how can some people survive?

[Newmanseye]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

Unfortunately Tikay, the good things in this United Kingdom rarely put food on our table and shoes on our kids feet.

[TightEnd]

I think it will be a very tough year

In response to the credit crunch banks are already tightening lending criteria

House prices look over-extended and affordability is about to get poorer

inflationary pressure from Oil prices and other raw materials is high..so everyday cost of living rises..fuel, utilities etc

I expect a lot of talk about recession in 2009...not the end of the world but a downswing in what has beena  long upticxk in the economic cycle

I also expect the government to have a tough time this year, and believe the Conservatives have an even money chance of being elected in 2010


Off to pile the lot onto Red at the casino, best way out of it at the moment!

[tikay]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

Unfortunately Tikay, the good things in this United Kingdom rarely put food on our table and shoes on our kids feet.

I agree, Billy, but it's pretty much the same the world over. Just not as nice......!

[byronkincaid]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

yes but you cant eat them, wear them and live in them ... neither can you light your house with them, heat your house with them or power up your electrical goods with them... we are not looking at idealistic things here, more the necessities of daily living ... 

someone's after a pay rise

[taximan007]

The Philippines is a lovely Country, but it's NOT Cornwall

[tikay]

I think it will be a very tough year

In response to the credit crunch banks are already tightening lending criteria

House prices look over-extended and affordability is about to get poorer

inflationary pressure from Oil prices and other raw materials is high..so everyday cost of living rises..fuel, utilities etc

I expect a lot of talk about recession in 2009...not the end of the world but a downswing in what has beena  long upticxk in the economic cycle

I also expect the government to have a tough time this year, and believe the Conservatives have an even money chance of being elected in 2010


Off to pile the lot onto Red at the casino, best way out of it at the moment!

Many of those things are not bad at all, really.

Peeps moan when there is a credit crunch - well we should not live beyond our means. That's why we use Credit - to spend more than we have to spend.

Peeps moan when house prices fall ("our House is worth less than we hoped") - but they also get uppity when they rise ("we can't afford the home we want"). We can't have it both ways!.

The UK - indeed most of the developed world - get what we pay for. We've had excess for a few years, & now we gotta pay the bills. It's always been thus, for centuries, the certainty of economic cycles  - if not their timing - are the most predictable things on earth. Ally them to the incredibly clever, & faultlessly immaculate concepts  - they NEVER fail - of supply & demand, & market forces, & you have the answer. What goes round comes round.

It's all relative, & ex Prime Minister Macmillan got it spot on.

[tikay]

The Philippines is a lovely Country, but it's NOT Cornwall

Nowhere on earth is like Cornwall, & the beauty there is free. Ditto Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Sussex, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Herefordshire, The Dales, the Pennines, Gloucestershire, and so on. All that beauty is there, for free. I exclude Essex, of course.

[Newmanseye]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

Unfortunately Tikay, the good things in this United Kingdom rarely put food on our table and shoes on our kids feet.

I agree, Billy, but it's pretty much the same the world over. Just not as nice......!

Some of the country is nice Tikay but as you well know, there are a lot of Sh1T holes that are ignored.

[kinboshi]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

Unfortunately Tikay, the good things in this United Kingdom rarely put food on our table and shoes on our kids feet.

I agree, Billy, but it's pretty much the same the world over. Just not as nice......!

Couldn't agree more with the wise old one.

The standard of living in the UK for the vast majority is better now than it's ever been (but yes, it's far from perfect).

On a tangent, I was watching the story behind Monty Python's 'The Life of Brian' on New Year's Eve, and it was amazing how close it was to the film not being made due to blasphemy laws.  At the same time as the film was being written, Mary Whitehouse and her cronies were bringing a case against the editor of a gay newspaper for something written about Jesus and homosexuality.  The bloke ended up getting a custodial sentence, and the judge was damning in his sentencing.

Although there are still issues with racism and homophobia in the UK, I'd say it's a better place to live now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago.

[taximan007]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

Unfortunately Tikay, the good things in this United Kingdom rarely put food on our table and shoes on our kids feet.

I agree, Billy, but it's pretty much the same the world over. Just not as nice......!

Couldn't agree more with the wise old one.

The standard of living in the UK for the vast majority is better now than it's ever been (but yes, it's far from perfect).

On a tangent, I was watching the story behind Monty Python's 'The Life of Brian' on New Year's Eve, and it was amazing how close it was to the film not being made due to blasphemy laws.  At the same time as the film was being written, Mary Whitehouse and her cronies were bringing a case against the editor of a gay newspaper for something written about Jesus and homosexuality.  The bloke ended up getting a custodial sentence, and the judge was damning in his sentencing.

