he's done pretty well all things considered

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:19, 2 replies, latest was 14 years ago)

what, that he's a fucktard who couldn't find his arse with both hands?
That he's in charge of the ecomony despite knowing as much about economics as Al's nutsack?
That's he's genuinely an awful man?

were those the things you were considering?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:21, Reply)

And I'll be honest, that's being extremely insulting to Al's nutsack and I'm sorry about that.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:21, Reply)

I was considering our continued ability to borrow at reasonable rates
I am considering the much needed reduction in the size and expense of the public sector, i am considering a politician doing what's right for once not what the crowing masses demand because they are used to the government spoon feeding them.
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:24, Reply)

tell me
the economic basis on which you think the public sector needed reduction in size and expense, apart from the fact "the tories say so" ?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:26, Reply)

It's as simple as the fact that we cannot afford the pension liabilities that it will create
without massive pension reform that won't happen as all the public sector workers have a cry and refuse to go to work if they don't get what they want.

*stamps foot, cries until sick, goes out on strike*
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:30, Reply)

no-one has the faintest fucking idea whether pensions can be afforded or not.
it's not predictable. It's just a message that suits the current government.

You want to bail a country out of a financial crisis? Try a) raising taxes, because there's not one single good reason for not doing that and b) stop fighting fucking wars in other people's countries.

Right now you have a financial crisis created by a downturn in the global markets. That was in turn caused by stupendously idiotic banking practicies (private sector) and then maintained by stupid economic practices/failure to ever fucking collect tax in various eurozone countries. Not because public sector pensions are quite good.

This government targets the public sector because it wants to, and because it wants to break the unions - and specifically because they know that a large proportion of the chattering Mail classes will support them because they are too stupid to see it as anything other than a "but NOT FAIR they have more pension than me" issue.

Not because it makes any sense or because there is any sound economic reason behind it.

And bear in mind, as Al will testify, I don't like unions and I do think the public sector should contribute more to their pension, and I still think Osborne is a fucktard and his policies are idiotic and insane.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:43, Reply)

It wasn't silly banking practices, in all honesty.
This has happened before and it will happen again and it's not just about banks as such.
( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:50, Reply)

specifically, in this case, it was rather, though, wasn't it? It was about fucking up how bad debt was packaged
But in general, absolutely, I agree. but the cost of public sector pensions had nothing to do with it, and isn't a relevant way to get out of it. That was my point
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:53, Reply)

No, the debt problem was the pin that burst the bubble this time.
If you have banks listed as private companies then this whole thing will happen all over again. That is a separate discussion though.

The pension problem has little to do with this however. The simple solution is to execute people once they reach retirement. This will also mean people spend more during their lives rather than save and will further stimulate the economy. IAM GENIUZ!
( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:58, Reply)

Can't fail. Mumpsy for PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:00, Reply)

Sadly it's the people closer to retirement age than thee and I that have the money and power Badger, so it will never happen.

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:01, Reply)

Yes but we can throw things better than them and have all the guns.
REVOLUTION!
( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:03, Reply)

I was saying this just the other day.

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:00, Reply)

*narrows eyes*
A usurper. Guards! Take him to Kent.
( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:02, Reply)

Welcome to the cause Comrade.

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:51, Reply)

Only if I'm still allowed fast cars and flat screen TVs and shit?

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:57, Reply)

Well, obviously.
As one of the party officials you will have all these things, as is only right.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:58, Reply)

a) Apart from the laffer curve, and the fact that all but the top 5% or so of people are squeezed to hell anyway. Sure, a 60% rate foe earnings over 200k wont hurt in the short term though, but such thinks are not desirable.
b) In complete agreement
(Glucose-Maximus All over the world., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:52, Reply)

WILL NOBODY THINK OF THE TIT-PUNCHING?!

(NoeI «:::P:::» «:::E:::» «:::R:::» «:::V:::» «:::E:::», Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:53, Reply)

man, I'm so sorry
I would tit-punch Jordan too, to see if my hand broke.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:56, Reply)

That's more like it.

