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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » How George Osborne is hoping to raid pension pots without y

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  • RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737

    Pulpstar said:

    RodCrosby said:

    RodCrosby said:

    Moses_ said:

    Talking of pensions I need a good pension advisor but no idea how to find one to trust. I have asked around and most people say we'll try this person / company but watch out for XYZ or they were good but for this point or that point.

    Just need to know what it's all worth as I am approaching 60 and what should I do now for the best? [...]

    If you have a lump sum I would also look at P2P, gross rates of up to 20% available, although less risk at around the 12-13% mark.

    It's about to become even more attractive with losses tax-allowable and ISAs in the pipeline. There's even one site where you can, in effect, in theory, garner your gains tax-free...

    Downside is you need to diversify a lot to reduce risk, and as it is starting to become a feeding frenzy as more people pile in, that could take a while to achieve. Maybe a year.

    DYOR.
    I have invested some money through these. I have to say I am surprised some of these firms haven't really advertised in the main stream, with people wanting short term money on one side and significant numbers of people getting < 1.0% on their ISAs on the other, you would think it would be perfect time to advertise to the mainstream. Zopa have been about for ages now, but I don't think I have ever seen an advert for them.
    I now have a six figure sum invested. Very happy with my returns so far.

    The two main dangers are:-

    platform risk (I think one has gone belly up in the UK so far, with isolated cases elsewhere). Increased FCA regulation has mitigated this somewhat.

    property prices, as the bulk of (secured) lending is bridging/development loans. If the market catches a cold, I guess a lot of people will (try to) head for the exits.

    There is plenty of unsecured P2P lending, of course, to SMEs if you fancy even more risk! An interesting growing niche is in pawn-shop type items.
    I have around 6k invested in these, Saving Stream; Funding Secure and Ablrate are all very nice return for secured lending. Quite a few 'bonuses' to clear on other platforms.
    People seem to recommend giving Bondora a miss.
    I did peer to peer via Ratesetter. Given that the ISA hadn't come in (even though I only pay basic rate tax) my return wasn't really worth it for a marginal extra return. I forget exactly, something like 2.5% pa v easy access (~2% at the time), 3.5% v traditional savings (~2.75% at the time).
    My gross (including compounding, given that many are short-term loans where money and interest earned can be re-invested more than once a year) is about 13.5%. I'd expect my net to be well over 10%.

    It is very time consuming, however.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,624



    I did peer to peer via Ratesetter. Given that the ISA hadn't come in (even though I only pay basic rate tax) my return wasn't really worth it for a marginal extra return. I forget exactly, something like 2.5% pa v easy access (~2% at the time), 3.5% v traditional savings (~2.75% at the time).

    This will make some difference from April...

    http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/personal-savings-allowance
    Yes. The other problem was voids, i.e. time on the market not earning. Compared to the gross percentage it wasn't huge, but vis-a-vis the margin over a traditional savings product it was a significant eroding factor.
    That's interesting that you suffered significant time without earning.
  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,454
    edited 2016 10



    I did peer to peer via Ratesetter. Given that the ISA hadn't come in (even though I only pay basic rate tax) my return wasn't really worth it for a marginal extra return. I forget exactly, something like 2.5% pa v easy access (~2% at the time), 3.5% v traditional savings (~2.75% at the time).

    This will make some difference from April...

    http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/personal-savings-allowance
    Yes. The other problem was voids, i.e. time on the market not earning. Compared to the gross percentage it wasn't huge, but vis-a-vis the margin over a traditional savings product it was a significant eroding factor.
    That's interesting that you suffered significant time without earning.
    Pulpstar said:

    @Thewhiterabbit There's a whole bunch of traditional bank accounts to game and clear before sticking a penny in P2P tbh - though with Ratesetter you should be able to get 5-6%.

    Well these two points are both the result of only committing my money on a short-term basis (a mix of 1-year and monthly access) which suited me at the time. 5-6% was achievable on longer terms, with a different risk profile. For those able to tie their money up for longer (as started this discussion) Ratesetter is probably quite a different proposition.
  • logical_songlogical_song Posts: 9,961

    rcs1000 said:

    As an aside, can I just re-recommend this lecture:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FACK2knC08E

    One of the most fascinating things I have ever watched.

    I liked his one on poverty, where he busted a lot of the nonsense about what poverty really is and what we should be talking about in regards to this and how eradicating shall we say "genuine" poverty is achievable.
    Good to see this again.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @GeorgeTrefgarne: @FT is reporting Merkel has cancelled Davos appearance over Cologne crisis. Leaders don't do that lightly.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 61,451
    Sean_F said:


    Thanks, Osborne.

    He and Brown are two peas in a pod.
  • AndyJSAndyJS Posts: 29,395
    chestnut said:

    Pong said:

    Very few people in their 20's/30's care about pensions when housing costs are so crazy.

    We've been mugged by the baby boomers.

    The cost of a private flat in the place in London where I first rented privately in 1988 is the same today, when adjusted for inflation.

    My interest rate today is under 3%. It was over 15% when I first bought property.

    High purchase prices are being sustained by interest rates that have been kept too low for too long.


    I'm trying to think of an area of London where house prices might not have increased since 1988. Ealing perhaps?
  • chestnutchestnut Posts: 7,341
    viewcode said:

    chestnut said:

    The cost of a private flat in the place in London where I first rented privately in 1988 is the same today, when adjusted for inflation

    That's a tautology

    eek said:

    chestnut said:

    Pong said:

    Very few people in their 20's/30's care about pensions when housing costs are so crazy.

    We've been mugged by the baby boomers.

    The cost of a private flat in the place in London where I first rented privately in 1988 is the same today, when adjusted for inflation.

    My interest rate today is under 3%. It was over 15% when I first bought property.

    High purchase prices are being sustained by interest rates that have been kept too low for too long.


    And what happened in late 1989 onwards?
    Illuminate me - and then explain what difference it makes.

