - you are the Ali of PB.
Respect.
Well thank you. Yes, on here everybody knows who and what I was. It's very gratifying. But IRL (dreaded term) that's not so much the case. I present as just a bloke like any other. Nothing special.
Have you thought about getting one of those badges people wear at conferences with their names on but yours could just say “former Chartered accountant and Bond trader”.
This way people could behave appropriately in your presence and not have an embarrassing moment where one of their friends, the sort who knows people who know people, tells them they were just speaking to an ex chartered accountant and ex bond trader and they feel like utter buffoons.
I think I might renounce my citizenship. I would rather be a citizen of any country on earth, than this shit-heap of spineless cowardice that is the UK
It would be the end of your travels.
Well we would hardly be in "a nation mourns" territory if a minor journal lost its resident travel freeloader though, would we?
I think the utter hatred and contempt for this country from right wing nutters is why I struggle to have any respect for them.
Why don't you just f*ck off to Turkmenistan and leave people who still give a shit about truth and decency a nice break? Don't let the door bang you on the ass as you leave.
The right does seem to be heading ever rightwards. What's striking is how few voices on the right there are wondering whether this is a good idea.
100% not necessary but in the UK the non resident surcharge is just 2%. Bump it up to 10%-15% asap.
In a country starved of houses, it does feel that second homes and vacant investment lock up and leave properties are luxuries the nation cannot afford.
The occupancy rate in the U.K. is extremely high, in general. It’s one of the indicators of the scale of the shortage of housing
UK has c.30m housing units for a population of c.67m people France has c.38m housing units for a population of c.66m people
The UK is around EIGHT MILLION houses short of France, for the same population to within a margin of error.
That’s the scale of the housing shortage. You can easily build a couple of million new houses without much happening to prices either, because there’s so much pent-up demand and overcrowding in the market. How many 30-year-olds used to live with their parents before 2000, for example? For the vast majority of those in that situation, it isn’t by choice.
Yet France's overcrowding rate is 10x higher than the UK.
Abandoned houses are common in rural France. It's hard to think of any house being abandoned in this country, although I remember once visiting Toxteth in the 1990's, and it resembled descriptions of West Belfast in the 1970's.
Seems incredible now but central London was full of empty/abandoned properties in the early-mid 1980s. Hence my ability - with my friends - to squat in various beautiful Georgian houses/weird eye hospitals in and around Bloomsbury/holborn/fitzrovia for at least two years
We squatted one house on gower street for 6 months - with a room each - which must be worth £5m now
As a student - a STUDENT - I rented on my own a small flat, quite a nice one, just off Ken High St (the posher end). Did that for 2 terms without breaking the bank and all I was on was the grant. You couldn't do that now. Then again, when you think about it, that you could it then was pretty absurd. Today's ridiculous situation probably makes more sense than that.
Yet, as a proportion of income, housing costs for the poorest quartile have been flat since 1990. (And have decreased somewhat for the other quartiles).
Is that right? I'd have thought it would have gone up for most. Anyway, the main problem imo is we have home ownership as our main vehicle for wealth accretion and at the same time home ownership is out of reach unless you have wealth to start with. This unfortunate combination of things is baking high levels of inequality into society. Sort it out, politicians. Fix it.
It is worse than that. Every pound spent on housing is a pound not spent in more productive parts of the economy. And because housing is scarce, two-earner couples can outbid singles for rented as well as bought homes.
Housing spend doesn't quite work like that, unless it involves actually building more houses.
If I have a house, and I sell it to you, the total assets of the pair of us combined are unchanged, regardless of the purchase price.
As a result of all the house price inflation of the last 30 years there are definitely winners and losers. But from a macro economic perspective that just changed who had money to spend in the economy, not the total amount available to spend.
This is different to what happens when value is created (e.g. Michelangelo takes an ordinary lump of marble and makes it priceless by carving it into David) or destroyed (e.g. we spend £300 million on planning documents for the lower Thames Crossing).
But the price is not constant. The amount locked up in housing has increased, and the amount left for other spending shrunk.
