the whole honours set up is becoming a joke (just as the sports personality of the year award has become a spin machine for the government!)
dont get me wrong, im sure chris hoy grafted his balls off, and to win 3 gold medals is extraordinary, but a sir? how many other sports people do you know of that have succeeded in three events they hadnt trained for until a few months before the olympics? lewis hamilton - youngest formula one world champion after a mental season of graft all over the world culminating in a thrilling finish on the last corner of the last race, what does he have to do to be knighted? well deserved, hoy's success at the sports personality, (if anything he would have been the only one nominated) in a sport that has seen its lottery funding cut in the past 5 years, i suppose the constant promotion of the olympic medalists (as its the only sport the bbc seems to have these days) on the sports personality of the year awards show, showed?
ben ainslie's monumental effort to win silver, gold, gold, gold at the past 4 olympic games... no knighthood? some swimmer who constantly harps on about shoes is honoured? (can you name her world class closest rival, in either of her events? nope neither can i!)
im finding the whole "pro" olympic bandwagon a bit sick, they even had to wait for a staged managed bus top celebration, which took part in october.. pathetic.
"...Revellers celebrating New Year's Eve will need to wrap up warm to withstand the freezing temperatures forecast for much of the UK."
ive got news for ya weather/media people... ITS WINTER! hardly headline news now is it... get a grip! "Standard Life boss Sandy Crombie has received a knighthood for services to insurance"
you mean hes been knighted for doing his job? insurance agents, come just below car salesmen and estate agents, and just above banking chiefs on the list of most self centred inbreds who deserve to be hit in the nads with a mallet top ten list! if hes that good at what he does, then why has my buildings insurance suddenly shot up by 24% for the coming year?
could it be the insurance industry is RIPPING US ALL OFF??? shame they didnt insure woolies, then maybe those thousands of workers would still have jobs to goto? and finally.......
"....Two surveys offer a mixed picture of the health of the UK's largest company pension schemes in 2008.
Business advice group Deloitte estimates that the pension schemes of the 100 biggest companies are in deficit by £130bn.
But a separate study by Aon Consulting says the top 200 companies' schemes are in the black, although they use different accounting techniques.
Both groups suggest that pension funds remain volatile in the current climate."
so no mention of the effect on peoples pensions (maturing now and in the future) of gordon brown's £55 billion pounds raid then?
love the way that business is still advising us about financial prospects and various markets... after what business has done to us already, using their "know how" i wouldnt trust them to look after an apple! useless pillocks!
at first glance, youd think it would be a crazy idea! but imagine, someone using penny pinchers layout and ideas for their own "community" website, to extract yet more money from its members, has left me with a bit of a dilemma!
Background info: - i was a member of a local "community" forum until early 2008, and when commission links were added (without permission) to some of my posts to the forum, (disguising the commission aspect and where the links were taking the user) i objected. the owner of this so called forum, prefered to move my objection and leaving post to a members only part of the forum so guests to the site could not see what this person was upto. the owner also then preferred to communicate via private email (why didnt they want other members of the forum to see what he was admitting to?) and after a frank exchange he "declared the matter closed!"
- i asked for all posts and membership to be cancelled, to this day they have not actioned this, as i will not be part of a "community" forum which is nothing more than a marketing scam, making money off the back of the friendly members who post there and take it at face value.
- the usual rubbish about "increasing server costs" are used to justify what i see as blatant misleading of people who are unaware of what the website "community" forum has been set up to do.. EARN THE OWNER MONEY!
everywhere you look at the site, the marketing factor stands out a mile: * the gallery is registered with wikipedia for the area * commission links which redirect people to other forum address links, when they are going through an affiliate * no information regarding traffic selling and paying for google adverts * paid for promotion with search engines * cookie dropping on commission paid links
the list is endless.
so i did some digging. interesting things came to light: * starting a post with a question on croatia, 3 days after launching a croatia holiday website (packed full of croatia information) * the owner of the "comunity" forum, encourages the forum members to use the links that generate commission for the owner, but for the previous 18 months, they had been running another website that has a whole host of discount codes for businesses, yet the owner didnt want the forum members to know about it (and still doesnt)
so i set up penny pinchers... where people can get information and make their own decisions based on FACTS and not be conned by a marketing set up.
