Ian. Lol. At last I have video evidence. That isn't anything to do with riots. Been wondering who knocks my bin over every week.
plantbrain said:
The only reason why the Rich hire more people is because demand goes up, not because they get Government freebies, kickbacks, legalized "Bribes", this is not about politics, this business and economics. Taking care of the rich just means they end up with more money is all, not help out more poor people. Trickle down economics is a failure. I own a business and run several different sides/aspects to it.
Its a bit different over here Tom.
The UK has virtually none of its own manufacturing left. Not for serious investment. All we have now are banks and retail.
Most of our economy relies on foreign investment. Over the past 2-3 decades we have increasingly had to encourage the Japanese, Germans no doubt soon to be Indian and Chinese et al to choose Britain as the place to setup manufacturing. We cannot do that if we then penalise them. they just choose other countries where they are not penalised and therefore we don't get the jobs.
Some will blame Thatcher but in reality it was our own people's demands that pushed the labour cost too high and also our own companies not investing in upgraded manufacturing processes/machinery/facilities. We got behind and then couldn't match the other emerging countries on cost or quality.
This lack of investment can be seen both ways. either as the rich owners pocketing too much or not being able to invest due to the labour cost. either way that is a side issue.
So in essence we have to beg the rich from other countries to come here and setup business or we have nothing but retail and finance left. Even the British manufacturing that we do have left (Dyson etc.) are threatening moving out of the UK. Many (I would suggest most) already source everything from outside of the UK and plain and simple build the finished product in the UK.
Always blamed on Thatcher but in truth should be blamed on the common man, people like me and every other joe bloggs that works that demanded ever improving wages and conditions.
I just watched a 'youth question time special' on the Riots. I heard some say exactly what I have said above. More the adult panel than the youths. Most of the youths <24s have grown up thinking this lax level of discipline and rights of young people are the standard and they all spouted the same blarb of 'no prospects, low expectancy etc.'
I heard one suggest that under our current government people are having to work more hours for less money than before. before what? a couple of years ago? Turn back the clock 20 years people and then complain about the wage for the hours put in. We have it easy these days.
Its quite wierd really. I was 30 when my first child was born 6 years ago and already was worried about what kind of world he would grow up in. My wife was 23 and she was on the lines of these kids even though she is from Portugal. To her it was £20 Puma trainers for a 1 year old and designer cots/pushchairs. It amazes me. The argument was 'what is wrong with wanting my son to have nice shoes and look good'. I think it is an age thing. I just caught the last remnants of proper discipline before I got to the teenage years.
My answer was and still is 'because there is more to life than worrying about image. Forget what the idiot over the street thinks.
I buy all my kids clothes off ebay in bundles. £1-£2 an item. I buy those 'flashy' clothes that are only 6 months - 1 year old from those idiots and I'm not ashamed to dress my kids second hand. It appeases the wife because they have the stupid labels whilst not wasting money that could be better spent on buying good fresh food and not a freezer full from Iceland.
I live on what people in Lincoln consider one of the worst streets in Lincoln . Being brought up in a quite desirable area of Lincoln myself I too thought the same before I moved here. Its not actually bad at all but reputations from many moons ago linger on in the mids of those who have never been here.
Its actually quiet, sociable and friendly. Of course there is the odd druggie house here or drunkard who lives on his own yet bangs on the door every sunday for someone to let him in when he forgets his keys (there's no-one in there....you live alone you fool) but it is a council estate so I guess that is to be expected.
A lot of families on this street live in electrical luxury but in undecorated houses. They do not work, not the mother, the father (if there is one), not the 4 or 5 kids. They get taxis everywhere they go sometimes several times a day. they do not use buses as they have to walk 4 minutes up the road for the bus and then wait for anything up to 15 minutes for the next bus. They push their own Tesco trolley to Tesco and fill it up and bring it back home leaving it in the front garden. their front gardens and very generously sized back gardens (that would make most home owners very jealous) are left to ruin for most of the year apart from the yearly strimming where the communal strimmer is lent from house to house. They stand at their front doors smoking their packs of 20 or if they are budgeting their roll ups both of which will be contraband as this is big business on the council estates. They let their 5 and 6 year olds play on the street of their own freewill. These 5 or 6 year olds leave the house when they want to, play when they want to and their parents let them.
Still its a quiet life up here apart from the damn ice cream van which comes on the hour every hour from 9 in the morning until 9 at night rain or shine, sumer or winter.....there is always a queue!!!!
They take out £500 loans at unemployed 50% interest rates because their kids party has to live up to everyone else's. Has to have a hired bouncy castle, every other kid has to see that the birthday 5 year old gets a Nintendo DS, Party bags to be taken home have to be uber flashy and so the merry go round goes on.
Me. My kids parties consist of pass the parcel, musical chairs etc. there are no party bags. The kids get to take a piece of cake home and any prize they won (book or pack of pencils etc.) All the kids enjoy themselves, they all go home happy. I couldn't care less if the parents think that I am tight. Its about the kids not impressing the parents.
The essence of the story? If the mentality is that designer labels, electricals, fags, booze and several ice creams a day are must haves, that they are not lifestyle choices then of course they are all going to feel the pinch.
The rest of us. We live within our means (maybe take credit within our means) but we choose to eat better and live better for ourselves and not so that it looks good to the person next door. Its not 'keeping up with the Jones' anymore. Everybody IS the Jones' there's noone to keep up with because everybody thinks its the norm.
While that mentality of luxuries being considered necesseties and maintaining an image for others continues, then all the kids grow up thinking the same and things get worse.
Doesn't excuse 'latching' onto a reason created by some politicians or political thinktanks falsely use to 'sympathise' with their 'plight'. Put a 'reason' out there and they all feel vindicated in their thinking they are hard done by.
Andy