People prepared to move country are always going to work harder, it's Darwinism,it's human nature,it's just a fact. Remember in the 70's when the Brits were shocked when shops opened on a Sunday, or till 8pm?
The capitalist economy would work best if populations moved faster around. eg at the moment. swap a million Spanish twenty somethings for a million Brit retirees. The Spanish have the houses, we still need the young people. Wheres the downside, flights from Alicante to Stansted are plentiful, the weather is nice.
yeah maybe, but I don't think housing prices or availabliity is the obstacle you think it is. I think the job seekers are just more keen and as you say willing to work harder.
“I told her about Nick Clegg’s plans to abolish the House of Lords,” he said. “She said, ‘Well, we should abolish the Liberal Democrats’. She was still capable of delivering the odd devastating one-liner.”
Bloody bad form of Mr Burns not to have given us an example.
“I told her about Nick Clegg’s plans to abolish the House of Lords,” he said. “She said, ‘Well, we should abolish the Liberal Democrats’. She was still capable of delivering the odd devastating one-liner.”
Bloody bad form of Mr Burns not to have given us an example.
Would you like one of my devastating one liners? ahem.
So there's reports of alcohol fuelled street parties all over Glasgow celebrating Maggie Thatcher's death..
I'm not saying the people from Oldham are stupid but....
Mugger stabs accomplice in Oldham park
The mugging took place in Copster Park on Saturday evening
Three men who stole mobile phones from children in a park - before getting involved in a fight in which one man stabbed another - are being sought by police.
Couldn't see Dave's posturing on the few thousand Eastern Europeans claiming benefits and going to the doctor infrequently working if there were suddenly an extra two million Brits on the Costa del Sol (leaving aside the fact that it's not going anywhere anyway)
I've never ranted on about the wave of Polish etc immigration. I'm pretty sure that they and similar minded arrivals got on with working hard and paying taxes. As did the first wave of immigrants from the West Indies, all those from India and a fair number of first generation immigrants from Pakistan/Bangladsh. Unfortunately any space left in Britain, and I mean housing as well as street corners will be full of Roma next year. They won't claim any benefits or cause any crime at all. And they are all so extremely hardworking. Look deeper into your one world nonsense and try and justify that lot. Maybe you have a big garden to accomodate 10k or so of them?
How does that relate to an immigrant being less likely to have a family when they move to find work therefore taking a bedsit or a shared room more easily, which was the discussion.
It doesn't require a move of house. There are plenty of unemployed in East London who could catch a bus or tube each day to work in the hospitality or building trades in West or Central London. The fact that they very often do not do so shows lack of willingness to get out of bed rather than inability to move house.
Someone put the sharp objects away before Davidthecon hurts himself...
I'm in a good mood tonight Ben, no problem. If I do snap one day, it won't be self harm I'm afraid. I have unfinnished business with a newt loving ex mayor of London. But I'll keep taking the anti psychotics and wearing the straight jacket just in case!
Some very sensible posts from you on here the last couple of days if I may say so.
2 more Thatcher anecdotes: When consulting with Whitelaw about which woman to bring into the cabinet, the subject of Thatcher came up and Heath said 'I have been warned about her, once she comes in we will never be able to get rid of her.'
When meeting Christine Hamilton at a party Thatcher asked what she had been doing recently, to which Hamilton replied 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here' and Thatcher replied 'it would be rude to leave the party early!'
The manager of the Crouch End branch of Oddbins wine merchants has been suspended today after provoking outrage by promoting discounted Champagne on Twitter soon after news broke of Baroness Thatcher’s death.
A tweet appeared on the store’s account this lunchtime reading: “If for any reason anyone feels like celebrating anything we have Taittinger available at £10 less than usual at £29. Just saying...”
Despite no overt reference to the death of the former prime minister, the tweet was swiftly deleted and within hours Oddbins had suspended the store manager and issued an apology for the “completely inappropriate” missive.
To be fair to Thatch I think she'd quite like the joke, and spend the Winter fuel allowance Dave was forcing her to take in the Ritz in a similar way if the Queen had popped off first.
The stupid idiot deserves to be summarily dismissed for gross misconduct.
The discount should have been offered on Pol Roger champagne alone.
I've been looking for someone to put some money on Migration Watch's estimates for Bulgarian and Romanian immigration to the UK for a while now, you fancy it?
I would if the figures will ever be published transparently and accurately. Which they won't. Far better for us to just moan at the Government in a years time whe will have done zero to stop it. It's gonna get ugle
Oddbins only sell the Pol Roger Non Vintage, which in comparing thatcher to Churchill may be apposite. Although given the Saudi Arabian links with her son it's either thirty lashes or Evian.
