This is as good as it's ever going to be
Discussion
In terms of overall prosperity, this country, and the rest of the world, is on a downward slope, and I for one can't see it ever getting better. The economy of all the wealthier countries is under serious pressure from poorer countries and their burgeoning populations, and that pressure isn't going to go away. Large manufacturing firms can't ignore the fact that building their product in poorer countries will save them money and keep them 'afloat'. Even service industries are doing what they can to reduce costs, and it won't be long before the majoirity of IT jobs end up in places like India.
This doesn't mean that wealth is going to be redistributed, making product abroad and importing it to wealthy countries can't continue for ever, eventually the richer country will run out of money and the poorer country will be no better off.
Soon I expect pension firms to get into difficulties. It's already happening, witness Equitable Life, but it's going to get worse. The money they need to pay out is soon going to exceed what they are taking in. It will probably start with one big firm going under, then they will all blame their difficulties on that one firm, in much the same way as all the airlines blamed their mass sackings on Sept 11th, would have happened anyway eventually, they just took the chance while it was offered.
I'm glad I was born when I was, and most of my working life is behind me, because I can't see things staying as they are more than another few years
John
This doesn't mean that wealth is going to be redistributed, making product abroad and importing it to wealthy countries can't continue for ever, eventually the richer country will run out of money and the poorer country will be no better off.
Soon I expect pension firms to get into difficulties. It's already happening, witness Equitable Life, but it's going to get worse. The money they need to pay out is soon going to exceed what they are taking in. It will probably start with one big firm going under, then they will all blame their difficulties on that one firm, in much the same way as all the airlines blamed their mass sackings on Sept 11th, would have happened anyway eventually, they just took the chance while it was offered.
I'm glad I was born when I was, and most of my working life is behind me, because I can't see things staying as they are more than another few years
John
Frankly John, I find it extremely hard to be optimistic about anything on a national or global scale.
The world economy is indeed an unpredictable and relatively chaotic thing, and I image that the issues are rather more complex than you suggest. However, I agree with your general sentiment.
Regarding non-economic matters, I am even less able to muster optimism. Equality is a misnomer for a facism deemed acceptable for the Islington and Brussels elite to foist upon the proles. Habeus Corpus is about to be removed in the UK, we being the only EU state for it to exist. Trial by jury is due to be abolished and other judicial checks & balances swept aside in the name of EU harmonisation and anti-terrorism measures.
Rights we've all had since the Magna Carta was signed are being systematically eroded. Very concerning.
And I'm only 29 with more than half a lifetime of this shit to observe yet.
>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Wednesday 1st January 20:13
The world economy is indeed an unpredictable and relatively chaotic thing, and I image that the issues are rather more complex than you suggest. However, I agree with your general sentiment.
Regarding non-economic matters, I am even less able to muster optimism. Equality is a misnomer for a facism deemed acceptable for the Islington and Brussels elite to foist upon the proles. Habeus Corpus is about to be removed in the UK, we being the only EU state for it to exist. Trial by jury is due to be abolished and other judicial checks & balances swept aside in the name of EU harmonisation and anti-terrorism measures.
Rights we've all had since the Magna Carta was signed are being systematically eroded. Very concerning.
And I'm only 29 with more than half a lifetime of this shit to observe yet.
>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Wednesday 1st January 20:13
It's only change, I too think that things deemed in the past to be sure things (like pensions) are really just a gamble in the long term.
It will be different in the future and people will have to change, but there has been worse in the past, like huge war's etc...However change doesn't have to be a bad thing.
Hope you have a prosperous New Year.
It will be different in the future and people will have to change, but there has been worse in the past, like huge war's etc...However change doesn't have to be a bad thing.
Hope you have a prosperous New Year.
hertsbiker said:Guess it's tiem to start thinking of saving £2000pcm for your pension...
I wouldn't bother, by the time you are ready to collect, the pension firm will be a distant memory, and your contributions with it. I reckon a great many people who are relying on their pension schemes to provide for their old age are going to be very disappointed.
John
>> Edited by johnelliott on Wednesday 1st January 20:26
Quote "Equality is a misnomer for a facism deemed acceptable for the Islington and Brussels elite to foist upon the proles. Habeus Corpus is about to be removed in the UK, we being the only EU state for it to exist. Trial by jury is due to be abolished and other judicial checks & balances swept aside in the name of EU harmonisation and anti-terrorism measures."
Yep, and the best thing is people, when you try and tell them what is going on, just don't believe it can happen here!
Heard on the radio, just before christmas funny old thing, that there will soon be laws to seize criminals assets, but that there will be no need for them to have been found "guilty" by a court of law???????
Yep, and the best thing is people, when you try and tell them what is going on, just don't believe it can happen here!
Heard on the radio, just before christmas funny old thing, that there will soon be laws to seize criminals assets, but that there will be no need for them to have been found "guilty" by a court of law???????
well as sad as it is that all this is true, ironically it gives me one positive feeling.
At least I know I'm not the only one who thinks the whole planet is going to the dogs!!
you never know, once everything collapses mad-max style, there may just be enough of us who realised this to keep some form of proper civilisation going...
bagsy the jet-powered dune-buggy !! :-)
At least I know I'm not the only one who thinks the whole planet is going to the dogs!!
you never know, once everything collapses mad-max style, there may just be enough of us who realised this to keep some form of proper civilisation going...
bagsy the jet-powered dune-buggy !! :-)
Yeah, but so what?
so what if there's not as much money going about? - ok we can't go out and buy TVR's and the like.
But as much as I love cars (and toys etc) its not these things that make life happy - its your family and friends and dear I say the simple things.
Its not all doom and gloom - its just the next century - its just the way the world is.
As my old man is fond of saying - the only constant in life is change.
so what if there's not as much money going about? - ok we can't go out and buy TVR's and the like.
But as much as I love cars (and toys etc) its not these things that make life happy - its your family and friends and dear I say the simple things.
Its not all doom and gloom - its just the next century - its just the way the world is.
As my old man is fond of saying - the only constant in life is change.
Nice to see Phony's New Year message was full of cheer as well. In political terms it was a good day to bury bad news.
Particularly as while most of the UK suffered flooding of a biblical scale, our man Bliar was sunning himself next to the Sphinx (which has a better face than his missus, even if most of it was chiselled off by the Christians).
It made me sick. I don't begrudge anyone a holiday, but what great timing to drop a bolloc like that and be thousands of miles away. Nice of his spin docs as well to divert most of the subject matter to affairs abroad (Iraq, North Korea) whilst only briefly mentioning our own dire economic outlook. How refreshing as well not to offer any means of a way out. Basically, we're up sh!t creek, we have no paddles, but hey, it could be worse. We could be fighting an utterly pointless war with Iraq, or busting into ancient Korean nuclear power stations and switching them off.
Happy New Year ?
Particularly as while most of the UK suffered flooding of a biblical scale, our man Bliar was sunning himself next to the Sphinx (which has a better face than his missus, even if most of it was chiselled off by the Christians).
It made me sick. I don't begrudge anyone a holiday, but what great timing to drop a bolloc like that and be thousands of miles away. Nice of his spin docs as well to divert most of the subject matter to affairs abroad (Iraq, North Korea) whilst only briefly mentioning our own dire economic outlook. How refreshing as well not to offer any means of a way out. Basically, we're up sh!t creek, we have no paddles, but hey, it could be worse. We could be fighting an utterly pointless war with Iraq, or busting into ancient Korean nuclear power stations and switching them off.
Happy New Year ?
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