    It appears to be fuck all where I'm sitting.
  • RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737
    edited 2016 10
    Pulpstar said:

    RodCrosby said:

    RodCrosby said:


    If you have a lump sum I would also look at P2P, gross rates of up to 20% available, although less risk at around the 12-13% mark.

    It's about to become even more attractive with losses tax-allowable and ISAs in the pipeline. There's even one site where you can, in effect, in theory, garner your gains tax-free...

    Downside is you need to diversify a lot to reduce risk, and as it is starting to become a feeding frenzy as more people pile in, that could take a while to achieve. Maybe a year.

    DYOR.

    I have invested some money through these. I have to say I am surprised some of these firms haven't really advertised in the main stream, with people wanting short term money on one side and significant numbers of people getting < 1.0% on their ISAs on the other, you would think it would be perfect time to advertise to the mainstream. Zopa have been about for ages now, but I don't think I have ever seen an advert for them.
    I now have a six figure sum invested. Very happy with my returns so far.

    The two main dangers are:-

    platform risk (I think one has gone belly up in the UK so far, with isolated cases elsewhere). Increased FCA regulation has mitigated this somewhat.

    property prices, as the bulk of (secured) lending is bridging/development loans. If the market catches a cold, I guess a lot of people will (try to) head for the exits.

    There is plenty of unsecured P2P lending, of course, to SMEs if you fancy even more risk! An interesting growing niche is in pawn-shop type items.
    I have around 6k invested in these, Saving Stream; Funding Secure and Ablrate are all very nice return for secured lending. Quite a few 'bonuses' to clear on other platforms.
    People seem to recommend giving Bondora a miss.
    In descending order of my opinion, and investment, with gross (simple) rates (DYOR)

    Saving Stream (provision funded property-bridging, and the ability to pre-fund pipeline loans) 12.0% average
    Funding Secure (wide range of secured items, from property to powerboats to Banksy art to a 14th Century Italian library of books) 12.5%
    MoneyThing (innovative portfolios of pawn-shop stuff and property, supercars) 12.0%

    Assetz Capital (bridging loans and SMEs, "secured", but the security can be opaque and complex, and several loans are on the sick list with losses likely) 17.5%
    Funding Circle (mostly unsecured SMEs, losses inevitable, but net should be quite positive) 16% (after fees)
    Ablrate (very new, supposedly intending to offer commercial aircraft loans, but growth is slower than promised. Be careful)
  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,454
    chestnut said:

    viewcode said:

    chestnut said:

    The cost of a private flat in the place in London where I first rented privately in 1988 is the same today, when adjusted for inflation

    That's a tautology

    eek said:

    chestnut said:

    Pong said:

    Very few people in their 20's/30's care about pensions when housing costs are so crazy.

    We've been mugged by the baby boomers.

    The cost of a private flat in the place in London where I first rented privately in 1988 is the same today, when adjusted for inflation.

    My interest rate today is under 3%. It was over 15% when I first bought property.

    High purchase prices are being sustained by interest rates that have been kept too low for too long.


    And what happened in late 1989 onwards?
    Illuminate me - and then explain what difference it makes.

    It appears to be fuck all where I'm sitting.
    It's partly tautologous, since inflation is a measure of the increased cost of goods and services, therefore adjusting for inflation when what you're attempting to measure is the increased cost of housing is partly discounting what it is you want to measure. However housing is of course only one of the goods and services, so what you're saying is that that it's only gone up as much as the average good or service.
  • JBriskinJBriskin Posts: 2,380
    Pension pots are way above my paygrade so TL;DR for me -

    However I come bearing #news -

    https://twitter.com/SusanLove2314/status/686242245180321792
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,842
    edited 2016 10
    The Catalan Parliament has just voted for the Junts pel Si candidate to be the president. That means Catalonia now has a government that will begin implementing an 18-month timetable to separate from Spain. Meanwhile, Spain itself does not have a proper government and looks to be a long way from getting one. This is going to get very messy. One thing is sure, though: Catalonian independence is not going to happen.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,249

    (Snip)
    It's actually incredibly cheap considering that it guarantees our security against the great powers. For a thousandth of our economic output we can guarantee it on an on-going basis against other nuclear powers.

    I would imagine that it is cheaper than the dreadnought race v. Germany et al. circa 1910.

    Your last line intrigued me. Because it's the sort of thing I enjoy doing, I've been throwing some figures around for the last hour or two.

    Over the FY 1905 to 1914 when the Dreadnoughts and Battlecruisers were built, 9.4% of the total defence budget was spent just on constructing the new ships.

    Given the current estimated cost of the successor Trident replacement, and the period over which they will be built, and the projected construction costs, then it comes to 2.7% of the total defence budget on building the new vessels.

    Hence, as a proportion of the total defence budgets, the new Trident replacement construction project will cost between a quarter and a third what the entire Dreadnought construction project costs. That gave them around 33 dreadnoughts or battlecruisers, whilst we will get four Trident boats. Although the Tridents contain far more destructive power.

    This shows just how technically advanced the new Dreadnought-style warships were.

    The former of these figures (for the pre-WW1 dreadnoughts) should be more reliable than the one for the Trident replacement, which is all estimates for future costs and spending.

    I'll have to check my sums in the morning when I have had some sleep. But it smells right.
  • watford30watford30 Posts: 3,474

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/nhs/11887308/How-much-are-junior-doctors-paid-and-why-are-they-threatening-to-strike.html

    Trainee doctors currently have a starting salary of £22,636 - at Foundation Year 1 (F1) - rising with experience to reach £30,000 within four years. Doctors in specialist training (ST) receive a salary of between £30,002 and £47,175, while those who make the grade can earn up to £69,325. You don't just walk off the street to start as a a trainee doctor either, as they are expected to have a medical degree, which can take between five to six years to get.