More good news on the economy I'm afraid. I am trying to ration the posts in this period of mourning but there is just too much of it about.
Paul Fisher, the Bank of England's Excecutive Director for Markets, has given an interview to the Scottish Herald.
The little dove that he is saw him calling for more QE and side-stepping questions about new monetary policies (will be discussed in August after Carney arrives) but what really surprised the markets was his comment on short term prospects for growth in the UK economy.
Here is the quote that has got City pulses racing:
"I expect North Sea oil at least to bottom out shortly and possibly start increasing and construction to be no worse than flat – that would in itself lead to some pick-up in GDP numbers."
Cautious words as always from a veteran central banker, but a few forecasts are being quickly revised upwards by City analysts. The kick-in from oil production wasn't due to start until 2014.
RT @DanHannanMEP: A question to all the Lefties complaining that Margaret Thatcher closed coal-mines. Are you, after all, in favour of burning coal? Quote
More good news on the economy I'm afraid. I am trying to ration the posts in this period of mourning but there is just too much of it about.
If that is said consistently for years, and by and large it has ('grass shoots', 'glimmers of hope' and all that talk we've heard before), eventually it will become true. But the government would be wise not to expect a prize for finally, finally getting it right when they say it, as eventually it had to become true regardless.
More good news on the economy I'm afraid. I am trying to ration the posts in this period of mourning but there is just too much of it about.
If that is said consistently for years, and by and large it has ('grass shoots', 'glimmers of hope' and all that talk we've heard before), eventually it will become true. But the government would be wise not to expect a prize for finally, finally getting it right when they say it, as eventually it had to become true regardless.
Like in the 90's when growth finally came, Tories got zero thanks for it. After all, they massively f*cked up on the ERM, a precursor to the Euro, which the Tories, Howe, Lawson and Major wanted to join. Of course, Heseltine. So did Blair. But little is said about Brown's opposition alongwith Balls.
As someone too young to remember the Thatcher years, what hope the intensity of worship and hatred will finally begin to die down in years to come when she is brought up?
I mean, I've said before the attempts to use Thatcher as a reason to vote for or against someone (it's usually against) wears painfully thin on me, and even among the levels of political hyperbole, the extent of hatred toward the woman is scary to me, perhaps because however bad her policies were for people or the country (assuming for a moment everything her opponent say about her is true), it clearly is not as bad as they claim as the country's doing alright.
Ok, we have many deep and extensive problems, some of which go back a long way, but the extent of the rage is still disporportionate and so puts me off; an analagous matter I like to use is teaching of deforestation when I was at school -I'm no climate change sceptic, but if the rainforests were being depleted as fast as I was told it was in school (even with increased replanting or whatever), we wouldn't have any left by now, and it makes people quesiton the whole business.
I fear Thatcher's name will continue to inspire such horrid and inspiring intensity in years to come. Perhaps she would even have preferred it that way.
HurstLlama 8:01PM "We are currently advertising now for more apprentices and amazingly have received just one application. We have tried the government scheme where you get £2000 towards costs if you employ someone who has been out of work for over 6 months aged 18-24. We have not had a single application through that route. How mad is that? youngsters dont seem to want the jobs we are offering."
Mr. Star, that is so depressing. What part of the country are you in?
We are based in Eastleigh, I have even tried to contact our new local MP to see if he can help with the Apprentice scheme administrators to see if he can get the wheels in motion, he has yet to respond.
In regard to the state of the building industry around here I would have to agree with a previous poster that it is booming, we are turning away tenders on a daily basis as we are busy enough (you have to watch the cashflow). We have a regular discussions at work regarding all the depressing economic data on the news, that feels a world away from here, we have never been as busy.
Blimey, Newsnight running a piece about mandatory vaccination for children.
Maybe we should have a Comic Relief Special aimed at the twats who disagree
There are significant ethical issues in making any medical treatment mandatory. People may make the wrong decision, they may be poorly informed, they may buy snake oil from Wakefield and his mob, but they have the right to be stupid. It is one of the aspects of freedom that are part of the British way of life. Make a decision and live with the consequences.
A query received from a non-Labour candidate X about another one Y from a different party. Y's nomination papers were seconded by someone Z who moved out of the area a few weeks ago. X asks whether the nomination is legal - is the test that Z currently lives in the area, or that he's not yet got round to taking his name off the register?
I've referred him to the ERO (not sure why he came to me!), but maybe someone here knows?
Regular readers may have noticed that I defer to no-one in my admiration for Margaret Thatcher, by miles the greatest peacetime British PM for at least the last century, and one of the greatest world political figures of any of our lifetimes.