now for the dilemma: since setting up penny pinchers, just as the "community" forum website has done before - stealing ideas and layouts according to other local community forums (right down to the questions the owner and moderators post to the forum) - the "community" forum owner has been stealing ideas directly from penny pinchers, to use on their "community" website!
penny pinchers introduced a gardening section..... weeks later, so did the "community" forum penny pinchers introduced a money saving section.... weeks later, so did the "community" forum penny pinchers introduced a basic list of companies it has links to.... now the "community" forum has done the same
the dilemma is, these are being used to raise yet more money from the members there! even when a member asks about being redirected to another page of the website (ie, disguised links) they are not told about how when the link is clicked it leaves a cookie on their computer!
the members are good people, they dont deserve to be used by this website!
these are comments by people in response to the question: Have you been shopping in the boxing day sale?
I was in a major DIY store this afternoon - a petrol trimmer had gone up by about £25 !! It was £89.99 a couple of weeks ago and was "reduced" from £130 to £115 today. Buyer beware !! ----------------------------------- I bought a pair of jeans, went into most of the stores and it appeared they haven't reduced the price of their clothes to the full extent. In Zaavi I noticed they put out boxes of DVDs out to lure consumers into thinking they were a bargin, however, when I asked the sales assisstant said they were the same price as before christmas. It appears to be a con as they will reduce them in a few weeks I have heard! ----------------------------------- What slow learners consumers are! Sales means "huge reductions" of what? 50% off, prices made up in the first place and called "SRP". Tacky Chinese products bought in for pence, in the "sale" for pounds. Products listed as "only" 649, saving you £300 . 649 what? Gumbo beans! Merchandising and "offers" to mislead. Discontinued products at "amazing" prices, amazingly high! No I will not be going to the sales,I will save the petrol, parking, cattle market,money and hassle! ---------------------------------------- If shops can reduce their prices by so much ( not that they actually have - they never existed at the full price in the first place ) and still make a profit then what does that tell you ? It tells you that they were more than happy to rip the consumer off for years. Now the tables have turned and they don’t like it one bit, my heart bleeds for them ---------------------------------------- The sale discounts are so large because the prices are over inflated in the first place. Let’s get back to the right price to start with. Believe me the sale prices are not what they seem to be. A retailer of over 30 years. ---------------------------------------- Why can't these sales be left to January? Up until the 1980s I can remember practically everything being closed on Boxing Day.
I feel sorry for the shop workers who cannot enjoy a proper Christmas break. Bloody consumerism! ---------------------------------------- If anything the sales show just how badly we've been ripped off over the years. I've seen things reduced from £999 to £399 - if the shop can sell at £399 and still make a profit, why do people buy at all at full sticker price?
Maybe the banks shouldn't the only targets of the peoples' rage. --------------------------------------- No such thing as a sale in retail. Its overpriced and people buy it, retail makes a huge profit. its reduced and retail sell more and still make as much overal profit. I am amazed how people believe the prices of the dodgy furniture store. Was £1600. Reduced to £1200 and now £600. Pay notrhing for 12 months and then interest free. Still a profit at £600 but £1000 less profit than before. Interest free but read the samll print. Not as it appears. Rip off more like it. ----------------------------------------------- Didn't Christmas hit everyone hard enough? ----------------------------------------------- I think it's time our shops were made to close on Boxing day and New years day, These poor shop workers need a break from dealing with the public and yes I know fire, police, ambulance, hospitals workers and our armed forces have to work for which I am truly grateful but in all honesty do we really need to go shopping. ---------------------------------------------- I went to Debenhams who had a "sale" at 7am this morning, only to find the prices were no lower than they were on Christmas Eve. As for "up to 70% off" - I don't think so!!! Just a load of hype and getting you into the store under false pretences. ---------------------------------------------- How naive can some people be? You don't 'save' money by going to sales! You 'save' money by not spending it in the 1st place! ---------------------------------------------- The prices are more expensive than 2 months ago.