(NoeI «:::P:::» «:::E:::» «:::R:::» «:::V:::» «:::E:::», Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:59, Reply)

I could list people I'd like a tit-wank from. Does that help?

( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:59, Reply)

Sure, fire away.

(NoeI «:::P:::» «:::E:::» «:::R:::» «:::V:::» «:::E:::», Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:00, Reply)

I'd get a titwank from Jordan
to see if my cock was up to it.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:00, Reply)

I beginning to suspect you've got a bit of a thing for one Katie Price.

(NoeI «:::P:::» «:::E:::» «:::R:::» «:::V:::» «:::E:::», Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:04, Reply)

Or are you just trying to get to Harvey?

(NoeI «:::P:::» «:::E:::» «:::R:::» «:::V:::» «:::E:::», Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:04, Reply)

That one in the films with nice jugs, forget her name now.
Lorainne Kelly.
Any underwear model from early 90's catalogues.
TORI AMOS!!!!! of fuck me, what I wouldn't give for that.
( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:05, Reply)

TORI AMOS!!!!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BroNPS0uuNM
( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:06, Reply)

If I don't get Tori Amos for Christmas this year I'm going to go MENTAL.

( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:12, Reply)

How many of the public sector are in that top 5%?
and therefore why is it fair to squeeze them more?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:55, Reply)

Like I said, Osbourne is still evil.

(Glucose-Maximus All over the world., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:01, Reply)

It's grown during the times of plenty, and now some austere pruning is required

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:31, Reply)

But that's the whole tragic point
It was a time of plenty, but still they borrowed and borrowed to create 'jobs' and buy votes
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:32, Reply)

TONY B*LAIR AND GORDAN CLOWN WONT GET AWAY WITH IT

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:34, Reply)

Stepping out of silly mode for a second - You know you're wrong about that.
We went into the financial crisis with some of the lowest borrowing in the world.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:34, Reply)

Despite the cock ups he is the lesser evil (and he is still an evil)
compared to pigface.
(Glucose-Maximus All over the world., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:22, Reply)

pigface?
Do you mean Balls?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:23, Reply)

indeedy

(Glucose-Maximus All over the world., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:23, Reply)

Moot point as they aren't in power.
So it's not the lesser of anything. Economics wise, Osborne isn't so much scraping the bottom of the barrel as crashing through it whilst still accelerating.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:25, Reply)

I'm pretty sure Chancellors don't have to do all the maths themselves

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:26, Reply)

No, I'm well aware of that
Since my wife was at the treasury until 18 months ago.

They do, however, have the right to over-rule the civil servants and economists there that DO know what they are talking about, which Osborne has a habit of doing. Which is scary.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:28, Reply)

he is such a massive, massive, MASSIVE prick

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:24, Reply)

I like the way he thinks the way Britain can protect itself from the too high- soverign debt caused recession is to
increase sovereign debt.
(Glucose-Maximus All over the world., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:29, Reply)

Actually, the problem is very little to do with soverign debt.
Both Italy and Portugal have pretty low soverign deby compared to, say, the US.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:46, Reply)

Thats just an economic Nuke waiting to happen.
And it is the fault of the state loving authoritarians that have taken over both of their main parties.
(Glucose-Maximus All over the world., Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:48, Reply)

While I see your point
I don't think it is, because soverign debt, like any debt, isn't a problem as long as the country makes more by not repaying it than it costs them to repay it. And short of global financial armageddon, the US will always be in that position. And if global financial armageddon does come about, no-one will care anyway.

However, the fact that they can't fucking agree on ANYTHING might cause a few issues down the line.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 17:51, Reply)

We have no precedent to work from
Pinning our hopes to any political horse isn't necessarily constructive right now.

Possibly the closest the modern world has come to the current situation is the US in 1932. FDR's WPA was badly administered but was a rather rudimentary predeccessor of "Plan B", and was rather overtaken by external events.

There seems to be a reluctance to accept that nobody really knows what to do, because there are no viable parallels.
( The Disappointed Caravanner of the year, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 18:14, Reply)