Thatcher

[xane]

Oh and manufacturing is key. Once your country just doesnt make anything any more you are in serious trouble no matter how rosy unemployment figures etc 'look'.

I couldn't have asked for a better example of "old lefty" thinking. This is Keynesian politics (not) at work. As stated above, many countries produce nothing yet manage to maintain a high level of employment, growth and economy, clearly manufacturing is not the key.

Britain started life as a major world manufacturer, in fact it got the whole manufacturing revolution started, at that time the Labour movement was born, and its traditional doctrines are entrenched in that era, which is no more and will never be.

The whole world makes things, and there are plenty of places that make them better, cheaper, faster and more efficiently. This was not the case 100 years ago, so any policy that does not recognise this fact is doomed to failure.

Same goes for Thatcher and her monetarist policies, they were okay back in 1980, but not in 1990, as Major found to his cost, or rather, our cost.

 

[Danya]

It's about bloody time house prices went down a bit if you ask me (I only say this cos I want to buy one and can't afford it. )

Governments? Bah the whole of parliament is corrupt money grabbling twats atm, I wouldn't vote if we had an exlection tomorrow (though I did a tactical lib dem vote last election to stop vague's lot getting in).

 

[yaruar]

It's about bloody time house prices went down a bit if you ask me (I only say this cos I want to buy one and can't afford it. )
.

DO what i'm planning to do, wait until interest rates go up and prices start dropping and all the buy to let people start realising they can't afford it any more, and can't sell because confidence in the market is going down and prices drop, thus leaving them with negative equity. So the bank repossesses the house when they can't make the payments and sells it, but they still require cash so their first house gets reposessed and then buy the house at an auction at a cut down price.

I suspect in 5 years time there are going to be a lot of people pissed off with buying a home with a 5 times salary mortgage when interest rates are double what they are now

 

[Dillinja]

You mean Bodhi ?

Or Dillinja ? (if you wanna bring eOT into it)

They're all entitled to an opinion. Most of us are pretty middle-of-the-road imo though. No point in huffing about it.

I know better than to get into any more political discussions on these boards.

 

[Gumbo]

I especially liked the part where BT offered to wire up the whole country with fibre optic and the dim cow blocked it. We could all have been on Scandinavian type internet connections decades ago.

Aaaah, good gaming pings and ability to warez, oh, and streaming video. The only key to a prosperous future.

General Belgrano anyone? Lets sink a retreating ship in international waters for no other reason than Im a vindictive old bag.

And the fact we were at war with a country who had recently invaded our sovereign territory played no part in the decision?

Oh and manufacturing is key. Once your country just doesnt make anything any more you are in serious trouble no matter how rosy unemployment figures etc 'look'.

Switzerland?

You may gather from this Im not a fan of Margaret. uke:

Really?

 

[Tom]

I suspect in 5 years time there are going to be a lot of people pissed off with buying a home with a 5 times salary mortgage when interest rates are double what they are now

Wise words. Makes me glad I bought my home when I did, and made sure I could afford double the interest rates on it.

 

[TedTheDog]

Being old and a bit of a lefty myself I'll try and temper my disgust with the thatcher years...

In essence, I think what I loathed about her more than anything else is the fact that a majority of the british public supported her for years when her policies were so overtly selfish and elitist. She should have been a joke, but she became prime minister and then, if that wasnt bad enough, stayed there.

People like thatcher should not come to power in a 1st world country like ours yet she did so for years. Wasnt ANYONE paying attention? Her polices that supported a minority were voted for by the majority. Did everyone think they too could be in that minority? I guess they voted her out once they realised they couldnt.

ps Free The Granny 1

 

[Gumbo]

That's probably it Ted, there were a lot of people aspiring to get to where they could benefit from the policies Her government advocated, that's why she stayed in power for so long.

I'm doing much the same as Yaruarararar. I am getting myself in as little debt as possible, and hoping to swoop when the surely inevitable crash comes. I cannot see how these people with outrageous debts and mortgages which in some cases are far higher than 5 times their annual income, expect to survive if the interest rates go up even a point or two.

We shall see I suppose, but I wonder how long Gordon can keep this up. Mind you the alternative also scares the bejeezus out of me.

Aaah well, we live in interesting times, I guess.

 

[xane]

People like thatcher should not come to power in a 1st world country like ours yet she did so for years. Wasnt ANYONE paying attention? Her polices that supported a minority were voted for by the majority. Did everyone think they too could be in that minority? I guess they voted her out once they realised they couldnt.

People voted for Thatch because there was no credible alternative, and the memories of the 1970s were still fresh. They (me) were paying a lot more attention than you give credit for.

 

[Tom]

I think when you have people like Michael Foot turning up at rememberance day in an outfit that even the local tramps would turn their noses up at, and then you replace him with a balding ginger Welshman (not that I'm anti-Welsh/Ginger/bald), you can see why people would vote Tory.

 

[mr.Blacky]

To me (not living in the UK) it seems that most people get elected in the UK caus there are no credible oponents, Thatcher -> Kinnock (sp?) Blair -> Haig. Would this mean that there won't be a Tory government for another 8 years?