All the same: the coverage of her death is getting ridiculous. She has died at the ripe age of 87, after a period of illness; there was no sudden horrific shock or tragic accident. This was a death in the natural term of things, to be marked with dignity, reflection and respect, not an orgy of media hype. I don't see why parliament is being recalled: MPs of all parties have already issued their statements of tribute, such as Ed Miliband's dignified and well-judged one. Why do we need a parliamentary sitting as well? What can possibly be added to what has already been said?
I have a confession to make. I was at the Glasgow 'party' yesterday - for about thirty seconds, by complete accident. My eye was caught by the communist flags and a TV van, so I wandered over to find out what was going on.
And let other peoples children live with the consequences.
I was making a distinction by the way between the US contributors definition of mandatory and compulsory. If you don't want to vaccinate then no one is going to force you but you can't work in hospitals or send your children to schools. We made seat belts compulsory.
It is already a requirement for my employment that I am immunised and tested for Hep B, which I do not think unreasonable considering the potential hazard to my patients
Making vaccination an essential requirement for school would be a step too far for my liking. I do not like coercion, it threatens the doctor/nurse patient relationship.
A query received from a non-Labour candidate X about another one Y from a different party. Y's nomination papers were seconded by someone Z who moved out of the area a few weeks ago. X asks whether the nomination is legal - is the test that Z currently lives in the area, or that he's not yet got round to taking his name off the register?
I've referred him to the ERO (not sure why he came to me!), but maybe someone here knows?
If "Z" lived in the area at the time he seconded the papers, the nomination should be fine.The only problem could arise if Z then informs Y that he is leaving/left the area before nominations close. Hardly likely given the amount of time available.
And let other peoples children live with the consequences.
I was making a distinction by the way between the US contributors definition of mandatory and compulsory. If you don't want to vaccinate then no one is going to force you but you can't work in hospitals or send your children to schools. We made seat belts compulsory.
It is already a requirement for my employment that I am immunised and tested for Hep B, which I do not think unreasonable considering the potential hazard to my patients
Making vaccination an essential requirement for school would be a step too far for my liking. I do not like coercion, it threatens the doctor/nurse patient relationship.
I believe it would be perfectly reasonable. A parent cannot put the children of others in catching measles due to the parent's decision.
The tribute sitting when John Smith died had 17 speakers
Major Beckett (as Labour acting leader) Ashdown James Molyneaux of UUP Neil Kinnock Margaret Ewing SNP Sir Peter Emery Con Tony Benn Gerald Kaufman Bill Walker Lab Doug Hoyle Lab Ieuan Wyn Jones Plaid Dennis Canavan Lab Sir Marcus Fox on behalf of parliamentary back benchers Colin Shepherd on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Menzies Dennis Skinner
Superb comedy from Lord Saatchi as he displays precisely why nobody should ever believe public relations wonks.
No, he was actually arguing that the best advertising in the world cannot save a poor product - something Saatchi (which I worked with for two decades) fervently believed in.....
Why am I not surprised. The best spin in the world cannot support an untenable argument never mind that attempt at spin. He tried to claim he didn't do anything for Thatcher which was rightly laughed at. Not content with that ludicrous claim he piled on the stupidity when the obvious retort came up, 'was he asking people to believe he had fleeced the tory party out of millions for doing nothing'? He then tried to claim that was exactly the case to yet more laughter.
More good news on the economy I'm afraid. I am trying to ration the posts in this period of mourning but there is just too much of it about.
Avery, two words spring to mind:
bottom, barrel.
Naughty, surbiton.
Your comments about relative GDP growth in Europe over the past decade were also inaccurate but in deference to the late departed I will delay posting the correct figures until we get a gap in the flow of good news and Maggie is in her Mausoleum.
Dave EdM Nick (but where will he talk from? It's a podium for 2) Angus Robertson of SNP Elfyn Llwyd DUP Sir Tapsell Graham Brady Menzies Skinner Heath's ghost Ken Clarke Malcolm Rifkind an me old Labourite (Jack Straw perhaps) Mike Freeer (MP for Finchley) Nick Boles (as MP for Grantham where she was born)
Dave EdM Nick (but where will he talk from? It's a podium for 2) Angus Robertson of SNP Elfyn Llwyd DUP Sir Tapsell Graham Brady Menzies Skinner Heath's ghost Ken Clarke Malcolm Rifkind an me old Labourites (Jack Straw perhaps) Mike Freeer (MP for Finchley) Nick Boles (as MP for Grantham where she was born)
Probably expect John Whittingdale and Sir Gerald Howarth to make contributions from when they worked for her.