    Junior doctors enjoy a boost to their salary thanks to a complex system of supplements. This means they can earn on average £40,000 in the initial stages of training, according to the Department of Health's estimates, and £56,000 in the later stages.
    And they're earning these generous sums, whilst training at the Taxpayers expense. This incidentally need further examination. Those greedy beggars hotfooting it overseas to earn more, should be surcharged for this cost if they flee within a certain time period, post qualification.

    They may well whinge away about doctors in Australia being paid more, but in many countries, medical training is not subsidised by the State.
  • Moses_Moses_ Posts: 4,865
    Thanks for the feedback for pensions!!appreciated.

    the information provided as much as it's interesting is wAy above my risk level. Not sure what it all means either so would not have the time really to keep up with it.

    What I was basically looking for was someone I could sit down in front of and say here's a pile of paperwork from the last 40 years..... What does it all mean and do I do next for the best?

    Said person / company I was hoping to be known already as trustworthy and not full of fee rip offs for no good advice.

  • JBriskinJBriskin Posts: 2,380
    Pestowire's starting at ITV tomorrow apparently newsense fans
  • dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,302

    Sean_F said:


    Thanks, Osborne.

    He and Brown are two peas in a pod.
    Osbrowne...wasn't that one of Mick Pork's favourite words.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @jeremycorbyn: Here we... here we... here we fucking go!!!
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 23,108
    chestnut said:

    viewcode said:

    chestnut said:

    The cost of a private flat in the place in London where I first rented privately in 1988 is the same today, when adjusted for inflation

    That's a tautology

    Illuminate me - and then explain what difference it makes. It appears to be fuck all where I'm sitting.
    If you adjust a price by inflation, it brings it back to its original number.

    Note:
    The sentence does not specify which inflation rate is used to adjust, and some people have correctly pointed out that the house price inflation rate is not necessarily the same as the general inflation rate. Fair enough, they are different things. But since they feed into each other, over a long enough period of time they are the same number. I assume that 38 yrs (2016-1988) is long enough for that to be approximately true, and if that assumption is correct then the statement becomes a tautology. Examples of tautologies are "the bear is a bear" "I am not you". "We're older now than we were in the past" - the sentence is correctly formatted but it contains no new information.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    It appears Jezza's Twitter account has been hacked...
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,551
    edited 2016 10

    One thing is sure, though: Catalonian independence is not going to happen.

    Is that more or less sure than Mitt becoming US president?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,624
    edited 2016 10
    Scott_P said:

    It appears Jezza's Twitter account has been hacked...

    How do you know. It is hard to tell most of the time with all the crazy nonsense...are they saying Thatcher was bang on about everything?
  • JBriskinJBriskin Posts: 2,380
    Scott_P said:

    It appears Jezza's Twitter account has been hacked...

    that or he's car bonnett
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @NCPoliticsUK: It would appear that @jeremycorbyn has been hacked... https://t.co/0WlnaUPZk9
  • watford30watford30 Posts: 3,474
    edited 2016 10
    Scott_P said:

    It appears Jezza's Twitter account has been hacked...

    Or he's pissed up on organic mung-bean vodka.

    (I wonder what his password was - 'Diane'?)
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @journodave: Somewhere in London a Labour Party press officer has just sat down to #WarAndPeace and is now having to deny that 'fuck trident' is policy.

    @jamesrbuk: If anyone at @CCHQPress is drafting a "if he can't even secure a Twitter account how can he secure our nation" tweet: don't.

    Really: don't.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 125,153
    Speedy said:

    New N.H. and Iowa poll, from NBC/WSJ:

    N.H.
    Trump 30% +9
    Rubio 14% +4
    Christie 12% +5
    Cruz 10% +4
    Bush 9% -2
    Kasich 9% +3
    Paul 5% 0
    Carson 4% -6
    Fiorina 3% -13


    GE Matchups

    Rubio – 52%
    Clinton – 40%

    Cruz – 48%
    Clinton – 44%

    Clinton – 45%
    Trump – 44%

    Iowa

    Cruz 28% +22
    Trump 24% 0
    Rubio 13% +7
    Carson 11% -8
    Paul 5% +1
    Bush 4% -1
    Christie 3% -1
    Fiorina 3% -5
    Huckabee 2% -3
    Kasich 2% -1

    GE Matchups

    Rubio 47%
    Clinton 42%

    Cruz 47%
    Clinton 43%

    Clinton 48%
    Trump 40%

    http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/poll-neck-neck-2016-races-iowa-new-hampshire-n493361

    You forgot the Democratic figures and the Sanders general election figures which I posted earlier and are, in some respects, even more significant.

    New Hampshire Democrats

    Clinton 46%
    Sanders 50%

    Iowa Democrats

    Clinton 48%
    Sanders 45%

    Iowa General Election

    Sanders 51% Trump 38%
    Sanders 47% Cruz 42%
    Sanders 44% Rubio 44%

    New Hampshire General Election

    Sanders 56% Trump 37%
    Sanders 55% Cruz 36%
    Sanders 50% Rubio 41%
    http://maristpoll.marist.edu/110-cruz-and-trump-vie-in-ia-trump-nh-favorite-clinton-and-sanders-competitive/


  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,454
    watford30 said:

    Scott_P said:

    It appears Jezza's Twitter account has been hacked...

    Or he's pissed up on organic mung-bean vodka.

    (I wonder what his password was - 'Diane'?)
    Can't find them on his account... either control has been regained or it's a photoshop
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,161

    One thing is sure, though: Catalonian independence is not going to happen.

    Is that more or less sure than Mitt becoming US president?
    At the Spanish election last month, pro independence parties got 38% of the vote. They got under 50% of the vote at the last Catalan elections too. And all Catalonia polls have shown majorities in favour of remaining part of Spain. (By at least 10%)

    However, pro independence parties have more than 50% (just) of the seats in the Catalonian parliament.

    It will be interesting to see how this develops.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    Can't find them on his account... either control has been regained or it's a photoshop

    yes, they have been deleted. They were definitely there :)
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,551
    edited 2016 10
    Scott_P said:

    @NCPoliticsUK: It would appear that @jeremycorbyn has been hacked... https://t.co/0WlnaUPZk9

    'davey cameron is a pie' is pure Glesga.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,249
    I wonder what Corbyn's password was?

