| Author | Message | ||
     Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.145.36.225 |
Robert Peston (the BBC Business Editor) keeps coming on TV saying that some Economics matter is "very, very worrying". Each time it's a different topic of worry, each time with an extra 'very'! Are YOU worried? | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.129.23.231 |
Yes. I don't know why. I think it might have been the doomy music accompanying the most trivial news item. If I were in power I would make the news give one positive story for every bad, or play the songs of Mika behind every item. We've just had a little friend of our youngest lad round for the weekend - his mum and dad are split up and the mum used to deal drugs. The dad now looks after their five kids. They might be considered chavs. But this lad was one of the sweetest, most nicely-mannered kids I've ever met. So much for stereotypes. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.129.23.231 |
And social services take him out every week on trips! Those naughty social services. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
I thought he'd get enough trips from his mam. | ||
| Jonathan (Jonathan) Username: Jonathan Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.143.178.131 |
Thing is, I'm getting really really sick of hearing about the economy and how the government and high end financial dicks have run us into the ground. Am I worried? I'm trying not to be as there is absolutely sod all I can do about it. Life's stressful enough most of the time without the added worry of this. It takes too much energy too be worried at the moment. Energy that is better spent being creative and spending quality time with family and friends. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
It's generally recognised by everyone except Rupert Murdoch and David Cameron that the economic crisis has been caused by the greed of unregulated banks and other private financial organisations. So the solution is... elect a Tory government? I fucking think not. For the first time in a generation, everyone (except for the above) is talking about the value of Keynesian economics. You know, what postwar UK governments practised before Thatcherism made the 'free market' the norm. I really don't mind people talking about the economic crisis as long as they try not to tell (or pass on) lies about it. This is a crisis of global capitalism, and it points to the necessity for major policy changes – which will not occur without massive public pressure via what's left of the democratic system. What we maybe don't need is the ruling class agonising over its investment and savings options and whining about inheritance tax. The Chartered Insitute of Management and the Board of Directors can shut the fuck up too. As wages are frozen and jobs go out the window, bonuses to company directors are rising to record levels. The CIM has recommended that employers offer sub-inflationary pay rises to their workers because the economy can't sustain anything better. They don't say anything about capping bonuses or shareholder payouts. How much worse does it have to get before people realise that corporate greed is squatting over the economy like a bloated, rotting vampire whose eyes are too big for its coffin? | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Well put, Joel. You echo my own feelings on this whole thing. Greed - at government level, company level, personal level - is responsible for all of this. I'm very worried. The world will never be the same after this, and I just hope that whatever wreckage is left can offer my son some kind of future. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
If we'd listened to Keynes at the end of WWII, what a different world it would be. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
At least Francis Fuckwityama has now got a sequel to THE END OF HISTORY to write.  | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
>>>For the first time in a generation, everyone (except for the above) is talking about the value of Keynesian economics. You know, what postwar UK governments practised before Thatcherism made the 'free market' the norm. This is what my concerns were over Obama. By his own admission, he's a "free market kinda guy." Used to work at the Chicago School of Economics. As I said weeks ago, business as usual. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
Correction: I should have said the Institute of Directors. I'm not an expert on the criminal classes. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
Jon, I'm also with you that endless griping over personal finances is not constructive, and to some extent buys into the mentality that is causing the problem. Where people are genuinely scared it's only fair to pay attention, but where they are talking money for the sake of talking money they should be encouraged to remember that the world apparently has people in it. | ||
| Jonathan (Jonathan) Username: Jonathan Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.143.178.131 |
Of course there is a part of me that worries, I realise that you can take nothing for granted at the moment. But, yes life and the people who are in it are the truly important things to me at the moment. People's fears do need to be addressed though. Heads in sand is probably not the most constructive thing to do. | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 79.70.99.142 |
Some people expect too much and get greedy. I was quite impressed with my daughter's attitude at the weekend. We were in the Manchester Museum, taking a look at Lindow Man, like you do and later in the shop she used her savings (she gets little pocket money and earns it doing one job every day) to buy something she wanted. She said she didn't expect me to pay for everything. Result. | ||
| Jonathan (Jonathan) Username: Jonathan Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.143.178.131 |
When we have kids I'm going to send them straight down the mines! Never did my Grandpa any harm. Actually... | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 79.70.99.142 |
:>) | ||
| Mark_lynch (Mark_lynch) Username: Mark_lynch Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 212.74.96.200 |
>>Are YOU worried? Well, my dad's private pension is fucked. I have little to no work this next couple of weeks, and possibly none until February. A guy here was in tears cos his haulage business was having to close and he drank himself stupid last weekend and wound up getting his stomach pumped after taking pills. I'm being credit crunched, hence my less frequent appearances on the lovely RCMB. But Christmas is coming, and I'm sure peace and joy will be felt by all . . . Giy us a fiver for me Christmas Caroling guv . . .. | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.145.36.225 |
Cf. Mr Madoff with Mr Merdle (in 'Little Dorrit')! | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.242.247 |
I'm feeling sick, wicked glee at the fallout from the Madoff scandal... of course, the underlying reason for its coming to light, is disturbing: the bad economy has forced even these obscenely rich f*cks to raid their sacred funds, and they're finding the banks emptied of cash; their most trusted, traitors. What kind of domino effect will result from this, I wonder?... Trust everywhere, in everything, is quickly eroding... our religious faith in money and its systems is cracking... the old gods are fading... but do they still have the ability to lash back?... |