And let other peoples children live with the consequences.
I was making a distinction by the way between the US contributors definition of mandatory and compulsory. If you don't want to vaccinate then no one is going to force you but you can't work in hospitals or send your children to schools. We made seat belts compulsory.
It is already a requirement for my employment that I am immunised and tested for Hep B, which I do not think unreasonable considering the potential hazard to my patients
Making vaccination an essential requirement for school would be a step too far for my liking. I do not like coercion, it threatens the doctor/nurse patient relationship.
I believe it would be perfectly reasonable. A parent cannot put the children of others in catching measles due to the parent's decision.
And let other peoples children live with the consequences.
I was making a distinction by the way between the US contributors definition of mandatory and compulsory. If you don't want to vaccinate then no one is going to force you but you can't work in hospitals or send your children to schools. We made seat belts compulsory.
It is already a requirement for my employment that I am immunised and tested for Hep B, which I do not think unreasonable considering the potential hazard to my patients
Making vaccination an essential requirement for school would be a step too far for my liking. I do not like coercion, it threatens the doctor/nurse patient relationship.
I believe it would be perfectly reasonable. A parent cannot put the children of others in catching measles due to the parent's decision.
We have rights but also responsibilities.
I am not anti-vaccine. My children had the MMR and other vaccinations on schedule.
I would not be willing to vaccinate a child without the parents free and un-coerced consent. To do so could be an assault in law.
Seatbelts are different. They are compulsory for medical reasons, but the law is enforced by police officers. Doctors and nurses are not involved in the enforcement, so these laws do not infringe the relationship with patients.
I do not want a doctor to act as an agent of the state, for what the state considers its best interests. Doctors should act in co-operation with the patient concerning agreed patient objectives. It is fundamental to the role of a doctor, and not to be discarded lightly.
"The tribute sitting when John Smith died had 17 speakers"
Skinner was superb - his parting shot was to say that as a tribute to Smith, parliament should pass the disability rights legislation unanimously.
"In my opinion, he dragged the Labour party from the depths of despair to the pinnacles of power. No greater tribute could be paid to him today than if, instead of adjourning at this moment, we were to say, "John Smith, we are going to pass the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill unanimously today." That is what we should do in his memory. "
Former Italian PM and EU Commission President Prodi said yersterday that Thatcher's legacy is the current economic crisis.....
Prodi is not as well known in the UK as di Canio, Andrea.
I think Paolo's views will prevail and a diplomatic crisis will thereby be avoided.
Italy does a good job at mourning the loss of the English great and good. I remember well Pavarotti's grand entrance to Westminster Abbey at Princess Diana's funeral. Perhaps Berlusconi can be persuaded to represent Italy at Maggie's send off.
Tim - Indeed, Surbiton - Well its most well known exponent was Bill Clinton, but I think were this law to be enforced it would make Major's 'back to basics' look like nothing for the GOP!
A query received from a non-Labour candidate X about another one Y from a different party. Y's nomination papers were seconded by someone Z who moved out of the area a few weeks ago. X asks whether the nomination is legal - is the test that Z currently lives in the area, or that he's not yet got round to taking his name off the register?
I've referred him to the ERO (not sure why he came to me!), but maybe someone here knows?
If "Z" lived in the area at the time he seconded the papers, the nomination should be fine.The only problem could arise if Z then informs Y that he is leaving/left the area before nominations close. Hardly likely given the amount of time available.
The plot thickens, in that case. Y was indeed very well aware that Z had left the area when nominations closed, as Z was a retiring County Councillor (retiring because he's moved to Somerset) and Y is a party colleague standing to replace him. X, a rival of Z, is presumably wondering if Y could be disqualified.
Labour is standing against both of them so we sort of don't care, but I'm intrigued anyway.
Doctors are involved in section ing under the mental health act.
Anyway, no one forces Australian parents to have their children vaccinated, they can set up their own nurseries and schools.
There are protections built into the mental health act restricting its use and with safeguards against abuse.
If the Australian law is as you suggest then there cannot be herd immunity.
It is interesting that you consider the the compulsory medicating of the the public acceptable, but compulsory workfare an abuse. Funny old world. Goodnight.
Of all the anti-Thatcher front pages, I think Liberation in Paris wins for a pithy representation of their view of her, and her passing - "La Grande Faucheuse" - "The Grim Reaper"
Meanwhile, Thatcher's passing still dominates Amazon music downloads - 4 new entries in the past two days - three versions of Ding Dong the witch is dead and "Tramp the Dirt Down"....