    (The number of cr@p passwords out there is astonishing. As I've said before, I reckon the vast majority of politicians / celebrities who claim to have been 'hacked' really just had poor password security. Like a password of 'password').

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/187354/Study_Hacking_Passwords_Easy_As_123456.html
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,598
    kle4 said:

    Totally off topic, but as I've not left the island for about 15 years, I've been thinking I might take an overseas holiday at some point this year, and a little further afield than our european neighbours - any suggestions for good locations for those on a modest budget and who will melt if the temperature is above 30C?

    Russia. It's ridiculously cheap - 4* hotel in Moscow for £20-odd per night, good meals for a few quid, and some of the most spectacular range of interesting places in Europe, if you're interested in art or opera or ballet or history, with the three periods - pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern - jumbled together. In Moscow and St Petersburg you can get by with English. Don't expect a slick tourist industry but it's perfectly adequate. Obviously the politics are hard to fathom and if you want to invest you may run into corruption, but for a holiday, who cares? And it's sufficiently exotic to be memorable and intrigue your friends.
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    dr_spyn said:

    Sean_F said:


    Thanks, Osborne.

    He and Brown are two peas in a pod.
    Osbrowne...wasn't that one of Mick Pork's favourite words.
    Did he also say "Labservative" by any chance?
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    What was it Cameron said about twitter?
  • JBriskinJBriskin Posts: 2,380
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838

    (Snip)
    It's actually incredibly cheap considering that it guarantees our security against the great powers. For a thousandth of our economic output we can guarantee it on an on-going basis against other nuclear powers.

    I would imagine that it is cheaper than the dreadnought race v. Germany et al. circa 1910.

    Your last line intrigued me. Because it's the sort of thing I enjoy doing, I've been throwing some figures around for the last hour or two.

    Over the FY 1905 to 1914 when the Dreadnoughts and Battlecruisers were built, 9.4% of the total defence budget was spent just on constructing the new ships.

    Given the current estimated cost of the successor Trident replacement, and the period over which they will be built, and the projected construction costs, then it comes to 2.7% of the total defence budget on building the new vessels.

    Hence, as a proportion of the total defence budgets, the new Trident replacement construction project will cost between a quarter and a third what the entire Dreadnought construction project costs. That gave them around 33 dreadnoughts or battlecruisers, whilst we will get four Trident boats. Although the Tridents contain far more destructive power.

    This shows just how technically advanced the new Dreadnought-style warships were.

    The former of these figures (for the pre-WW1 dreadnoughts) should be more reliable than the one for the Trident replacement, which is all estimates for future costs and spending.

    I'll have to check my sums in the morning when I have had some sleep. But it smells right.
    That is a very interesting post.

    I'm now wondering what the cost of state-of-the-art warships, relative to economic output, has been since, say, 1500.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,624
    edited 2016 10

    I wonder what Corbyn's password was?

    (The number of cr@p passwords out there is astonishing. As I've said before, I reckon the vast majority of politicians / celebrities who claim to have been 'hacked' really just had poor password security. Like a password of 'password').

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/187354/Study_Hacking_Passwords_Easy_As_123456.html

    Boris gave his out accidentally on a radio show in US. I can't remember what it was, but it was simple.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    @thhamilton: Very angry that Squeeze were persuaded to hack Jeremy Corbyn's Twitter account by Laura Kuenssberg.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,249
    Wanderer said:

    (Snip)
    It's actually incredibly cheap considering that it guarantees our security against the great powers. For a thousandth of our economic output we can guarantee it on an on-going basis against other nuclear powers.

    I would imagine that it is cheaper than the dreadnought race v. Germany et al. circa 1910.

    Your last line intrigued me. Because it's the sort of thing I enjoy doing, I've been throwing some figures around for the last hour or two.

    Over the FY 1905 to 1914 when the Dreadnoughts and Battlecruisers were built, 9.4% of the total defence budget was spent just on constructing the new ships.

    Given the current estimated cost of the successor Trident replacement, and the period over which they will be built, and the projected construction costs, then it comes to 2.7% of the total defence budget on building the new vessels.

    Hence, as a proportion of the total defence budgets, the new Trident replacement construction project will cost between a quarter and a third what the entire Dreadnought construction project costs. That gave them around 33 dreadnoughts or battlecruisers, whilst we will get four Trident boats. Although the Tridents contain far more destructive power.

    This shows just how technically advanced the new Dreadnought-style warships were.

    The former of these figures (for the pre-WW1 dreadnoughts) should be more reliable than the one for the Trident replacement, which is all estimates for future costs and spending.

    I'll have to check my sums in the morning when I have had some sleep. But it smells right.
    That is a very interesting post.

    I'm now wondering what the cost of state-of-the-art warships, relative to economic output, has been since, say, 1500.
    The problems would probably be getting the construction costs for ships before 1800, along with defence 'budget'. It would require knowledge and skills I don't have.

    However I might do the same calculations for the existing Vanguard class against the defence budget over the years they were constructed as a validator.
  • SquareRootSquareRoot Posts: 7,095
    edited 2016 10
    Someone missed a trick. they could have tweeted about JC's holiday in the Communist East with the youthful Diane, and about their bike trip, it would have been hilarious.
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    His password was probably jeremyc
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    This is the best password story ever

    For 20 Years the Nuclear Launch Code at US Minuteman Silos Was 00000000

    http://gizmodo.com/for-20-years-the-nuclear-launch-code-at-us-minuteman-si-1473483587
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838

    Wanderer said:

    (Snip)
    It's actually incredibly cheap considering that it guarantees our security against the great powers. For a thousandth of our economic output we can guarantee it on an on-going basis against other nuclear powers.

    I would imagine that it is cheaper than the dreadnought race v. Germany et al. circa 1910.

