????

yup. Getting rid of the bendy ones and Ken ....but that's about it

self-indulgent whimsy? - discuss

I think Arsenal's (relative) decline can be summed up by the oft repeated cliche "they never replaced Vierra"

No It's politics, he has to say it he knows the truth a. But what can he do about it realistically (will be the same for Balls btw if Labour win) tax the rich - I believe, this doesn't work in terms of revenue it's an academic moot point and debatable I know, there aren't enough of them to deal with our levels od debt anyway there afe just a few 100,000 earning above ?100k. There is some symbolic justice perhaps but the risks in terms of actual revenue and more importantly what it says about the UK and enterprise are potentially hugely damaging. BTW I am not one of them! I do support a rise in minimum wage (regionally tiered), which will uincidentally further raise the gap betweebn the very bottom any everyone else but I think our businesses by and large can support this without losing too much competitive edge So it's just further tax on 'average workers' the bulk of us or to susutain our evergrowing levels of committment something has to give and massively....it will either be standards/waiting times in public services or, in the end, i think it will have to be free health at source to be honest, an unpalatavble truth and got to by my personal economic deduction and logic and not ideology I stress Labour will face this as much as the 'con- dems' we just haven't enough money todo what we want to do as a state PS Go Green as in renewable - energy prices rise, significantly buggers our manufacturing industry further with it being a major cost component, puts all our bills up, pie in the sky wishful thinking

Yup - but annuities have helped that boom (BTL/housing etc) being so crap, the reform amy encourage some different behaviour. Re Public Sector opension change, I know, I am aware of changes etc and that the PS pension of the past is going the way of history...at least this is now allowed to be debated on here and in wider society...a few years ago it was screams of derision and abuse for even daring to mention the real difference between pensions between different groups of workers and the up and coming problems, I still touch this with sensitivity as I got fed up of being completley missrepresented by the rabid, many of whom clearly didn't understand at a basic level difference in various pensions, what an annuity was, etc etc. My mum has a PS pension my missus will get one, I am not an enemy of public sector workers, pensions or the state.

3) not for the baby

Agree, the noise is mainly poltics. Balls would honestly be saying "We were going to do that but chickened out you fookers"

Well, I've said before to really solve it........ let's pool all our pension pots public/private/state pension and make a huge fund topped up by the state to a single universal pension paid on actuaruied life expectancy. Some additional tax breaks should then be applied to savings and investments. That would be truly socialist and solve the problem and benefit a significant majority of the population But........I expect teachers/doctors/Fireman/civil servants/er...politicians on one hand and the company directors/bankers on the other, would hit the roof... so most of us will end up with a relative pittance...and a significant minority (and not the undwerclass here - mainly relatively poor to medium paid private sector workers) with almost nothing, including many who have got used to cars/holidays etc....try doing any of thet on the standard state pension as is

Some Foie Gras anyone?

*cough* CLASS WAR......... Toff replacing the fox, that's what it comes down to for MOST who bang on about this....not Foxy though, he genuienely loves the the mangy things

Tally Ho steveo...

numbers Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just heard on radio that Labour are worried about > people being 'reckless and irresponsible' with > money. Their own money at that. Ah well, makes a > change from them doing it for us I s'pose. > > Thanks Mr Balls, if that wasn't so hapless it > would almost be funny. This sums up the stupidity of this nanny state response for, you know, letting people themselves decide what to do with the money they have saved up in their own pensions schemes (no state guranteed final salary) http://www.cityam.com/article/1395365346/labour-would-be-mad-oppose-osborne-s-pensions-liberation Why do middle-class socialists just think they know what's best for everyone else in the world????? Paternalistic, patronising tossers..... If I can afford it I will be putting more into my pension from now on in the direct knowledge that I don't have to buy a poxy annuity paying me ?6k a year for ever ?100k in my pot!!

Concentrate on the Champions League.....don't worry about Saturday's game.....

...you'd have lost to all the others too RD :)

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Using Spurs as a benchmark you have to agree > Arsenal and Wenger have achieved. > > However as major London clubs there is perhaps an > argument that both should be doing better. > > As a very general rule the top clubs in Europe > come from the cities that are the financial hubs > of those countries, Madrid, Munich, Paris. it's > been rare over the last 25 years for London to > have a top club. Arsenal have occasionally hit the > heights of European finals but not enough in my > opinion and Arsene's stadium excuse is running > thin. Not that he references that himself, but > Spurs have struggled to find the right formula > altogether. How many flaws in this Mick? - As SJ points out Frankfurts is Germany's financial huub and last time I looked Barcelona had a pretty good record over the past 25 years (see also teams from Milan/Turin). The comparison is poor too becuase of the depth of Football in the UK and the competition within London - 11 teams in Premiership or Football League Traditionally and historically snd supportwies, London's biggest 4 were Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham, with the north London duo being the biggest, The last 20 odd years has meant that Chelsea are now bigger than Spurs I guess. But these 4 would is size/support size be in the top 10 of any other league in Europe. the second tier of London teams - QPR, Crystal Palace, Fulham (and possibly Charlton) would all be pretty big clubs and top tier in most european leagues. Brentford, Orient are as big as most teams in Serie B too. Only Millwall are useless Minnows. If there were just two teams in London - say London Utd and London city, I suspect that they would be the biggest clubs in the world.

i think we should change this thread's title to "Aircraft noise - don't have your say"

the thought of not having to buy an annuity...has genuienely cheered me up and enthused me, showing my age :)

The pensions bit looks great on the face of it. Good to see the lib dems ideas on threshold taken through to conclusion. All the childcare stuff looks like a bribe to me - take away child benefit etc then do thid? typical politics Business investment threshold good ISAs makes sense Stamp duty on company properties closes that loophole 7/10 haters gonna hate tho

Come on, I think this thread would have more value and be more relevant if everyone posted evertime they heard a plane flying over SE22...I am at work now (WC1 - nice and quiet) but when I get home I'll get right on to it

It was a photo - I googled this evening standard venezula snatch squad and it was the third entry, but I don't have an ES account but you'll see it's there and that was what it was about

StraferJack Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > way to claim moral high ground - deride someone > for being "brave ho ho" and then post a relatively > detailed take down of their personal appearance > anonymously on a public forum > > he may be a dick but he did what he did to your > face - you however.... > > heat of the moment stuff maybe but it's still here > half a day later but he didn't do it to his face di he, he just stuck his fingers up at his wife unloading her kids. Why didn't he stop and ask her what she was doing unloading there? I agree with Longe Lizard, act of a tosser.

Im am sure this is connected with the nosiy planes thread

Nice to see in the Standard Chavez's annointed successor has snatch squads seizing demonstrators of the street on motorbikes to 'no one knows where'....still socking it to Uncle Sam though, so let's let them roughride all over freedom of the press/democracy and human rights eh

Never trust a jogger

...but it is a fair way from East Dulwich/DV/Herne Hill etc, so you may be asking in the wrong place