Although there are still issues with racism and homophobia in the UK, I'd say it's a better place to live now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago.

I would agree with that, but is society itself better than it was 30/40 years ago? I think not

[tikay]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

Unfortunately Tikay, the good things in this United Kingdom rarely put food on our table and shoes on our kids feet.

I agree, Billy, but it's pretty much the same the world over. Just not as nice......!

Couldn't agree more with the wise old one.

The standard of living in the UK for the vast majority is better now than it's ever been (but yes, it's far from perfect).

On a tangent, I was watching the story behind Monty Python's 'The Life of Brian' on New Year's Eve, and it was amazing how close it was to the film not being made due to blasphemy laws.  At the same time as the film was being written, Mary Whitehouse and her cronies were bringing a case against the editor of a gay newspaper for something written about Jesus and homosexuality.  The bloke ended up getting a custodial sentence, and the judge was damning in his sentencing.

Although there are still issues with racism and homophobia in the UK, I'd say it's a better place to live now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago.

I would agree with that, but is society itself better than it was 30/40 years ago? I think not

No, it's far worse. Everywhere though. We are kidding ourselves if we think it's confined to the UK. And if it's bad everywhere, I'll take bad in the UK every time.

[kinboshi]

I was discussing my fears of meltdown in this country with my wife the other night. I truly feel that this year is going to be very bad. Less money available for workers and all the time becoming more expensive to live every day.

I foresee many strikes and demonstrations this year (pensions, fuel, just to mention a couple of areas) this year, if we cannot even give our Police force a proper backdated pay rise what chance for others.

Not looking forward to this year at work. I work for a very large pensions and investments company and we know we are in for a hard time this year. Unfortunately the burden falls on us lowly administrators and those in call centres to attempt to appease the general public when they call in or write to us.

Immigration, Prison overcrowding, rising crime, especially of a violent nature, NHS trusts under severe pressure. it really is difficult to see where/when it will get better.


Oh, by the way, Happy New year everyone.

James, you need a butler and housemaid by any chance??

Grumpy old man

Geo

Not a good time to return to the UK then?

Wrong - it's ALWAYS a good time to live in the UK. Yes, there's doom & gloom if you look for it, but there's plenty of wonderful things in Great Britain that are awesomely wonderful, unique, & are our heritage. And are free.

Unfortunately Tikay, the good things in this United Kingdom rarely put food on our table and shoes on our kids feet.

I agree, Billy, but it's pretty much the same the world over. Just not as nice......!

Couldn't agree more with the wise old one.

The standard of living in the UK for the vast majority is better now than it's ever been (but yes, it's far from perfect).

On a tangent, I was watching the story behind Monty Python's 'The Life of Brian' on New Year's Eve, and it was amazing how close it was to the film not being made due to blasphemy laws.  At the same time as the film was being written, Mary Whitehouse and her cronies were bringing a case against the editor of a gay newspaper for something written about Jesus and homosexuality.  The bloke ended up getting a custodial sentence, and the judge was damning in his sentencing.

Although there are still issues with racism and homophobia in the UK, I'd say it's a better place to live now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago.

I would agree with that, but is society itself better than it was 30/40 years ago? I think not

No, it's far worse. Everywhere though. We are kidding ourselves if we think it's confined to the UK. And if it's bad everywhere, I'll take bad in the UK every time.

I'm glad I'm living now and not 30-40 years ago.

[M3boy]

"Although there are still issues with racism and homophobia in the UK, I'd say it's a better place to live now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago."

I disagree with this statement so so so much.

Even in my short (and hopefully alot longer) life, I have seen so many changes in the behavour of children. These children are the future's adults - GOD HELP us is all I can say!

When I was school age, you had the minority of kids that were rude and badly behaved - now, it seems to be alot worse, and dare I say the other way around?

Who is to blame? We as parents MUST take some responsibility, but the blame (imo) lies with the "Do gooders" who have gone too far. Children have so much power now, and they know it, AND use it!

There was so much more respect when I was a kid. You knew how far you could push it without getting in trouble - some pushed it that little too much.
Now, kids know they can pretty do much as they like - nothing happens to them.

Take schools for example, 20-30 years ago if you were "out of line" you were punnished and your school day was miserable. Now, schools have no control and cannot stop a kid even if they want to run out of school, so what do they do if kids are "out of line"? Yep, you guessed it, they "exclude" them.
You would NEVER dream of shouting at a teacher, but nowadays it is all too common.

