Are things that bad?
Author
Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
We were having a chat last night about the whole state of the country with violent crime, credit crunch etc....

Ah things really as bad as the media make out?

I know its not been a great year for a lot of people, I have friends who have lost jobs, partners loved ones etc.....but...

Its New Years Eve, most of us have some money in the back pocket to go out and have a few drinks or a meal, I have no fear of getting stabbed or shot (and I live near Croydon), I am still in work.....

I'm just glad I guess to see that with all the doommongering that goes on the majority of people I know are looking forward to the New Year and have forgotten about all the nonsense if just for one night......

I heard something on the tele the other night I think it was Dara O'Brien who was saying about the London bombings (and I hope this is a true story) that he was in London and heard 2 people talking....

Person A "Theres been a bomb on the underground and the Central Line is closed"

Person B "That's terrible, although we can get the piccadilly change at X Station and get the Northern Line"

If that is true then to me that just sums up the british attitude and what I am seeing a lot of today with friends and colleagues and that makes me truly happy

Happy New Year

Romanymagic

3,298 posts

248 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
I worked through the last recesssion in the early 90's. TBH the difference this time around is that we have such a media circus, with 24 hour access to news via the web, telly, radio and even our mobiles it is impossible to escape this. Last time around we didn't have the relentless media, plus there were lots of other issues across the globe as a direct result you might here recession type gloom once every couple of days.

SimonV8ster

12,999 posts

257 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
Don't know if things are really that bad , maybe i'm just fortunate that I've got a secure job, have a house and a car and get by with the minimal amount of fuss.

Know others who haven't fared so well but then again they use to blag about getting their shares at discount price and having a cheap mortgage cos they worked in a bank.

Unfortunatly we have to live in a world where we have to 'get use' to delays caused by threats and the such like. So the story is probably true (or very similar).

Technonotice

4,250 posts

220 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
well, rents due, the bills are piling up and the st 15kpa job i went for had over 90 applicants. And I had to sell loads of stuff at knock down prices to pay to eat

Recession or not things aren't great at the moment.

Still I'm not homeless yet so that's a bonus


dfen5

2,398 posts

241 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
Are you a Labour MP or one of Brown's thought/religous Police or something?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7805610.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7799092.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7804321.stm


Worst BBC style "Vote Labour thread ev4r".

toppstuff

13,698 posts

276 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
Yes they are that bad.

For many people who are not affected and doubt if things are as bad as they are, just wait a few months. Then a lot of those people will be saying how bad it is too.

The recession is only beginning, which is why it is simply staggering that the Gov still has the support it has. The debt levels in the country ( and not just private, but public debt too such as PFI ) are staggering.

So, simple answer - Yes, things are that bad. But a lot of people don't realise it yet...



anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
dfen5 said:
Are you a Labour MP or one of Brown's thought/religous Police or something?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7805610.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7799092.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7804321.stm


Worst BBC style "Vote Labour thread ev4r".
Ha ha no I'm not, i personally think they are a shower of s****e but then the rest arent much better, one of my friends last night was made redundant from the city and things looked grim, he has managed to secure another job on a higher package than he was previously, he was saying that yes things are bad, but they will get worse if we talk ourselves into it, it was more just that i've heard a lot of doomcrying and everything recently when in fact as said most of us have food in our bellies and roofs over our head

oyster

13,718 posts

277 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Yes it's called indefatigability and we Brits are pretty good at it.

The alternative goes something like this:

Person B: "Oh that's horrific, we can't possibly work today as we're all so traumatised. I think we should go to the florist and lay down a bouquet somewhere like what we did when Diana died. And then we really should give in to those terrorist types because otherwise more people might get hurt."

I know which attitude I prefer.

Penny-lope

13,645 posts

222 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
toppstuff said:
Yes they are that bad.

For many people who are not affected and doubt if things are as bad as they are, just wait a few months. Then a lot of those people will be saying how bad it is too.

The recession is only beginning, which is why it is simply staggering that the Gov still has the support it has. The debt levels in the country ( and not just private, but public debt too such as PFI ) are staggering.