Meanwhile, Thatcher's passing still dominates Amazon music downloads - 4 new entries in the past two days - three versions of Ding Dong the witch is dead
Three version?! Bloody split vote, it'll never get to Number 1 in the charts now. Typical of the Left.
The Northern Echo find the man who shouted at her "where are the jobs?" in Teesside 26 years ago
That is a great article, Andrea. And one which captures the ambivalence people feel towards Thatcher and her power both to attract and repel.
Eric Fletcher was a lucky man. His clash with Thatcher seems to have got him the job after a "thousand" rejections.
It is worth quoting the middle paragraphs in full:
“She was a very arrogant woman at the time. She didn’t want to know me. All the people were there cheering her, she was more than happy to talk to them, but she didn’t want anything to do with me.
“I asked her about the jobs, and all she said was ‘retrain, young man’. I started to explain that I didn’t know about computers, that I couldn’t get a job like that, but she just turned her back on me and walked away.”
Mr Fletcher did receive a letter the next day from the job centre, asking him to go down and talk to them about a job, but he does not thank Mrs Thatcher.
“It was done to keep me quiet, that’s what I think. I did get a job at Billingham Press not long after that, but that was down to my hard work.”
Starting as a manual labourer, he has worked for the company for the past 25 years, eventually becoming a binder, without ever having to retrain.
But, despite his run-in with the Iron Lady, he says he did feel sorry for her family after hearing about her death. He said: “I do respect her and what she did. There have been some nasty things put on Facebook about her and I don’t agree with that.
“She was a strong woman, and she did some very good things for the country, just not for the working classes – and not for people like me.”
And I was never really a fan of "Tramp the Dirt Down", could have been better musically.
Though it is incredibly powerful.
I saw a newspaper picture from the political campaign A woman was kissing a child, who was obviously in pain She spills with compassion, as that young child's face in her hands she grips Can you imagine all that greed and avarice coming down on that child's lips Well I hope I don't die too soon I pray the Lord my soul to save Oh I'll be a good boy, I'm trying so hard to behave Because there's one thing I know, I'd like to live long enough to savour That's when they finally put you in the ground I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down
When England was the whore of the world Margeret [sic] was her madam And the future looked as bright and as clear as the black tarmacadam Well I hope that she sleeps well at night, isn't haunted by every tiny detail 'Cos when she held that lovely face in her hands all she thought of was betrayal
And now the cynical ones say that it all ends the same in the long run Try telling that to the desperate father who just squeezed the life from his only son And how it's only voices in your head and dreams you never dreamt Try telling him the subtle difference between justice and contempt Try telling me she isn't angry with this pitiful discontent When they flaunt it in your face as you line up for punishment And then expect you to say "Thank you" straighten up, look proud and pleased Because you've only got the symptoms, you haven't got the whole disease Just like a schoolboy, whose head's like a tin-can filled up with dreams then poured down the drain Try telling that to the boys on both sides, being blown to bits or beaten and maimed Who takes all the glory and none of the shame
Well I hope you live long now, I pray the Lord your soul to keep I think I'll be going before we fold our arms and start to weep I never thought for a moment that human life could be so cheap 'Cos when they finally put you in the ground They'll stand there laughing and tramp the dirt down
A query received from a non-Labour candidate X about another one Y from a different party. Y's nomination papers were seconded by someone Z who moved out of the area a few weeks ago. X asks whether the nomination is legal - is the test that Z currently lives in the area, or that he's not yet got round to taking his name off the register?
I've referred him to the ERO (not sure why he came to me!), but maybe someone here knows?
If Z is still on the electoral register, he is still eligible to vote in the area and is therefore still eligible to nominate a candidate. Until and unless Z has finished the process of moving home and has eliminated his name from the register at his old address, it is none of the Returning Officer's business to enquire about the timing or precise location of Z's moving or residence. The fact that Z is on the register, and the fact that Z has nominated Y, is sufficient evidence that Z is eligible. The general rule is that the RO has to accept what is on the face of the nomination paper and can't go off on his own initiative making further enquiries about where Z might be sleeping on a particular date.
The plot thickens, in that case. Y was indeed very well aware that Z had left the area when nominations closed, as Z was a retiring County Councillor (retiring because he's moved to Somerset) and Y is a party colleague standing to replace him. X, a rival of Z, is presumably wondering if Y could be disqualified.
Labour is standing against both of them so we sort of don't care, but I'm intrigued anyway.
It doesn't matter who knew what when about where Z might be living, on a particular date, or for how long. The only things of relevance to the Returning Officer are (a) is Z on the electoral register, and listed as eligible to vote in the election for which he has nominated a candidate? and (b) has Z signed the nomination paper of Y? In both cases, the answer is yes.