These children then leave school with the same attitude "No one can make me do anything I do not want to do". I beleive this to be the main reason why so many kids struggle to move into the "real" world when they reach adulthood.

This subject is close to my heart, as I have seen an immense change in my two youngest (3 and 5) since they have been at school. It is hard enough trying to bring up children, and made even harder by the fact that most of their waking day is spent at school who are powerless to teach them respect.

Ive rambled on, sorry.

[kinboshi]

"Although there are still issues with racism and homophobia in the UK, I'd say it's a better place to live now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago."

I disagree with this statement so so so much.

Even in my short (and hopefully alot longer) life, I have seen so many changes in the behavour of children. These children are the future's adults - GOD HELP us is all I can say!

When I was school age, you had the minority of kids that were rude and badly behaved - now, it seems to be alot worse, and dare I say the other way around?

You didn't go to my school then.  It was a zoo.  I was the only boy in my year to go on to sixth form and then university.  I could go on, but it wasn't a pretty place.

Who is to blame? We as parents MUST take some responsibility, but the blame (imo) lies with the "Do gooders" who have gone too far. Children have so much power now, and they know it, AND use it!

There was so much more respect when I was a kid. You knew how far you could push it without getting in trouble - some pushed it that little too much.
Now, kids know they can pretty do much as they like - nothing happens to them.

Take schools for example, 20-30 years ago if you were "out of line" you were punnished and your school day was miserable. Now, schools have no control and cannot stop a kid even if they want to run out of school, so what do they do if kids are "out of line"? Yep, you guessed it, they "exclude" them.
You would NEVER dream of shouting at a teacher, but nowadays it is all too common.

Again, at my school (15-20 years ago), teachers were hung out of the window by their ankles, our form tutor had to leave teaching because he had a nervous breakdown.  We had a supply teacher in once and one of the students thought it would be funny to stick his head in a vice and leave him.  I didn't see much respect to the teachers at all.  In fact, the only teachers who had respect were the ones who dished it out as well.

These children then leave school with the same attitude "No one can make me do anything I do not want to do"

It's not all kids at all.  Far from it. 

This subject is close to my heart, as I have seen an immense change in my two youngest (3 and 5) since they have been at school. It is hard enough trying to bring up children, and made even harder by the fact that most of their waking day is spent at school who are powerless to teach them respect.

Ive rambled on, sorry.

I'm not a parent yet, so I don't know what it's like to be a parent and to worry like you will be about how your kids will turn out.   Like you've alluded to, it's not just parents that dictate how a child grows up - sometimes the environment they grow up in is the overriding factor.

[tikay]

"Although there are still issues with racism and homophobia in the UK, I'd say it's a better place to live now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago."

I disagree with this statement so so so much.

Even in my short (and hopefully alot longer) life, I have seen so many changes in the behavour of children. These children are the future's adults - GOD HELP us is all I can say!

When I was school age, you had the minority of kids that were rude and badly behaved - now, it seems to be alot worse, and dare I say the other way around?

Who is to blame? We as parents MUST take some responsibility, but the blame (imo) lies with the "Do gooders" who have gone too far. Children have so much power now, and they know it, AND use it!

There was so much more respect when I was a kid. You knew how far you could push it without getting in trouble - some pushed it that little too much.
Now, kids know they can pretty do much as they like - nothing happens to them.

Take schools for example, 20-30 years ago if you were "out of line" you were punnished and your school day was miserable. Now, schools have no control and cannot stop a kid even if they want to run out of school, so what do they do if kids are "out of line"? Yep, you guessed it, they "exclude" them.
You would NEVER dream of shouting at a teacher, but nowadays it is all too common.

These children then leave school with the same attitude "No one can make me do anything I do not want to do". I beleive this to be the main reason why so many kids struggle to move into the "real" world when they reach adulthood.

This subject is close to my heart, as I have seen an immense change in my two youngest (3 and 5) since they have been at school. It is hard enough trying to bring up children, and made even harder by the fact that most of their waking day is spent at school who are powerless to teach them respect.

Ive rambled on, sorry.

Well there you go, it shows that some things get better, & some worse. Things change. They just do.

Yes, children are "different" these days. That's worse. Racism is much less these days. That's better.

By the bye, I grew up in an age where my Grandparents openly talked about "bloody blacks", there was Apartheid in South Africa, & in Rhodesia the tyrant Ian Smith tried the same thing, & there were awful race riots in Notting Hill. Now, thank God, that's largely gone away, & instead Eastern Europeans are taking the abuse.

There's a downside, a glass half empty, to everything. An an upside, & a glass half-full, too.