DJKillaQueen

Yet if you had savings they'd link them to the base rate! You make a very good point in that when most people start a business.... they care as much about the quality of the service they provide as the profit. They understand the realtionship between the two. The business grows, becomes successful until the multi-national knocks on the door and makes the kind of offer they'd be daft to refuse. The multi-national cares only about the bottom line of profit. Multi-nationals have destroyed competition. We will never see a return to localised banking where the customer is king.

Totally agree Brendan, although the scope for upward mobility decreased under Labour too - mainly because of rising property prices and the inability of those without parental money to get on the property ladder - and like Labour the Tories refuse any recognition of that. But without doubt the coalition Tory policy will create poverty in the same way Thatcherite policy of the 80's created a new social underclass. Politically however I think the Tories have ensured they won't win an election for another 13 years. Suicidal policy when you didn't win with an overall majority in the first place. And many people are still very angry at the banks and feel not enough action has beeen taken. As for the Lib Dems - they are pretty much finished. I have heard many of my friends who voted Lib Dem say they'll never vote for them again.....they feel completely betrayed. Nick Clegg put his own career interests before that of his party. No-one buys his 'for the good of the country' mantra. Jeremy you are quite right - I conceed my error. However there are many parts of the country notably some boroughs of London where the average rent exceeds that rate. Camden for example where it is ?825 per week for a family home. And indeed Southwark is only borderline at ?450 per week. At present HB is capped in line with local average rents anyway. So the only end result of this policy will be to remove the poor from the more leafy and central boroughs and increase pressure on those boroughs that already have shortages of social or affordable housing. It is effectively going to to make some boroughs poor ghettos. What can be the thinking on this? An attack on those who use HB to live in leafy more expensive parts of the country obviously. Again another policy that has more to do with class than any real economic benefit. In London the increase between 2002 and 2007 in those recieving some form of Housing Benefit in the private rented sector almost exactly matches the shortfall in in social housing of around 67,000. Affordable homes are the real issue and if the government seriously want to tackle the HB bill then they should be tackling that along with curbing the 'right to buy' schemes that took almost half the countries council homes (and notably much needed family homes) out of the social housing loop in the first place. They have mooted proposals to force those whose children have grown up and left home to downsize but face problems because of the lack of suitable smaller council properties to move them into. What strikes me most is that the Tories have an obsession with council housing and council tenants. They always have had. It comes from a belief that council housing should all be privatised and rents increased to match those of the private rented sector. Many tories also falsely believe that that all council tenants are unemployed benefits spongers (when more than half of council tenants are in fact in employment). So they have policies that exacerbate the lot of the poor, and then demonise them with false myths on top just to make sure.

The coalition doesn't really care about the poor, esp the unemployed. They have no intention of increasing benefits in real terms and the language of the attack on welfare recipients has horrified me. Someone on JSA gets just ?65 a week and currently their rent and coucil tax paid. After a couple of months it is impossible to live on that - so this idea that the coalition have that there is no incentive to find work is nonsense. Those on Incap or ESA get at most ?91 a week and have to pay part of their rent and council tax (only the severely physically or mentally disabled get extra money such as DLA and Carer's Allowance). In reality they are only ?12 a week better off than those on JSA. The government wants to force as many of those as poss onto the cheaper JSA and then wants to cap Housing Benefit at ?440 per month which will effectively make homeless around two million (private sector tenant) families, according to SHELTER, many of whom are low waged and currently see their rent part paid by HB because they don't earn enough to pay it in full. Add to that, that the poor pay proportionally more for many things, fuel being the most obvious where those with prepayment meters are paying anything up to 20% more than other customers for their gas and electric and if they have a fuel debt are not allowed to switch to a cheaper supplier, effectively locking them out from market competition. Increasingly, many unemployed people are turning to food charities because they can not pay their basic day to day bills and buy food. It is estimated that around one third of the adult working population is unemployed or in receipt of some kind of top up benefit. Unemployment amongst 16-25 year olds is almost 25%. We need around 8 million new jobs - this isn't going to happen of course, but having said that the government might do better to focus on regeneration of business in areas of high unemployment instead of further beating already demoralised and marginalised people and telling those with council tenancies to give them up and move (presumably to the already overcrowded south). The simplest and fairest way to collect tax is through income tax. It has mystified me this aversion to raising income tax by recent governments.

I agree with bits and pieces from everybody really. What frustrates me as someone has said is that we know what the problem is, and we know how we got there, but government policy is doing nothing to curb those causes. Instead we are given the mantra of cuts, to public services mainly and the unforgiveable demonisation of welfare recipients, as the only solution. The problem with many of the coalition measures are that they are self defeating. Public sector cuts will add half a million people to the dole at a time when they also want to cut the welfare bill. They can't reduce the base rate of benefit without a review - which they don't want to do because it almost certainly will find that benefits actually need to go up, in line with the rising costs of living. Fact...the money they save by cutting public sector jobs will be spent on benefits and schemes for the newly unemployed. Then there's the cap on housing benefit of ?440 per month (whereas at present it is capped according to local average rents). No family property in the private sector, be it a flat or house can be rented in the south for anywhere near that. Suddenly 2 million familes, many of them low paid will find themselves unable to pay their rent and be forced to move, where? Yet another policy not thought through properly and made without any understanding of the shortages of affordable housing in this country. Some landlords may begin to have some problems finding tenants who can afford the rent and then there are those who use benefits to top up mortagage payments. Expect to see reposessions soar over the next 18 months. And that will push others into negative equity. How can the private sector grow in an evironment of repossessions and unemployment? Mr Cameron seems to think that we are suddenly going to see growth in exports as part of a recovery......export of what? and to whom? given that most of europe is suffering in the same way. Indeed Mr Osbourne thinks China are going to start buying British goods - what goods? We don't make anything (apart from military stuff), and if we do, they already can make it cheaper. Pure fantasy and folly. There has been no marked growth in private sector employment in two decades. And just like every other government before them that has talked tough on unemployment and jobs, they are going to fail miserably. After the Wall Street crash in the 30's governments responded by bringing in regulation....and for 50 years it worked pretty much. Within ten years of deregulation we faced the first of the three recessions we've had in the last 30 years! The truth is that the government is scared of taking on the banks, and big business. Why? Becuase they and most of the privilieged set they come from depend on the growth in those sectors for their wealth. Same old Tories looking after their same old friends. And what fools they've made of the Lib Dems.