Not really. When a house is sold, someone somewhere pays, whilst someone else gets the money. If a house that was £50k in 1990 is sold for £500k now, it's not that the extra £450k paid gets locked up in the basement - it gets given to the seller (or their heirs, or whatever), who are then able to spend it.
This is one of the reasons why swingeing wealth taxes aren't likely to work, as much of people's wealth is in iliquid assets, the value of which would be substantially reduced by the very act of taxing it.
I'm not saying that any of this is desirable - that's a different question. But it is the reality.
I think I might renounce my citizenship. I would rather be a citizen of any country on earth, than this shit-heap of spineless cowardice that is the UK
It would be the end of your travels.
Well we would hardly be in "a nation mourns" territory if a minor journal lost its resident travel freeloader though, would we?
I think the utter hatred and contempt for this country from right wing nutters is why I struggle to have any respect for them.
Why don't you just f*ck off to Turkmenistan and leave people who still give a shit about truth and decency a nice break? Don't let the door bang you on the ass as you leave.
I always think advice to a “right wing nutter” who is down on their country and its government to fuck off to another country is best coming from someone who was slagging off the country and its government pre July and had fucked off to live another country.
I think I might renounce my citizenship. I would rather be a citizen of any country on earth, than this shit-heap of spineless cowardice that is the UK
It would be the end of your travels.
Well we would hardly be in "a nation mourns" territory if a minor journal lost its resident travel freeloader though, would we?
I think the utter hatred and contempt for this country from right wing nutters is why I struggle to have any respect for them.
Why don't you just f*ck off to Turkmenistan and leave people who still give a shit about truth and decency a nice break? Don't let the door bang you on the ass as you leave.
The right does seem to be heading ever rightwards. What's striking is how few voices on the right there are wondering whether this is a good idea.
Are there any of Reform's positions that weren't held by New Labour during the Blair era?
Comments
If I have a house, and I sell it to you, the total assets of the pair of us combined are unchanged, regardless of the purchase price.
As a result of all the house price inflation of the last 30 years there are definitely winners and losers. But from a macro economic perspective that just changed who had money to spend in the economy, not the total amount available to spend.
This is different to what happens when value is created (e.g. Michelangelo takes an ordinary lump of marble and makes it priceless by carving it into David) or destroyed (e.g. we spend £300 million on planning documents for the lower Thames Crossing).
I’m loving actually being back in an office with people and the excitement of a new project to build a company and very happy to be back working.
Maybe a few years off then back in is great but easy for me to say in the sense that I’m very much in control of what I have gone into and all on my own terms.
Happy doing a few years on this and see how I feel but was definitely too young to have that unstructured freedom of retirement.
My job definitely isn't dull. I'm very lucky. Many of my colleagues are pleasant company; I'm interested in the subject matter. I don't know whether it benefits society but those in charge of spending public money are of the view that my job should exist so it may as well be me that does it.
And yet. Even the best days at work don't make me feel as good as a solid three or four hours of low level physical exercise in the fresh air. There is a beautiful country out there to explore and explore again. And I have a list of Things That Need Doing as long as my arm.
But I have a nagging doubt about the feeling of ennui that a lifetime solely devoted to Having A Nice Time might engender. Too much pleasure isn't good for our happiness.
Right, enough of contemplating purposelessness. Time to write An Agenda for A Meeting.
French theatre faces bankruptcy after opening its doors to 250 African migrants for a free show... and they refused to leave and remain in the building five weeks later
A major high street lender has raised mortgage rates amid ongoing bond market chaos.
Virgin Money increased the price of two and five-year deals by up to 0.2 percentage points on Wednesday as a government bond sell-off threatened to keep interest rates higher for longer.
The bank’s 65pc and 75pc loan-to-value (LTV) purchase rates rose by 0.2pc, while its 85pc LTV five-year fixes were raised by 0.1pc.