 

[Gengi]

Why did we vote for Maggie ?
Personally it was because of many of the previous answers already given. I was going to avoid posting on this thread in deference to Granny, with me being your actual Sun Reading right wing reactionary bastard, but bollocks.
We needed someone like her at the helm at the time. The Unions were running the Labour party and screwing the country royally. Basically the pendulum had swung too far to the left for joe public to be content with the politics of the 70's. Then along came Maggie, lower taxes, higher employment, better services the regular litany of any wanna be politician, but coupled with a plan that would get rid of the perceived 'jobs for life for the boys' culture that had become established in the beginning of the decade. We, as a country, IMHO, needed Maggie at the time. Yes she fucked up, some of her policies were abominable, Poll Tax being the stand out, but the majority of people were better off, or they saw the chance to get better off.
Maggie did some remarkably good things for this country, she also fucked up, I think she may be a human. How many of you or your parents bought the council hoses you/they lived in ? Labour was unelectable at the time and it was only by abandoning their socialist ethos that they became electable after the conservatives fucked up and continued to flog the dead horse of yesterdays policies. Change comes, the New Politics of the Third Way are a case in point, trying to blend enough socialism into a basically conservative platform to woo the majority, it obviously works as Blairy boy is in charge till next year .
Anyway I Blame the Sex Pistols. They said there was no future so we all ran out and voted for Maggie hoping she would blow up the planet with Ronald Raygun at her side

later

 

[Xtro]

Haven't read the thread.

But...

Thatcher is and was an evil fucking bitch and I hope she burns in hell and I'd gladly stab her in the face.

 

[Wij]

Haven't read the thread.

But...

Thatcher is and was an evil fucking bitch and I hope she burns in hell and I'd gladly stab her in the face.

With your c0><0r perv-boy

 

[]AC[dRuM]

she stole my milk... nuff said! (for those old enough to remember)

 

[Tom]

Milk isn't all that healthy for you tbh.

 

[MYstIC G]

Thatcher also removed all of the massively expensive nationalised industry, and replaced it with privately funded businesses, which do a much better job than before.

To be honest I do think the phrase "in the majority of instances" should be tagged on here.

 

[Tom]

Well I'd give broad agreement there, particularly with regard to the bus services, but you can't always polish a turd.

 

[SawTooTH]

DO what i'm planning to do, wait until interest rates go up and prices start dropping and all the buy to let people start realising they can't afford it any more, and can't sell because confidence in the market is going down and prices drop, thus leaving them with negative equity. So the bank repossesses the house when they can't make the payments and sells it, but they still require cash so their first house gets reposessed and then buy the house at an auction at a cut down price.

I suspect in 5 years time there are going to be a lot of people pissed off with buying a home with a 5 times salary mortgage when interest rates are double what they are now

Pensioner mortgages are the next big idea. You pay off the debt from sale of house after death. Its only going to be a bit of a bummer for those left behind.

 

[throdgrain]

Lol in all honesty when you read that quote it does look alarmingly nieve dont it ?

 

[mr.Blacky]

Perhaps, what is nieve?

 

[Tom]

The only people who could afford to purchase repossesed homes during the last recession were wealthy. I don't doubt that certain people here consider themselves wealthy, but not to the same degree as would be required here.

Its quite simple really. If you want a house, get it now, if you can't afford that house, then move somewhere cheaper.

 

[Gumbo]

That may be the case Tom, but if I have 20k in the bank and you have 70k in debts, i'd bet on me being able to afford the auctioned house, come the recession, over you.

However you do make a fair point.

Unfortunatly the cheapest houses in Norfolk at present are about 150k, so unless I moved to another part of the country, or got in way over my head, it's just not going to happen at the moment.

 

[Bodhi]

I did post with names in originally, but I thought better than that. No need to bring up their names by mention, it will no doubt only kick another argument off.

And if Bodhi disagreed with me I'd just laugh at his stupid hair/beard combo.

And I'd laugh at you even more, cos I've had brown hair for a year and a half and no beard for about 6 months. So ner.

 

[Tom]

Unfortunatly the cheapest houses in Norfolk at present are about 150k, so unless I moved to another part of the country, or got in way over my head, it's just not going to happen at the moment.

Well, if you want your own home, you're either going to have to inherit something, or move elsewhere, because prices may drop, but not by a lot. Too many people + too few houses = high prices.

 

[Gumbo]

But surely present rises are unsustainable?

So, you have a mortgage for 5 times your salary, which most people would say is already over stretching yourself.

House prices are going up 100 quid a day on your average home.

How many of us are getting 20 quid a day pay rises at the moment?

There must come a point where there is no-one able to come in at the bottom, I believe the expression would then be a lack of upward pressure.

I agree if you had got in a couple of years ago now, you would be laughing, but the market has reached, or is fast approaching the point where no-one can get in at all.

This, I believe has consequences, which when coupled to run away personal debt is a bit frightening.

If house prices just fall to where they were 3 years ago, I would be happy and diving in. In my part of the world that would mean that the 2 bed terrace which currently costs 150k, I could pick up for 70k. It really is that stupid round here right now.

 

[Tom]

Its supply and demand. Lots of demand, not much supply. Its very difficult for first time buyers I agree, but that will mostly effect the level of house price inflation, and not the actual price of housing.

I couldn't afford my house now, but I was fortunate 3 years ago to find a house that was empty, needed tons of work doing, and cheap, in a nice area. I got a mortgage that is only just over twice my annual income (less so if its a good year), so I'm sitting pretty right now. Its my intention to have it paid off within 15 years or so.

 

[Wij]

Its supply and demand. Lots of demand, not much supply. Its very difficult for first time buyers I agree, but that will mostly effect the level of house price inflation, and not the actual price of housing.

I couldn't afford my house now, but I was fortunate 3 years ago to find a house that was empty, needed tons of work doing, and cheap, in a nice area. I got a mortgage that is only just over twice my annual income (less so if its a good year), so I'm sitting pretty right now. Its my intention to have it paid off within 15 years or so.

Your words seem to mock me comrade