So, simple answer - Yes, things are that bad. But a lot of people don't realise it yet...
See it's when I read posts like that, that I don't even want to leave my bed, let alone spend money or buy a house

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
oyster said:
Yes it's called indefatigability and we Brits are pretty good at it.
What a great word...

oyster said:
The alternative goes something like this:

Person B: "Oh that's horrific, we can't possibly work today as we're all so traumatised. I think we should go to the florist and lay down a bouquet somewhere like what we did when Diana died. And then we really should give in to those terrorist types because otherwise more people might get hurt."

I know which attitude I prefer.
Oh me too for sure

hot metal

2,019 posts

222 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
toppstuff said:
Yes they are that bad.

For many people who are not affected and doubt if things are as bad as they are, just wait a few months. Then a lot of those people will be saying how bad it is too.

The recession is only beginning, which is why it is simply staggering that the Gov still has the support it has. The debt levels in the country ( and not just private, but public debt too such as PFI ) are staggering.

So, simple answer - Yes, things are that bad. But a lot of people don't realise it yet...
Its dawned on very few people at the moment rolleyesbut what the hell people need to be spending money or there will never be a recovery.

oyster

13,718 posts

277 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
hot metal said:
toppstuff said:
Yes they are that bad.

For many people who are not affected and doubt if things are as bad as they are, just wait a few months. Then a lot of those people will be saying how bad it is too.

The recession is only beginning, which is why it is simply staggering that the Gov still has the support it has. The debt levels in the country ( and not just private, but public debt too such as PFI ) are staggering.

So, simple answer - Yes, things are that bad. But a lot of people don't realise it yet...
Its dawned on very few people at the moment rolleyesbut what the hell people need to be spending money or there will never be a recovery.
And your method for recovery would be what exactly?

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

275 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
Romanymagic said:
TBH the difference this time around is that we have such a media circus.....
It's been crazy IMO the way politicians and the media seem to be deliberately talking things down. Darling made a particularly special contribution a few months back when he said this was the "worst crisis for 60 years"! IMO a truly idiotic thing for someone in his position to say.

Newspapers and TV news jump with delight every time a further closure or redundancy is announced, let alone the number of times they've "reported" house prices down 20%, 30% or 40%. Latest figures from the land registry show houses down about 12% in the year to November which isn't much to get in a flap about.

I have a "square wave" theory which applies to these things. Things go well for a while and then start to tail off but no-one wants to believe it. Eventually they have to believe it and confidence falls rapidly. When things are at the bottom similarly people are slow to believe there's any improvement. Eventually it becomes glaringly obvious and confidence shoots upwards. In other words, a constant cycle of delayed over-reaction. It's just human nature.

As a result, the adventurous might see current circumstances as an excellent "buying opportunity".

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
Ozzie Osmond said:
As a result, the adventurous might see current circumstances as an excellent "buying opportunity".
Yep! smile

Its a game for sure but as a 28 yr old wanting to get on the ladder with a deposit saved up I'm waiting for what I think is the furthest the market will go and will be buying....

V8mate

45,899 posts

218 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
Penny-lope said:
toppstuff said:
Yes they are that bad.

For many people who are not affected and doubt if things are as bad as they are, just wait a few months. Then a lot of those people will be saying how bad it is too.

The recession is only beginning, which is why it is simply staggering that the Gov still has the support it has. The debt levels in the country ( and not just private, but public debt too such as PFI ) are staggering.

So, simple answer - Yes, things are that bad. But a lot of people don't realise it yet...
See it's when I read posts like that, that I don't even want to leave my bed, let alone spend money or buy a house
At least, for a woman, staying in bed is an employment/income opportunity! wink

Penny-lope

13,645 posts

222 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
V8mate said:
Penny-lope said:
toppstuff said:
Yes they are that bad.

For many people who are not affected and doubt if things are as bad as they are, just wait a few months. Then a lot of those people will be saying how bad it is too.

The recession is only beginning, which is why it is simply staggering that the Gov still has the support it has. The debt levels in the country ( and not just private, but public debt too such as PFI ) are staggering.

So, simple answer - Yes, things are that bad. But a lot of people don't realise it yet...
See it's when I read posts like that, that I don't even want to leave my bed, let alone spend money or buy a house
At least, for a woman, staying in bed is an employment/income opportunity! wink
Oh come on, I am already doing 3 jobs...is that not enough

BeerForBreakfast

1,527 posts

221 months

Wednesday 31st December 2008
quotequote all
DOOMED.