I noted last night that Ayman Al Zawahiri, Bin Laden buddy and now big chiefie himself released a video calling for Islamists to fight to win in Syria and set up a Caliphate.
He' a shrewd oul fella who tends to release a video just before something of note occurs, some kind of Al Qaeda strike or other event.
His hot streak has continued. Today Al Qaeda linked radicals in Iraq and Syria announced a tie up. Iraq, for those who don't know, is in the midst of a serious upsurge of Sunni radical violence so it isn't insignificant.
Caliphate indeed, but don't bet that is all Ayman is getting at. There may be more.
Korea: For those who think the North is bluffing, the amount of effort being expended and communications being sent between US forces around the Pacific suggests they are not taking the risk that this business will just settle down without more ripples. Apart from the potential launch of a missile for testing and show of force there are those who fear the Kim's lads are cooking up some kind of real provocation, one that would not necessarily trigger a major response (for example deniable or taking time to prove) but certainly is going to risk lives.
Comments
Mrs Thatcher was a strong supporter of the campaign against global warming.
Well we all know that she was far from perfect.
Hasn't always been, all over the world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Fiji
Has always been more complicated and awkward than the left can possibly understand.
But otherwise, good work.
Any tips?
So there's reports of alcohol fuelled street parties all over Glasgow celebrating Maggie Thatcher's death..
Or it could just be a Monday.
Mugger stabs accomplice in Oldham park
The mugging took place in Copster Park on Saturday evening
Three men who stole mobile phones from children in a park - before getting involved in a fight in which one man stabbed another - are being sought by police.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-22077525
Some very sensible posts from you on here the last couple of days if I may say so.
Repect.
When consulting with Whitelaw about which woman to bring into the cabinet, the subject of Thatcher came up and Heath said 'I have been warned about her, once she comes in we will never be able to get rid of her.'
When meeting Christine Hamilton at a party Thatcher asked what she had been doing recently, to which Hamilton replied 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here' and Thatcher replied 'it would be rude to leave the party early!'
The discount should have been offered on Pol Roger champagne alone.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russell-brand/margaret-thatcher-our-unm_b_3046390.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Paul Fisher, the Bank of England's Excecutive Director for Markets, has given an interview to the Scottish Herald.
The little dove that he is saw him calling for more QE and side-stepping questions about new monetary policies (will be discussed in August after Carney arrives) but what really surprised the markets was his comment on short term prospects for growth in the UK economy.
Here is the quote that has got City pulses racing:
"I expect North Sea oil at least to bottom out shortly and possibly start increasing and construction to be no worse than flat – that would in itself lead to some pick-up in GDP numbers."
Cautious words as always from a veteran central banker, but a few forecasts are being quickly revised upwards by City analysts. The kick-in from oil production wasn't due to start until 2014.
How does it sync with Cameron's gay marriage act ?
Why are the Tories always behind the curve ?
RT @DanHannanMEP: A question to all the Lefties complaining that Margaret Thatcher closed coal-mines. Are you, after all, in favour of burning coal?
Quote
Yes, clean coal !
Which is surprising as she had no problems with homosexuals as she appointed quite a few and voted for Leo Abse's bill to decriminalise homosexuality.
Which is surprising as she had no problems with homosexuals as she appointed quite a few and voted for Leo Abse's bill to decriminalise homosexuality.
And also agreed to Fowler's massive AiDS campaign which saved the lives of tens of thousands of gay men...
bottom, barrel.
So, Screaming Carlotta, why did she get it so badly wrong ? Was she an outsider in the party ?
I was once told, as a heterosexual, she was definitely a minority in the Tory Party.
Sometimes politicians get it wrong.
There was a piece in telegraph a while back, which said she was incorrectly portrayed as a social conservative.
She wasn't, her views on Cecil Parkinson's philandering not being a resigning matter for example, but she chastised him for never seeing his child.
Any quotes from the early 90's where Brown opposed the ERM?
I've heard this claim before but never seen any evidence for it.
I mean, I've said before the attempts to use Thatcher as a reason to vote for or against someone (it's usually against) wears painfully thin on me, and even among the levels of political hyperbole, the extent of hatred toward the woman is scary to me, perhaps because however bad her policies were for people or the country (assuming for a moment everything her opponent say about her is true), it clearly is not as bad as they claim as the country's doing alright.
Ok, we have many deep and extensive problems, some of which go back a long way, but the extent of the rage is still disporportionate and so puts me off; an analagous matter I like to use is teaching of deforestation when I was at school -I'm no climate change sceptic, but if the rainforests were being depleted as fast as I was told it was in school (even with increased replanting or whatever), we wouldn't have any left by now, and it makes people quesiton the whole business.