    Your last line intrigued me. Because it's the sort of thing I enjoy doing, I've been throwing some figures around for the last hour or two.

    Over the FY 1905 to 1914 when the Dreadnoughts and Battlecruisers were built, 9.4% of the total defence budget was spent just on constructing the new ships.

    Given the current estimated cost of the successor Trident replacement, and the period over which they will be built, and the projected construction costs, then it comes to 2.7% of the total defence budget on building the new vessels.

    Hence, as a proportion of the total defence budgets, the new Trident replacement construction project will cost between a quarter and a third what the entire Dreadnought construction project costs. That gave them around 33 dreadnoughts or battlecruisers, whilst we will get four Trident boats. Although the Tridents contain far more destructive power.

    This shows just how technically advanced the new Dreadnought-style warships were.

    The former of these figures (for the pre-WW1 dreadnoughts) should be more reliable than the one for the Trident replacement, which is all estimates for future costs and spending.

    I'll have to check my sums in the morning when I have had some sleep. But it smells right.
    That is a very interesting post.

    I'm now wondering what the cost of state-of-the-art warships, relative to economic output, has been since, say, 1500.
    The problems would probably be getting the construction costs for ships before 1800, along with defence 'budget'. It would require knowledge and skills I don't have.

    However I might do the same calculations for the existing Vanguard class against the defence budget over the years they were constructed as a validator.
    Oh, it would be a huge amount of work I think. Very interesting subject though.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    It was probably Seumas...

    "Hey, our man hasn't been ridiculed Nationally for almost 9 hours. What can we do?"

    "Hold on, I have a cunning plan..."
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @DPJHodges: "David Cameron Is A Pie" is the best attack line Labour has come up with in a decade.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 97,052

    kle4 said:

    Totally off topic, but as I've not left the island for about 15 years, I've been thinking I might take an overseas holiday at some point this year, and a little further afield than our european neighbours - any suggestions for good locations for those on a modest budget and who will melt if the temperature is above 30C?

    Russia. It's ridiculously cheap - 4* hotel in Moscow for £20-odd per night, good meals for a few quid, and some of the most spectacular range of interesting places in Europe, if you're interested in art or opera or ballet or history, with the three periods - pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern - jumbled together. In Moscow and St Petersburg you can get by with English. Don't expect a slick tourist industry but it's perfectly adequate. Obviously the politics are hard to fathom and if you want to invest you may run into corruption, but for a holiday, who cares? And it's sufficiently exotic to be memorable and intrigue your friends.
    £20 a night, seriously? That sounds like stupendous value.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,249

    This is the best password story ever

    For 20 Years the Nuclear Launch Code at US Minuteman Silos Was 00000000

    http://gizmodo.com/for-20-years-the-nuclear-launch-code-at-us-minuteman-si-1473483587

    There're a few things like that.

    There are also bugs, like this recent one:
    You just need to hit the backspace key 28 times to hack a Linux operating system.
    http://thehackernews.com/2015/12/hack-linux-grub-password.html

    (although it requires physical access to the computer)
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @SimonNRicketts: Someone will no doubt have to respond to a journalist with a straight face tonight and say “Jeremy does not think Davey Cameron is a pie."
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    I'd have gone for a series of pictures of public utility personhole covers.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    Please can David Cameron get drunk and have fun with his twitter account.
  • RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737
    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    Totally off topic, but as I've not left the island for about 15 years, I've been thinking I might take an overseas holiday at some point this year, and a little further afield than our european neighbours - any suggestions for good locations for those on a modest budget and who will melt if the temperature is above 30C?

    Russia. It's ridiculously cheap - 4* hotel in Moscow for £20-odd per night, good meals for a few quid, and some of the most spectacular range of interesting places in Europe, if you're interested in art or opera or ballet or history, with the three periods - pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern - jumbled together. In Moscow and St Petersburg you can get by with English. Don't expect a slick tourist industry but it's perfectly adequate. Obviously the politics are hard to fathom and if you want to invest you may run into corruption, but for a holiday, who cares? And it's sufficiently exotic to be memorable and intrigue your friends.
    £20 a night, seriously? That sounds like stupendous value.
    Has the rouble fallen that far? The last time I looked, 2 years ago, Moscow seemed rather expensive.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,249
    edited 2016 10

    I'd have gone for a series of pictures of public utility personhole covers.

    There was even a personhole art exhibition:
    http://www.freshnessmag.com/2010/11/15/over-the-under-manhole-cover-art-exhabition/

    I just realised that I missed a word out. I hope no-one exhibits art of my personhole ... :blush:
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    From someone who works on YouGov's political polling team

    @jantalipinski: Think I've got the question of the day sorted tomorrow:
    To what extent, if at all, would you say Davie Cameron looks like a pie?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 97,052

    Please can David Cameron get drunk and have fun with his twitter account.

    Regrettably I am sure he has never once logged into it personally, drunk or sober. For shame.

    A chance for Tim Farron to shine though with some crazy tweets - wasn't there a company which pretended to be hacked in order to get some publicity.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    Forget Corbyn's twitter fun, this is the political story of the night

    An expected £6m fall in Labour’s annual income as a result of legal changes being proposed by the Conservatives will make it impossible for the party to maintain its current structure, staffing or offices, a confidential party document released to the Guardian reveals.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/labour-expecting-6m-loss-in-funding-through-trade-union-bill
  • AndyJSAndyJS Posts: 29,395
    Wind turbine luddites should hang their heads in shame over this:

    "Britain abandons onshore wind just as new technology makes it cheap
    Vestas chief Runevad says UK rules shut out the latest hi-tech turbines, leaving Britain behind as the global wind boom spreads"


    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/12090394/Britain-abandons-onshore-wind-just-as-new-technology-makes-it-cheap.html
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @Samfr: Next week PMQs - Corbyn stands up:
    "Sam from London would like to know if the Prime Minister is, indeed, a pie."
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838

    Forget Corbyn's twitter fun, this is the political story of the night

    An expected £6m fall in Labour’s annual income as a result of legal changes being proposed by the Conservatives will make it impossible for the party to maintain its current structure, staffing or offices, a confidential party document released to the Guardian reveals.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/labour-expecting-6m-loss-in-funding-through-trade-union-bill

    Can Labour not crowd-source a whole pile of money?
  • watford30watford30 Posts: 3,474
    edited 2016 10

    Forget Corbyn's twitter fun, this is the political story of the night

    An expected £6m fall in Labour’s annual income as a result of legal changes being proposed by the Conservatives will make it impossible for the party to maintain its current structure, staffing or offices, a confidential party document released to the Guardian reveals.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/labour-expecting-6m-loss-in-funding-through-trade-union-bill

    So, what stops union members making voluntary donations? Nothing.

