SeanMacGabhann

several people away on holiday or new jobs as well LgD so..... not as many eyeballs I suspect

I think you'll find it was SteveT - you just weren't aware of it.

SteveT Are you absolutely sure about that last post? Have you written something you meant or can it be misconstrued? I have no idea what you mean by "one's own race" - most of us are mongrels surely? WHat do you mean by "the next unusable word on the horizon"? Are you really not aware of the struggles of black people throughout history and the very specific meaning of white people calling black people by that term? Do you think the dog down the road with that name was just a happy accident? Have Anglo-Saxon people a long history of cotton-picking and being slaves and burning crucifixes turning up outside their home? Which immigrants do you know who want to stop immigration and do you point out to them that you want them out as well? Are you going to send me back in fact? I need to know!

me likeee Asset (tu)

fair play - i hold my hands up and shall now check out Sergio "and co." my trips to the newsagent, the organically-minded grocer (just be organic or don't you silly moo - don't be "minded"), that 'orrible restaurant next to the Dog (Piaf - each and every "under new management" incarnation) sometimes in the Dog, the clothes shops and the chemist have left me scarred On reflection I have been in to Panino D'oro onceuponatime and thought they were pretty good...

well, THAT'S more like it - why didn't you just say so? I enjoyed that convo young *Bob* (funny name for a girl) - I'd buy you a drink but you don't do "social"

no connection to the place in question but I would say that: 1) Service in the village generally is a surprise when it's "good" or better 2) not sure what "outside menu" means. A place with outside tables I would expect the same menu regardless (and prices) but it is fairly common for "eat-in" (ie on premises) to be VAT-inclusive (or any other charge they feel like adding to have you away) Doesn't sound like they handled it well at all - but nor would I have been shocked at the price-difference when paying having read "outside menu". Welcome to the forum by the way!

I wouldn't use the word "unfairly" - and putting it in quotes suggests you are quoting me - tsk * pauses to check I used it or not - phew * I would say "un-earned" tho nobody is (or should be) lucky or unlucky in the whole housing market. General inflation and (technical term alert!) "what-have-you" will see house prices rise slowly over time - people would never lose money. It's the whole investing/gambling/assuming I'll make a mint that has skewed the whole thing In your example I have no idea what the timescale of the "several years" was - it could have been 5 or it could have been 30 - but I'm assuming the point you are making is that people have always doubled-their-money? http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/ http://www.whatprice.co.uk/financial/housing-market/house-prices.html well they will always rise in the long-term. But the recent hyper inflation is unprecendented - the real losers are first-time homebuyers without wealthy parents - not people who have a big pile land in their laps

And I was agreeing with your first paragraph or two as well "Houses are an investment" ? Not in my book should they be - and historically they weren't really. I don't know of many previous generations which, without doing anything other than having their parents die, suddenly found themselves on half a mill (or the equivalent sum). Houses were somewhere to live - a roof over a head. And should be. Houses haven't become so expensive overnight and with no help from Joe Public. It's when people realised they could "potentially" become 'excessively wealthy' that so many people have been sucked into the bracket. A 3 bed semi shouldn't qualify anyone as excessively wealthy - but even in today's money it often does (compared to... ooooohh lot's of people) .. and that ain't the governments fault. Well.... not wholly anyway. If you SAVE half a million pounds - put money from your pay-packet aside - then no of course it's not fair. If you encounter half a million pounds because, through no effort of your, the housing "market" decrees it - pay the tax man!

oooh I meant to add - and if you were chancellor, how would you replace the income lost if you were to abolish IHT When I say what would you do - I, of course, mean not in a theoretical way - but in a way that the electorate would buy. I, for example, might question the amount we spend on defence.. but then if I put my budget to the public I would expect to never get a sniff of power and thus be rendered useless Whisper it - but rather than pay higher income tax, people (in an election) would probably prefer the current levels of IHT to higher headline level income tax. Even if they say they wouldn't. Of course people would probably rather scrap the NHS than pay levels of tax (versus 2 ringtones a week/skysports) but that's by the by...