There's a little pice of kit called a key logger. It looks a bit like an adapter for the end of a computer cable. What it does is store all the data transfered through it and can be attached to any card reader or computer in any shop, restaurant etc. That data on that logger contains all your card details and pin etc and then the criminal makes a cloned card with the same data on it and they are off and away. It's actually very easy to do. And encryting data doesn't make any difference as there is software that can decrypt data at high speed. Basically unless you trust the establishment swiping your card, pay in cash.

You have three days to convince 24 ladies that Milfwall is the right name for the team lol.......Good Luck! :))

ROTFL....you guys are funny. Having said that, the ladies league team for Camberwell is called Camberwell Old Fallopians and sports a womb in it's motif - so Milfwall might not be out of place. The closing date for names and all other forms of profanity will be 9pm Thursday 24th. That then gives two days for the squad (captained by Lady M) to decide the winner.

In France they never stop at Zebras unless you are in the way! They must have been French ;-)

But wasn't that accident caused by a stolen vehicle jumping red lights? The main problem I find with that junction are cars turning right where the signs say they clearly can't along with general red light jumping of which buses seem to be the worst offenders. Rephasing won't change any of that.

I have no problem with acknowledging that supposed witnesses don't always get their stories right......what annnoys me is that a genuine effort to relay that info...with no malice intended is met by vilification and a whole conversation takes place which instead of merely correcting incorrect info has to pass some judgement. Yes I did find it odd that a police car would be at pursuit near a built up junction during rush hour (and suspected that possibly couldn't be true) but I think if you read the post again it's hard to conclude I was implying Police to be at fault when a stolen vehicle caused the crash in the first place.

I got the info from the scene where various witnesses were giving piecemeal info about the stolen car. I was told that the dark blue car was a CID vehicle. I did say the info was second hand ffs. I later asked the Police for news on the injured man (and I too know know all my local beat and SNT officers) because like any decent person I hoped to hear he'd made it to hospital and that no-one had died whatever the circumstances. Some people are so ill mannered in this forum. It's enough to know that there were serious injuries and be thankful no-one died, whilst expressing deep sympathy to idm and wishing his father a full recovery.

all footy is rubbish (unless you is brazilian) and then who cares! who do engerland play next? Oh look, Big Brother is on!

ok the toffee one just got my vote as he explains the plot of 'the killing of sister george' to the totally ignorant lesbian shabby (who is a self proclaimed squatting artist and should be a bit more aware of her own culture) The toff to win win imo...just cos he looks beyond his own nose....

we just so lost the rest of edf...hee hee ..I love it

The promise - girls aloud (pmsl)

I just so know you is gonna be my star striker.......hee hee (focus on west ham)

ROTFL......love to hit the sack pmsl......they are all entered Katie, but personally I like the EDFF..and DLKQ but that's my ego shining.

LM...you need to get out more ;-)

Devils is definitely up my street but Lady you can only enter the seperate squad comp on the other thread (because you is part of the squad init...I do 'know' you so want to win btw lol).....leave this thread to the non squad members to fight over....muhahhahhaaha.. (yes I shelled out on TWO copies of the DVD)..I just know some footy mad young'un is gonna win that dvd cos thier daddy came up with with a killa name!

I support the Paul Greengrass version of events. A terrible tragedy happened on that day. The past is the past. Acknowledge it and move forward. Most people just want to raise their children and live with their familes in safety, and don't give a f%&?! for political idealism.......and the fascist bullies that terrorise their comunities.......

Hmm...what do the consensus propose? Maybe a pelican crossing would help...but only if pedestrians were waiting to cross. My own view is that visability would be best served by restricting parking on Barry Road at junctions but if there is a particular problem at Goodrich road then either a Pelican crossing or trafic lights should improve safety without damaging general traffic flow.

that's the spirit katie!.......

hmm a bit camp that one brum...we need a bit of a killer edge....let's terrify the opposition...ok there is no opposition yet...but.....lol Every suggestion goes in the hat...so suggest as many as you like....the laydees will decide in their first ten min break (if they can breath that is)! The Beckham DVD awaits...but remember it's women who'll decide.......................>:D<

And btw we'll pick the winner at our first 'kickabout' during the weekend of June 26th.....it will be a squad decision >:D

Due to the overwhelming response to the Ladies kickabout footy team in the 'what's on' forum, and god only knows the sacrifice being made by some of those ladies, I am offering a brand new and never opened 'Bend it Like Beckham Soccer Skills' DVD to the best name anyone comes up with for the new laydees team. Ask the kids - they are good at this stuff (and then put the prize in their christmas stocking).... We need a club name.....we know that EDF can deliver!