    Perhaps the Labour Party would do well to figure out why people won't do so, and address the problem.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    kle4 said:

    Please can David Cameron get drunk and have fun with his twitter account.

    Regrettably I am sure he has never once logged into it personally, drunk or sober. For shame.

    A chance for Tim Farron to shine though with some crazy tweets - wasn't there a company which pretended to be hacked in order to get some publicity.
    I know someone who runs the twitter and social media accounts for a major organisation that is known across the world.

    She refuses to have her own personal twitter/social media accounts for exactly that reason.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    @DPJHodges: Quite taken with the idea Jeremy Corbyn is currently sat in his front room, giggling to himself, "they'll all say I was hacked"...
  • RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737
    RodCrosby said:

    Pulpstar said:

    RodCrosby said:



    I have invested some money through these. I have to say I am surprised some of these firms haven't really advertised in the main stream, with people wanting short term money on one side and significant numbers of people getting < 1.0% on their ISAs on the other, you would think it would be perfect time to advertise to the mainstream. Zopa have been about for ages now, but I don't think I have ever seen an advert for them.

    I now have a six figure sum invested. Very happy with my returns so far.

    The two main dangers are:-

    platform risk (I think one has gone belly up in the UK so far, with isolated cases elsewhere). Increased FCA regulation has mitigated this somewhat.

    property prices, as the bulk of (secured) lending is bridging/development loans. If the market catches a cold, I guess a lot of people will (try to) head for the exits.

    There is plenty of unsecured P2P lending, of course, to SMEs if you fancy even more risk! An interesting growing niche is in pawn-shop type items.
    I have around 6k invested in these, Saving Stream; Funding Secure and Ablrate are all very nice return for secured lending. Quite a few 'bonuses' to clear on other platforms.
    People seem to recommend giving Bondora a miss.
    In descending order of my opinion, and investment, with gross (simple) rates (DYOR)

    Saving Stream (provision funded property-bridging, and the ability to pre-fund pipeline loans) 12.0% average
    Funding Secure (wide range of secured items, from property to powerboats to Banksy art to a 14th Century Italian library of books) 12.5%
    MoneyThing (innovative portfolios of pawn-shop stuff and property, supercars) 12.0%

    Assetz Capital (bridging loans and SMEs, "secured", but the security can be opaque and complex, and several loans are on the sick list with losses likely) 17.5%
    Funding Circle (mostly unsecured SMEs, losses inevitable, but net should be quite positive) 16% (after fees)
    Ablrate (very new, supposedly intending to offer commercial aircraft loans, but growth is slower than promised. Be careful)
    For the avoidance of doubt, I should add that the rates for Saving Stream, Funding Secure and MoneyThing are more-or-less fixed for everyone, whereas the others mentioned are far more variable, and the figures quoted are my personal (gross) rates. Lower (and presumably less risky) rates are also available on these sites. Ablrate gross rates probably average out at around 11%.

    Others I have tried are RateSetter and RebuildingSociety, but I no longer have holdings there.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 97,052
    watford30 said:

    Forget Corbyn's twitter fun, this is the political story of the night

    An expected £6m fall in Labour’s annual income as a result of legal changes being proposed by the Conservatives will make it impossible for the party to maintain its current structure, staffing or offices, a confidential party document released to the Guardian reveals.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/labour-expecting-6m-loss-in-funding-through-trade-union-bill

    So, what stops union members making voluntary donations? Nothing.
    .
    That is a key issue for me - I am sure the motivation behind this legislation is vindictive, so I am wary of it and other similar changes, but I don't actually see what is wrong with people opting in to paying something rather than opting out. The former is making a positive choice, the latter may not be
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    edited 2016 10
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,161
    AndyJS said:

    Wind turbine luddites should hang their heads in shame over this:

    "Britain abandons onshore wind just as new technology makes it cheap
    Vestas chief Runevad says UK rules shut out the latest hi-tech turbines, leaving Britain behind as the global wind boom spreads"


    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/12090394/Britain-abandons-onshore-wind-just-as-new-technology-makes-it-cheap.html

    Man who runs company which makes wind turbines thinks we should buy more shocker.

    I have no problem with wind. But it should sell its electricity into the grid at the market price like everybody else. If people can make it pay off receiving the prevailing rate for electricity, terrific. If they cannot, them they shouldn't build it.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,249
    AndyJS said:

    Wind turbine luddites should hang their heads in shame over this:

    "Britain abandons onshore wind just as new technology makes it cheap
    Vestas chief Runevad says UK rules shut out the latest hi-tech turbines, leaving Britain behind as the global wind boom spreads"


    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/12090394/Britain-abandons-onshore-wind-just-as-new-technology-makes-it-cheap.html

    You might be interested in this story, in an area I knew very well:
    http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Residents-frustrated-lack-action-idle-wind/story-27609665-detail/story.html

    Note the reference to holographic radar. I wonder who's been mentioning that on here over the last few years? ;)
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    edited 2016 10
    kle4 said:

    watford30 said:

    Forget Corbyn's twitter fun, this is the political story of the night

    An expected £6m fall in Labour’s annual income as a result of legal changes being proposed by the Conservatives will make it impossible for the party to maintain its current structure, staffing or offices, a confidential party document released to the Guardian reveals.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/labour-expecting-6m-loss-in-funding-through-trade-union-bill

    So, what stops union members making voluntary donations? Nothing.
    .
    That is a key issue for me - I am sure the motivation behind this legislation is vindictive, so I am wary of it and other similar changes, but I don't actually see what is wrong with people opting in to paying something rather than opting out. The former is making a positive choice, the latter may not be
    It seens to me that Labour are being defeatist about it. They have a much larger membership than the Tories and it is, well, passionate (to be polite about it). They could raise serious money if they got creative about it. Then, when they get back into power, they have an obvious counter-move of limiting the size of individual donations to £100 or whatever.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,598
    RodCrosby said:



    £20 a night, seriously? That sounds like stupendous value.