Inflationary pressures, in part due to Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget, have spooked the bond market in the past week and raised the cost of government borrowing.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/mortgages/first-major-lender-raises-mortgage-rates-bond-turmoil/
You make a very good point about my travels. I am lucky in that I get to write about them, and also as I travel I can knap flints, as I am doing here in Rangoon
Without that, yes, I suspect endless travel might become tiresome and even bleak… tho on the other hand I do still like exploration for the sake of it. Some of my favourite travels have produced no words and I’ve knapped no flints, but I met amazing people or got amazing insights into humanity, life, the universe…
When I get really old I’d quite like to grow a few vegetable and flowers, in the sun. Like Marlon Brando as the aged Godfather, checking his tomatoes
A lot of paid 'work' means you have to suck up people and work you don't like, and doing it when you don't want to it, whereas retirement does not.
Volunteering, in such instances, would be a good substitute.
I cannot stand being bossed about. I am happy to take advice, commands, criticism at a distance - eg from an editor or a flint commissioner - but whenever I’ve experienced first hand “right do this now, then this, then this” I bridle and rebel
I need to be in charge of my own work, and therefore life, that’s arguably the greatest positive of all - in freelancing
No doubt this sort of discussion would horrify Leon as being Bluesky fodder.
But I only wish I'd discovered this approach decades ago.
They can range from the inane to the criminally insane.
It’s worth considering that politics, at the grass root level, is a volunteer endeavour.
If you are paranoid you could either:
1) Keep a second phone at home with the banking apps on it
2) Create a second profile on your main phone with all the apps that you don't want unlocked when walking around.
3*) If using Android, hack your phone to install a hardened version with sub-profiles that do the same things as 2).
*My current choice, although it used to be 1)
https://news.sky.com/story/male-survivors-ignored-as-their-abuse-is-classified-as-violence-against-women-13286615
A government spokesperson was asked why domestic violence *against* men was reported under domestic violence *against* women
The term 'violence against women and girls' refers to acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affect women and girls. Crimes and behaviour covered by this term include rape and other sexual offences, domestic abuse and stalking…..Men and boys can obviously be victims of those crimes as well…..
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24855729.snp-post-major-lead-labour-scotland-only-general-election-poll/?ref=ebbn&nid=1457&u=f140ec39d500193051a33e140c12bd95&date=140125
https://x.com/HolyroodSources/status/1879127360387313799
Not great news for Slab, Tories, Reform, SLD - but even then SNP on only 33. At that level the details of constituencies will be very important, especially with Reform in the mix (works both ways, potentially).
It is a bit harder if you can't just quit on the spot.
It is definitely lack of agency that is the issue with paid work. Particularly in large corporations, where all sorts of shit gets mandated for no valid reason.
More like a thousand or more, I would say - tho the number is, sadly, diminishing fast
Breaking from @hntrbrkmedia: China’s DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, has disabled U.S. geofencing on its drones, enabling flights over airports, military bases, and no-fly zones.
DJI says it is putting “control back in the hands of the drone operators”
https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1878965068471107694
I assume men get credit for female engineers and scientists on that basis?
Against that, is the requirement for pilots to be aware of where they are (just like manned plane pilots!) and the potential use of drones by bad actors.
Could just be the Chinese playing games though, to make the US invest more time and money in anti-drone technology around key sites and events.
One thing I admire about Americans is that they often simply don’t retire. Whether this is due to the absence of a decent safety net, I don’t know. They seem to enjoy it, though. You have people cranking on into their 80s and even 90s. Biden (and Trump) are in some ways representative.
Well done Rachel. The new Liz Truss.
I got some syringes from Amazon for dispensing finings into wine. Amazon really is a godsend.
Rather, she seems to be left carrying the bag while Trump’s inflationary stance tests global risk appetite for sovereign bonds.
The NYT today reports that “In Global Market Rout, Britain is the ‘Weakest Link’”.
The lack of mention of the boys (over 100, I believe) who were victims at Rotherham is concerning. The view that men can be perpetrators of sexual crime but not victims is deeply unhealthy.
Always amazed at how low the price of the lovely hardback Everyman World's Classics are. No more than a disposable paperback.
a) Know how to hack the firmware to disable the geofencing, or
b) Use a non-DJI drone
The current set up is a bit irritating. I had a failed flight due to a football stadium 1km away although I had permission to fly and it wasn't a match day.