I fear Thatcher's name will continue to inspire such horrid and inspiring intensity in years to come. Perhaps she would even have preferred it that way.
Oh well, at least they're not turning her office into a museum (see link)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22080932
8:01PM
"We are currently advertising now for more apprentices and amazingly have received just one application. We have tried the government scheme where you get £2000 towards costs if you employ someone who has been out of work for over 6 months aged 18-24. We have not had a single application through that route. How mad is that? youngsters dont seem to want the jobs we are offering."
Mr. Star, that is so depressing. What part of the country are you in?
We are based in Eastleigh, I have even tried to contact our new local MP to see if he can help with the Apprentice scheme administrators to see if he can get the wheels in motion, he has yet to respond.
In regard to the state of the building industry around here I would have to agree with a previous poster that it is booming, we are turning away tenders on a daily basis as we are busy enough (you have to watch the cashflow). We have a regular discussions at work regarding all the depressing economic data on the news, that feels a world away from here, we have never been as busy.
CON 33%, LAB 41%, LD 10%, UKIP 10%.
I've referred him to the ERO (not sure why he came to me!), but maybe someone here knows?
Cons +3
Labour +1
LD - 2
UKIP - 2
All the same: the coverage of her death is getting ridiculous. She has died at the ripe age of 87, after a period of illness; there was no sudden horrific shock or tragic accident. This was a death in the natural term of things, to be marked with dignity, reflection and respect, not an orgy of media hype. I don't see why parliament is being recalled: MPs of all parties have already issued their statements of tribute, such as Ed Miliband's dignified and well-judged one. Why do we need a parliamentary sitting as well? What can possibly be added to what has already been said?
Governing Parties 43%
Labour 41%
Making vaccination an essential requirement for school would be a step too far for my liking. I do not like coercion, it threatens the doctor/nurse patient relationship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yqg3-paBPo
We have rights but also responsibilities.
Major
Beckett (as Labour acting leader)
Ashdown
James Molyneaux of UUP
Neil Kinnock
Margaret Ewing SNP
Sir Peter Emery Con
Tony Benn
Gerald Kaufman
Bill Walker Lab
Doug Hoyle Lab
Ieuan Wyn Jones Plaid
Dennis Canavan Lab
Sir Marcus Fox on behalf of parliamentary back benchers
Colin Shepherd on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Menzies
Dennis Skinner
Why am I not surprised. The best spin in the world cannot support an untenable argument never mind that attempt at spin. He tried to claim he didn't do anything for Thatcher which was rightly laughed at. Not content with that ludicrous claim he piled on the stupidity when the obvious retort came up, 'was he asking people to believe he had fleeced the tory party out of millions for doing nothing'? He then tried to claim that was exactly the case to yet more laughter.
Public relations idiocy is always amusing.
Your comments about relative GDP growth in Europe over the past decade were also inaccurate but in deference to the late departed I will delay posting the correct figures until we get a gap in the flow of good news and Maggie is in her Mausoleum.
Dave
EdM
Nick (but where will he talk from? It's a podium for 2)
Angus Robertson of SNP
Elfyn Llwyd
DUP
Sir Tapsell
Graham Brady
Menzies
Skinner
Heath's ghost
Ken Clarke
Malcolm Rifkind
an me old Labourite (Jack Straw perhaps)
Mike Freeer (MP for Finchley)
Nick Boles (as MP for Grantham where she was born)
Skinner was superb - his parting shot was to say that as a tribute to Smith, parliament should pass the disability rights legislation unanimously.
And then to blame its passing on the unwillingness of Labour MPs to get up off their Easter sofas and do a paid day's work in the House of Commons.
I would not be willing to vaccinate a child without the parents free and un-coerced consent. To do so could be an assault in law.
Seatbelts are different. They are compulsory for medical reasons, but the law is enforced by police officers. Doctors and nurses are not involved in the enforcement, so these laws do not infringe the relationship with patients.
I do not want a doctor to act as an agent of the state, for what the state considers its best interests. Doctors should act in co-operation with the patient concerning agreed patient objectives. It is fundamental to the role of a doctor, and not to be discarded lightly.
I think Paolo's views will prevail and a diplomatic crisis will thereby be avoided.
Italy does a good job at mourning the loss of the English great and good. I remember well Pavarotti's grand entrance to Westminster Abbey at Princess Diana's funeral. Perhaps Berlusconi can be persuaded to represent Italy at Maggie's send off.
Labour is standing against both of them so we sort of don't care, but I'm intrigued anyway.
If the Australian law is as you suggest then there cannot be herd immunity.
