Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I know what you're getting at Alan, and also that you're being a bit tongue in cheek, but just in case people take it literally.

So, everyone has a fridge, but that doesn't really define not being poor does it.

http://www.poverty.org.uk/01/index.shtml








So things getting a leeeetle bit later, but...

I know Alan likes a good debate and I should know better - but:


"Intellectual superiority and economic inferiority often go hand in hand"

Based on what analysis and study? Is it aimed at anyone on here?


"Whilst this debate is of some merit, the ultimate pull the rug out question for those who moan about the city bonuses is 'what would you do about it?' invariably their answers would cripple the economy and spoil the party for everyone"

It may be the ultimate question but it would be rash to try and answer it without making the journey first. The first question being "Is everything hunky dory or is there anything we might want to address in this world of ours?"

If we see people suffering genuine hardship is there nothing we want to do?

Is sharing resources that difficult for people?

Business always complains that any new rules would cripple it (and did so back in the slave days.... bless em)


"It's a tough life lesson. Some people are more able, others are more priveleged and lots work harder. If you have a specific gripe about your own situation then I expect it can be addressed. If you are just expressing an empathy for a disenfrachised underclass then don't bother - they wouldn't extend you the same courtesy."

Oooh look - another generalisation. Says who Alan? History shows the progress made by mankind when it co-operates rather than competes. And looking for gratitude isn't th eorder of the day in any case.


"The wealth gap problem is one created and propagated because no one is poor enough to worry about any more. If the price of making everyone rich enough to feed and clothe themselves is that a few people appear to be ludicrously wealthy then so be it."

"noone" is poor enough? sheesh. Poverty doesn't begin and end at clothes and food (although that was the case for most of our history)

It doesn't take the worlds most bleeding heart to sit in an office at 6pm when the cleaners come in, speak to them, realise that most of them are doing several different jobs, for perfectly "repectable" agencies who try and dock every single penny they can for the most petty reasons (toiletbreaks etc) . Pennies that make a difference to their lives. The 6 and 7 figure earners at the top can indulge as much times as they want and not suffer a penny deduction - and think "hang on - something's not right here".


"We've never had it so good."

By which you mean - let them eat cake I assume


and finally: "until something better is found"

Ain't noone going to stumble upon it. The money floats to the top by aggression. If a better way was found it would be ruthlessly stamped out to protect the interests of those concerned. Rights are never granted they are always fought for

If anyone out there is feeling a little down, they're more than welcome to come an look in my 'Enron Memorabilia' drawer.

I have two flashing yo-yos, some 'stress relief' squeezers, bouncey balls, a musical pen and an "ENRON - MOVIN'' ON UP" torch.


Always cheers me up anyway.

A city boy, Kenny moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said: "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died."

Kenny replied: "Well then, just give me my money back."

The farmer said: "Can't do that, I went and spent it already."

Kenny said: "OK then, at least give me the donkey."

The farmer asked: "What ye gonna do with him."

Kenny: "I'm going to raffle him off."

Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey."

Kenny: "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he is dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked: "What happened with that dead donkey?"

Kenny: "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $900."

Farmer: "Didn't anyone complain?"

Kenny: "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."

Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron.


Not quite in line with this thread and I guess it should be in the jokes section but just the mere mention of Enron and I couldn't help myself. Hope it lightened things up a bit.

"It also seems that the people most concerned about 'the poor' are middle class Guardian readers who moan about the system because they themselves made a spurious career choice and slipped down the relative wealth league tables that they hold so dear."


Um, do you mean me?


I do regret my "spurious" career. Even though it suits my skills, I'm good at it, I enjoy it and I'm doing well, alas, if only I was a city boy. Then I could earn bucketloads of money and have no life!!! Great!

>People forget that for 70 years Enron was a successful company that employed and therefore fed and clothed a huge number of

> hard working people.


Indeed, when it was a real company producing a real commodity. Then it bought into the whole limitless greed is good thing (probably thanks to that force for evil, McKinsey & Company), people did anything to secure their bonuses, risk-managers were drummed out of the business because they didn't bring in an income and the rest, is as they say, history.

People don't forget that Enron was a successful company - but they are entitle to make the obvious point that so many hard-working people were thrown out of work was because of the greed and arrogance of the senior employees - which is exactly what we are talking about

The system might indeed rely on those qualities - but the things that genuinely enrich our lives (and not just the money which greases the wheels) tend not to be generated by the system. Worse they can be flattened by it


Posting about relative merits of caffeine based drinks is not a sign of champagne-soci-alism. I believe they do it in Norway even!