    Has the rouble fallen that far? The last time I looked, 2 years ago, Moscow seemed rather expensive.

    I paid £21 at this place
    http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298484-d5504471-Reviews-Veliy_Hotel_Mokhovaya_Moscow-Moscow_Central_Russia.html

    - it's currently quoted at £42 for a double room (2 persons), so maybe I was lucky as I was on my own but still got the £21 rate. Wifi is pretty good, breakfast is OK, nothing special. It is literally around the corner from the Kremlin, which offers a millennium of pre-Revolutionary buildings and exhibits. The staff speak good English and it's next door to a ludicrously OTT Ukrainian restaurant which has very good food (and English menus) at reasonable prices if you can tolerate the effort they're making to make it seem Ultra-Authentic (costumes, farm equipment, music, etc etc). It's close to the Metro to take you elsewhere - the site is otherwise in itself pretty barren (faces onto a main road). I stayed an extra day and had one posh meal while I was there which was £20, but when I was eating during my stay for the animal welfare NGO I never paid over a fiver.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,161
    Typical multicultural pandering to minorities.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    edited 2016 10
    rcs1000 said:

    Typical multicultural pandering to minorities.
    If they want to live here they need to integrate.

    This is an insult to the heirs of St George.

    Did we lose a war?
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    Having just read Sadiq's policies (not the Yiddish), it seems as though he is hankering for rent controls?
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,161
    MP_SE said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Moses_ said:

    Talking of pensions I need a good pension advisor but no idea how to find one to trust. I have asked around and most people say we'll try this person / company but watch out for XYZ or they were good but for this point or that point.

    I am not a lover of annuities as it looks like you buy a pot and then if you keel over a few weeks later the pension company keeps the lot or perhaps gives a miserly half to my wife. Probably got that all wrong just no idea.

    Just need to know what it's all worth as I am approaching 60 and what should I do now for the best?
    I have a number of pensions some frozen but have been paying something since 18 with exception of 4 years into a private pension. State payments are bang up to date.

    Any guidance woul helpful because just don't know who to trust with one of the biggest financial decisions I have to make.

    While I would not offer financial advice, my plan is to invest in a selection of global (some US, some European, some UK, some Asian) dividend paying stocks. This should enable you to get an income stream that grows in-line (or faster than) inflation, while offering your descendents something when you pass on, and offering a comparable initial yield.

    However, I would not that this does increase your risk somewhat.
    It is hard to see much value anywhere.
    An index linked annuity for a 60 year old is 2.8% currently. And your family get nothing when you eventually pop your clogs.

    It's not that hard to put together a collection of 25 companies that should offer you a diversified stream of growing income from across the world, and which yields more than 2.8%.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,641

    rcs1000 said:

    Typical multicultural pandering to minorities.
    If they want to live here they need to integrate.

    This is an insult to the heirs of St George.

    Did we lose a war?
    Lee Scott ex-MP sent us stuff in Tamil in the run-up to GE2015.

    Except we're not actually Tamil!
  • Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    Wanderer said:

    kle4 said:

    watford30 said:

    Forget Corbyn's twitter fun, this is the political story of the night

    An expected £6m fall in Labour’s annual income as a result of legal changes being proposed by the Conservatives will make it impossible for the party to maintain its current structure, staffing or offices, a confidential party document released to the Guardian reveals.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/labour-expecting-6m-loss-in-funding-through-trade-union-bill

    So, what stops union members making voluntary donations? Nothing.
    .
    That is a key issue for me - I am sure the motivation behind this legislation is vindictive, so I am wary of it and other similar changes, but I don't actually see what is wrong with people opting in to paying something rather than opting out. The former is making a positive choice, the latter may not be
    It seens to me that Labour are being defeatist about it. They have a much larger membership than the Tories and it is, well, passionate (to be polite about it). They could raise serious money if they got creative about it. Then, when they get back into power, they have an obvious counter-move of limiting the size of individual donations to £100 or whatever.
    To be honest, I suspect one of the reasons they're playing up the supposed scale of their loss in funding is precisely so that they scare supporters into donating.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 97,052

    rcs1000 said:

    Typical multicultural pandering to minorities.
    If they want to live here they need to integrate.

    This is an insult to the heirs of St George.

    Did we lose a war?
    Lee Scott ex-MP sent us stuff in Tamil in the run-up to GE2015.

    Except we're not actually Tamil!
    Oops. I hope you got the chance to let him or his staff know.
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838
    Danny565 said:

    Wanderer said:



    It seens to me that Labour are being defeatist about it. They have a much larger membership than the Tories and it is, well, passionate (to be polite about it). They could raise serious money if they got creative about it. Then, when they get back into power, they have an obvious counter-move of limiting the size of individual donations to £100 or whatever.

    To be honest, I suspect one of the reasons they're playing up the supposed scale of their loss in funding is precisely so that they scare supporters into donating.
    I see what you mean. OK, I am being slow (I would say it's late, but it's not.)
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    edited 2016 10
    .,
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,641
    kle4 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Typical multicultural pandering to minorities.
    If they want to live here they need to integrate.

    This is an insult to the heirs of St George.

    Did we lose a war?
    Lee Scott ex-MP sent us stuff in Tamil in the run-up to GE2015.