There is also a no fly zone over nature reserves, which is pointless if the owner of said nature reserve has asked you to take pictures of it.
See:
https://dronemap.uk/map
I thoroughly enjoy what I do for work. It allows me to travel, see my friends and do what I would in all likelihood probably be doing as a hobby anyway - if I were able to afford it.
That old adage of finding something you love, then never having to work a day in your life, is bang on....
In other literary news, I viewed an apartment next door the late Philip Roth’s a week or so ago.
Book-reading is disappearing as a pastime, and doing so fast. This doesn’t make me happy but it is the case
IQs are falling, attention spans are dwindling, and at the same time competition for eyes and minds is only getting fiercer
I love me a good book, especially history, memoir, some science, even a smidgen of poetry. Can’t stand novels tho. Made up bollocks
At least in a place like Manhattan, there are a lot of people who actually resent being held hostage by their smartphones. There is a new desire to attend again to the long form.
A best selling author is not (as some might think) someone who sells hundreds of thousands or millions, per book, but someone getting 30,000 + sales.
Mauritius government has set a special cabinet meeting for 1030am Port Louis tomorrow (15th) which would be 0630 UK time - to sign off Chagos deal
Sources around negotiations telling me that Mauritius asked for a 50 year lease only on Diego Garcia, not 99 and UK may have caved
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/labour-run-council-evicts-200-tenants-cut-housing-waiting/ (£££)
This is the creative policy-making Britain needs.
Hopefully that lunatic will dial down on his inflationary policies. Especially given he campaigned against the high inflation seen under Biden. Somewhat unfair on Biden as that was global too.
And do not hesitate to do whatever you want when you retire and enjoy it
Ethnonationalists sense an opportunity
Rob Lownie"
https://unherd.com/2025/01/can-the-far-right-outflank-farage/
When Muhammed Ali retired people still feared his punch, still bowed to his wit and wisdom and craved his approval - you are the Ali of PB.
Respect.
All the same it feels a little odd seeing them interviewing to replace me - even though they haven't got the recruitment signed off yet !!!!
https://www.ft.com/content/8db5ba97-ca36-451f-947b-dcf810b7ff06
I think the utter hatred and contempt for this country from right wing nutters is why I struggle to have any respect for them.
Why don't you just f*ck off to Turkmenistan and leave people who still give a shit about truth and decency a nice break? Don't let the door bang you on the ass as you leave.
1. Food industry consulting - big group of main clients plus another I am developing a project with which may become the main revenue feed later this year.
2. YouTube takes another c. 10 hours a week. Been doing the Tesla channel for 2 and a bit years, its delivered enough Tesla credit to give me free charging for the lifetime of this car plus a pot to cover maintenance / servicing / repairs.
3. Need to spend some more time on the toys business as its died off since Christmas. I like the idea of selling toys! About to do a load of social media work to relaunch that. Modest investment so far dipping a toe in the water, and its clearly got potential
4. The shop which my wife runs and I am the minority partner in. Retail is tough, but there's definitely something here if we keep it going and develop the range & customer base
I feel like I never stop, and TBH that's the way I like it. I have a low boredom threshold and I've enjoyed creating and developing these businesses over the last 5 years far more than I have working for someone else. I still need the consulting gigs to pay the bills, but clearly there is life in the other projects which may become quite fulfilling in the future. I just want the options! Retirement is much closer than when I started out, but I'm having too much fun to think about stopping. And you never know, I might get elected at some point as well...
This way people could behave appropriately in your presence and not have an embarrassing moment where one of their friends, the sort who knows people who know people, tells them they were just speaking to an ex chartered accountant and ex bond trader and they feel like utter buffoons.
Think you should consider it.
This is one of the reasons why swingeing wealth taxes aren't likely to work, as much of people's wealth is in iliquid assets, the value of which would be substantially reduced by the very act of taxing it.
I'm not saying that any of this is desirable - that's a different question. But it is the reality.