It is interesting that you consider the the compulsory medicating of the the public acceptable, but compulsory workfare an abuse. Funny old world. Goodnight.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y1awFrtSDwQ/UWNdAC3K9NI/AAAAAAAADPY/YWL4BPjxMyQ/s1600/BHW6bggCUAAnbt0.jpg-large.jpeg
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/indepth/margaret_thatcher/10342091.Jobseeker_who_stopped_Maggie_in____wilderness___/?ref=rl
Eric Fletcher was a lucky man. His clash with Thatcher seems to have got him the job after a "thousand" rejections.
It is worth quoting the middle paragraphs in full:
“She was a very arrogant woman at the time. She didn’t want to know me. All the people were there cheering her, she was more than happy to talk to them, but she didn’t want anything to do with me.
“I asked her about the jobs, and all she said was ‘retrain, young man’. I started to explain that I didn’t know about computers, that I couldn’t get a job like that, but she just turned her back on me and walked away.”
Mr Fletcher did receive a letter the next day from the job centre, asking him to go down and talk to them about a job, but he does not thank Mrs Thatcher.
“It was done to keep me quiet, that’s what I think. I did get a job at Billingham Press not long after that, but that was down to my hard work.”
Starting as a manual labourer, he has worked for the company for the past 25 years, eventually becoming a binder, without ever having to retrain.
But, despite his run-in with the Iron Lady, he says he did feel sorry for her family after hearing about her death. He said: “I do respect her and what she did. There have been some nasty things put on Facebook about her and I don’t agree with that.
“She was a strong woman, and she did some very good things for the country, just not for the working classes – and not for people like me.”
The very stuff of a legend.
Though it is incredibly powerful.
I saw a newspaper picture from the political
campaign
A woman was kissing a child, who was obviously
in pain
She spills with compassion, as that young child's
face in her hands she grips
Can you imagine all that greed and avarice
coming down on that child's lips
Well I hope I don't die too soon
I pray the Lord my soul to save
Oh I'll be a good boy, I'm trying so hard to behave
Because there's one thing I know, I'd like to live
long enough to savour
That's when they finally put you in the ground
I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down
When England was the whore of the world
Margeret [sic] was her madam
And the future looked as bright and as clear as
the black tarmacadam
Well I hope that she sleeps well at night, isn't
haunted by every tiny detail
'Cos when she held that lovely face in her hands
all she thought of was betrayal
And now the cynical ones say that it all ends
the same in the long run
Try telling that to the desperate father who just
squeezed the life from his only son
And how it's only voices in your head and
dreams you never dreamt
Try telling him the subtle difference between
justice and contempt
Try telling me she isn't angry with this pitiful
discontent
When they flaunt it in your face as you line up
for punishment
And then expect you to say "Thank you"
straighten up, look proud and pleased
Because you've only got the symptoms, you
haven't got the whole disease
Just like a schoolboy, whose head's like a tin-can
filled up with dreams then poured down
the drain
Try telling that to the boys on both sides, being
blown to bits or beaten and maimed
Who takes all the glory and none of the shame
Well I hope you live long now, I pray the Lord
your soul to keep
I think I'll be going before we fold our arms
and start to weep
I never thought for a moment that human life
could be so cheap
'Cos when they finally put you in the ground
They'll stand there laughing and tramp the
dirt down
'It isn't Altruistic to Impose an Unwanted Labour Government on England'
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/455220/20130409/scotland-england.htm
I noted last night that Ayman Al Zawahiri, Bin Laden buddy and now big chiefie himself released a video calling for Islamists to fight to win in Syria and set up a Caliphate.
He' a shrewd oul fella who tends to release a video just before something of note occurs, some kind of Al Qaeda strike or other event.
His hot streak has continued. Today Al Qaeda linked radicals in Iraq and Syria announced a tie up. Iraq, for those who don't know, is in the midst of a serious upsurge of Sunni radical violence so it isn't insignificant.
Caliphate indeed, but don't bet that is all Ayman is getting at. There may be more.
Korea: For those who think the North is bluffing, the amount of effort being expended and communications being sent between US forces around the Pacific suggests they are not taking the risk that this business will just settle down without more ripples. Apart from the potential launch of a missile for testing and show of force there are those who fear the Kim's lads are cooking up some kind of real provocation, one that would not necessarily trigger a major response (for example deniable or taking time to prove) but certainly is going to risk lives.
A subtitle caption on a video on the daily Telegraph website labels Anne Scargill as "Widow of Arthur Scargill". Are we allowed to laugh?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/9981256/Anne-Scargill-Thatcher-was-an-evil-woman.html