You have a bee in your bonnet about the Guardian today don't you. Although there may be some truth in your statement about it's hang-ups in relation to the Mail. The difference being (as you KNOW) that having a pop at executive pay is, at most, going to affect a very small number of, and already very privileged, individuals (however hard they may have worked). And by affect I mean, not at all


The Mail's hysteria about immigration on the other hand, has a very real consequence for a lot of people who have already had a fair bit to deal with in life

If we're going to get batey about excessive pay I might be tempted to bring up Blair's purported 7 figure advance for his autobiography. Funnily enough I thought there were laws in this country about not profiting from criminal enterprises.


Can I drawing-room this thread?

It's also worth remembering that those affected by 'Guardian-type hysteria' are less likely to spend the evening looking for 'foreigners' so they can kick the living daylights out of them for 'taking our homes, jobs, women etc'.


One thing I do know: I have no envy of anyone who works in the financial sector.


If someone wants to get up while it's still dark, put a cheap suit on, spend two hours a day on public transport with their nose pressed up against someone's armpit, spend ten hours reading the FT and looking at bar-charts whilst praying for 6pm to come - only to be press-ganged into awkward drinks with dick-swinging braying idiots they have nothing in common with other than where the payslips come from.. then more power to them.


It's not for me.

I have to say I actually enjoyed working in the financial sector and I like the city which really is a strange city within a city; good places to eat, some great pubs tucked around and about. I worked at a Dutch bank (soon not be any more but hey) and it had a pretty good culture that encouraged the idea that life's not all about work (you don't get that in the US banks) and trusted in personal responsibility.


You can usually avoid the braying idiots, especially by giving the Pitcher & Piano a very wide berth; that said my liver couldn't take the drink culture any more.


For the record I was an IT geek (gasps all round "Really?!?!?") so was never tempted by red braces over my pink stripey shirt with oversized white collars and cuffs.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • What was he doing on the stage at Glastonbury? Or on the stage at the other concert in Finsbury Park? Grinning like a Cheshire cat whilst pissed and stoned 20 somethings on the promise of free internet sung-- Oh Jeremy Corbyn---  What were his policies for Northern mining towns with no jobs or infrastructure? Free Internet and university places for youngsters. What were his other manifesto pledges? Why all the ambiguity over Brexit?  I didn't like Thatcher, Blair or May or Tony but I respected them as politicians because they stood by what they believed in. I respect all politicians across the board that stick to their principles. Corbyn didn't and its why he got  annihilated at the polls. A socialist, anti imperialist and anti capitalist that said he voted for an imperialist and pro capitalist cabal. He refused to say how he'd vote over and over again until the last knockings. He did so to appease the Islington elite and middle class students he was courting. The same people that were screaming that Brexit was racist. At the same time the EU were holding black and Asian immigrants in refugee camps overseas but not a word on that! Corbyn created and courted a student union protest movement that screamed at and shouted down anyone not on the left . They claimed Starmer and the centre right of labour were tories. He didn't get elected  because he, his movement and policies were unelectable, twice. He turned out not to have the convictions of his politics and died on his own sword.    Reform won't win an election. All the idiots that voted for them to keep out Labour actually enabled Labour. They'll be back voting tory next time.    Farage wouldn't be able to make his millions if he was in power. He's a very devious shyster but I very much doubt he'd actually want the responsibility that governance requires.
    • The purge of hard left members that were part of Corbyn's, Mcdonnel's and Lansmans momentum that purged the party of right wing and centrist members. That's politics. It's what Blair did to win, its what Starmer had to do to win. This country doesn't vote in extreme left or right governments. That's partly why Corbyn lost  We're pretty much a centrist bunch.  It doesn't make it false either. It's an opinion based on the voting patterns, demography and statistics. Can you explain then why former mining constituencies that despise the tories voted for them or abstained rather than vote for Corbyns Labour?  What is the truth then? But he never got elected!!! Why? He should have been binned off there and then. Why he was allowed to hang about is an outrage. I hold him party responsible for the shit show that we've had to endure since. 
    • Depends on what the Barista says doesnt it? There was no physical confrontation with the driver, OP thinks she is being targetted when she isnt. These guys work min wage under strict schedules so give them a break unless they damage your stuff
    • CPR Dave, attendance records are available on Southwark's website. Maggie Browning has attended 100% of meetings. Jon Hartley has attended 65%.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...