    Except we're not actually Tamil!
    Oops. I hope you got the chance to let him or his staff know.
    Why do you think I *accidentally on purpose* voted for young Wes? :)
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 97,052
    Danny565 said:

    Wanderer said:

    kle4 said:

    watford30 said:

    Forget Corbyn's twitter fun, this is the political story of the night

    An expected £6m fall in Labour’s annual income as a result of legal changes being proposed by the Conservatives will make it impossible for the party to maintain its current structure, staffing or offices, a confidential party document released to the Guardian reveals.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/labour-expecting-6m-loss-in-funding-through-trade-union-bill

    So, what stops union members making voluntary donations? Nothing.
    .
    That is a key issue for me - I am sure the motivation behind this legislation is vindictive, so I am wary of it and other similar changes, but I don't actually see what is wrong with people opting in to paying something rather than opting out. The former is making a positive choice, the latter may not be
    It seens to me that Labour are being defeatist about it. They have a much larger membership than the Tories and it is, well, passionate (to be polite about it). They could raise serious money if they got creative about it. Then, when they get back into power, they have an obvious counter-move of limiting the size of individual donations to £100 or whatever.
    To be honest, I suspect one of the reasons they're playing up the supposed scale of their loss in funding is precisely so that they scare supporters into donating.
    Thee was a funny piece on the Daily Show a few years back with Jon Stewart reading out the subject lines of what he claimed were genuine Democratic funding emails getting increasingly desperate and dramatic, making it seem all hope was lost and the end was nigh, and then contrasting with the amount requested which would apparently bring them down from the emailer's suicidal tone - $5.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,624
    #piegate
  • RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737
    edited 2016 10
    @Nick

    mind-boggling. Could easily stay a month or two there. The last time I looked, could find nothing under £100 a night, except for some enterprising people who were renting out an empty office as a dorm...
  • ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133
    No mention of his policy to legalise racial discrimination?
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    I don't remember him getting so agitated when the government took exactly the same stance in the Scottish independence referendum.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755

    I don't remember him getting so agitated when the government took exactly the same stance in the Scottish independence referendum.
    Well quite
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,624
    It hasn’t been a great day for Jeremy Corbyn.

    First Noel Gallagher calls you a communist and then your Twitter gets hacked.

    http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/10/davey-cameron-is-a-pie-jeremy-corbyns-twitter-was-briefly-hacked-this-evening-5614142/

  • MattWMattW Posts: 24,779
    edited 2016 10
    It is not just Jezbollah...

    Login = Harriet, Password = Harman

    Given current politics, the posting could be prescient.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AL93KiCfTc
  • Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    MattW said:

    It is not just Jezbollah...

    Login = Harriet, Password = Harman

    Given current politics, the posting could be prescient.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AL93KiCfTc

    :D God love Hattie.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,755
    This will take the focus off Corbyn's problems

    Labour's John McDonnell will not kneel before the Queen when he joins Privy Council

    Labour shadow chancellor will not kneel before the monarch and is expected to follow the example of Jeremy Corbyn, who says he and the Monarch "shook hands like adults".

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/12092022/Labours-John-McDonnell-will-not-kneel-before-the-Queen-when-he-joins-Privy-Council.html
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 3,838

    ...

    I don't remember him getting so agitated when the government took exactly the same stance in the Scottish independence referendum.
    I'm not sure what is surprising about this. Cameron is not smoothing the way for something that he doesn't support? Cameron is not working to make life easier for the person who (in the event of a Leave result) ousts him as leader?
  • MattWMattW Posts: 24,779

    No mention of his policy to legalise racial discrimination?
    I don't think this will help particularly, given Labour's collapsing vote amongst the Jewish community at the GE, and that Ken is establishing himself as svengali.
  • Y0kelY0kel Posts: 2,307
    Libya:

    There has reportedly been French airstrikes on IS forces today. The French have been particuarly busy on fly-over duty in the last lot of days but these may not have attacks on static facilities but physical field units.
  • blackburn63blackburn63 Posts: 4,492
    Tax relief, tax credits, MIRAS ( remember that?) help to buy, right to buy, blah blah blah.

    I've got an idea, why doesn't govt get out of people's lives and stop spending other people's money on buying votes. This useless govt is just as interventionist as the rest despite claims of "rolling back the state".


  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,454
    Wanderer said:

    Having just read Sadiq's policies (not the Yiddish), it seems as though he is hankering for rent controls?

    Actually I think rather absent.

    "To introduce a ‘London Living Rent’ option for new affordable housing. This will be a below-market rent, based on the principle that rents should be around one-third of renters’ incomes and not half. This will provide a genuinely 'affordable' option, filling the gap between the new social housing we need to build and homes for private sale or rent. By keeping rents down, tenants will be able to afford their rents while saving for a deposit if they want to. " and that other one about security of tenure, etc.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,624
    edited 2016 10
    A controversial critical edition of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf has sold out instantly after going on sale in German bookshops for the first time in 70 years.

    Demand for the 2,000-page annotated version of the inflammatory text that hit bookstores on January 8 massively exceeded supply, with 15,000 advance orders for an initial print run of just 4,000 copies.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/12092029/Hitlers-Mein-Kampf-sells-out-instantly-after-being-published-in-Germany-for-first-time-in-70-years.html

    Shame the copyright expired on 1st January, as missed the Christmas rush...
  • Moses_Moses_ Posts: 4,865
    AndyJS said:

    Wind turbine luddites should hang their heads in shame over this:

    "Britain abandons onshore wind just as new technology makes it cheap
    Vestas chief Runevad says UK rules shut out the latest hi-tech turbines, leaving Britain behind as the global wind boom spreads"


    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/12090394/Britain-abandons-onshore-wind-just-as-new-technology-makes-it-cheap.html

    The technology can also be used offshore just as easy and many more can be built offshore than onshore would be allowed or acceptable by the locals. It also becomes even more cheaper by doing so.

    Economy of scale innit?
This discussion has been closed.