I'm not fundamentalist on this - my mind is open so let the dialogue continue my argument about it being one of the few brakes on house prices - ok you can argue it has been pretty ineffective - but I still say if people weren't so damn greedy (and from your previous posts *Bob* I definitely don't see you as that) then they wouldn't be in a position to pay the damn thing. Everyone flip-flops about house prices - bemoan when they can't afford something, rub their hands when they make ?200k - but goddammit house prices are way too high. End of. Simple economics explain the high house prices but simple economics (thank god) don't rule every aspect of our lives yet - we manage them (when we have the will) House price rises are not income you have worked hard and are being taxed on twice - surely??? If you die then you aren't being taxed. If you are the young 'un inheriting the family home, how exactly are you being taxed twice?

yep - I know the rules... and I think fair. Apart from being one of the few brakes on house prices rising (hey guys! if these prices keep rising as much as they do then we could end up liable for IHT! No worry bro.. the government will be forced to raise the limit and we'll be quids in!!! hi five!!!!!) what it means is (and I'm potentially in this situation in the relatively near future) - a bunch of people, some of whom may or may not still live in the family home, inherit a property worth - say - half a million. They get to choose between selling the house and splitting the cash (after tax - still a hefty sum they weren't getting previously). Or.. they get a very, very, VERY cheap mortgage by taking out a loan to pay the tax bill... If these 2 choices are just TOO heartbreaking to contemplate, there is always the real world....

I hear that - but if someone has a better idea I'm always up for it I do find the constant belittling of any political process very corrosive and self-defeating tho (not saying that's what you've done - just that it is everywhere, all the time, with nothing approaching a rational solution to the problems we face from many of the belittlers - see the BNP thread)

why would you have to sell the family home to pay for inheritance tax? Bren - I don't necessarily see the function of government as a Bad Thing. Governments have bailed out whole nations and economies before because those trustworthy banks and train/oil/property barons messed up so badly. That doesn't mean that governments don't mess up too - but they are the only creation capable of dealing with national problems

a big fan of the BBC - but to back up the rumours the last time I went it wasn't up to usual standards - food appearred to be from a different source and the oil had seen it's fair share of food. I put it down to an off day tho and plan to be back

y'see I'm the opposite - I assume my family/loved ones are quite capable human beings regardless of my existence. If my "estate" benefits a greater good I would, assuming I was still capable of thought in the afterlife, be quite pleased I don't see the word as "my family and loved ones" versus everyone else. The old cliche of "strangers are just friends I haven't met yet" is one I think has some merit

The sausages in the Lane made me very very afraid.... rest was ok-ish tho Cheaper for a reason

shoshntosh I belive Alan was referring to a thread way back from me - he delights in calling me anti-American I think you and I PM'd at the time?

fun???? those bookies debts don't pay for themselves you know! ;-) seriously cannonni, come along on the 9th. We've all had to do the "scuse me... are you the EDF?" thing at one point - and we're all still here

for a small fee, you can PM me and I'll spill the beans on who's who...

PGC - really??? I suppose it's possible to have a party and enjoy people's company but if you start telling me it was a great steak I'll be gobsmacked!

We can reasonably state that the restuarant chain in question is fairly "crappy" regardless of where it comes from tho can't we? I almost don't want to comment on this thread as Alan Dale will near certainly start banging on about me and Americans again If the English chains (Happy Chef! Aberdeen Steak House! the joys.... ) decided to expand across the US and locals there complained about "crappy UK restaurants" I wouldn't take it as being anti-UK... I would just call it sound judgement

yes allfornun. the guardian spoke only of ed locations god some people are wilfully ignorant

all this more likely means that most of us recognized, albeit subconsciously in many cases, that the education system is geared to factory-produce "workers" and not to... ummmm.. educate But to be fair most of us don't want educating - given the largest access to information ever, and beyond the wildest dreams of only a few generations ago, most people seem happy to use the internet for porn and slebri'ies so yes that's me down as yet another "he's alright but could do better"

In a shock-to-noone... Economic Left/Right: -7.62 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.85