I bought my wife a GPS for xmas (what she wanted). It was advertised in one store at £90, then prior to the sales it became £130 and is in the sale at its original price. I purchased one at normal price in Argos at £59 with a free accesory pack valued £30. This is similar with most stores for any type of goods, a bargain is only worth what your willing to pay. Shops are getting rid of old stock and making a profit. ----------------------------------------------- If the experts have got it right then this whole year and possibly next year will be sale time at the shops. The 50% or better deals just prove that we are being ripped off by retailers and its about time the consumer started to get there money's worth. ---------------------------------------------- Boxing Day sales are really unnecessary since there's no meaning to them anymore. Originally, these sales were specifically to offload winter stock in readiness for the forthcoming spring activity - now, retailers buy in cheap foreign imports for the purpose of the January sales. A waste of time, effort and consumer money. When will the British public realise that anything imported from the far east usually attracts a retailer mark up of 75%+. Get real, save money for the hard times ahead. ------------------------------------------- No. The 'sales' are discounted rubbish that the retailers were reducing before Christmas. Checked a number of stores online today and all the things I want are not discounted. So much for retailers wanting my business. ------------------------------------------- The Boxing Day Sales are just a Gimmick! -------------------------------------------- Sales what a con, these people think that marking something as reduced will entice people into buying goods that are just as expensive as they were before Xmas, i have been in a shoe shop and seen a marked pair of shoes at £12, the ticket was removed and another added marked £10 reduced from £17. OK a reduction but also a con --------------------------------------------- "Has anyone else noticed since the so called reduction in VAT that prices have all gone up by roughly a £ ???"
Mostly because of the falling pound. Just about everything imported now costs proportionately more than the VAT decrease. ------------------------------------------ What SALES?
Marking up the price by 70% during the year only to then offer a 70% SALE in the SALES is not a SALE.
No wonder some retailers are going bust. They have wanted to make money whichever way they can even if it meant trying to be cunning they have finally lost their long fraudulent battle against the shopper and as a result some are now going bust.
The populous has finally woken up to the treachery. ------------------------------------------------ Fascinating to see press reports of how busy the sales are even though most of those reports were written before stores opened their doors.... is it all just hype for the retail industry?
Wait till January... by that time they will cut prices to get enough cash to cover wage costs or go under (analysts predict 12-15 major retailers will collapse in the next few weeks). ------------------------------------ No. Most shops just reduce items that are deliberately over-priced anyway. The cost of living has gone crazy this last year and government figures on inflation are just a joke ! Even with 30% off most buys are more expensive than they were a year ago. Stores that falsely mis-represent "sales bargains" should be prosecuted.
see, its not just me who thinks this way....
Denz on 12.27.08 @ 02:03 AM CST [link]
Wednesday, December 24th
Christmas - is it changing?
just sat down after tea on christmas eve, the last present has been given (for people outside the home) the last trip to the shops has been done, the last bits are in the cupboard/fridge etc and sorted, now my tea is settling (good old fashioned egg and chips mmmm)
i love christmas, not for deep religious reasons (although they are important) but because of the opportunities available to surprise people!
its the one time of the year when i dont need an excuse to present a gift to someone i know, who doesnt expect anything, or have to give one back, etc. each year, with the circle of friends and family straggled everywhere, i try to create one "happy face" with a special gift out of the ordinary, that they had no idea was going to happen. normally, i manage to do this once or twice every year.
this year, has been different!
i dont know if its the credit crunch or things being generally tight, but kindness towards others seems to be fashionable again... not that it ever went out for some of us. people havent bought the endless packets of tosh from the shelves this year, or let the powers of business dictate what we shall buy for others as gifts, people appear to have given gifts that are useful and wanted, gifts that are of actual benefit of the person for whom they are intended... instead of just grabbed from a shelf without thought.
but something has changed for the better that beats even this...
whilst out and about this week, in various towns from as far away as barrow in furness, to down the local market in accrington, people actually wished me a merry christmas! without prompting or being told to, its as if they are now more concerned with how people are doing. ive bumped into old friends and family, whom years have passed since i last spoke to them, and it was as if id seen them only yesterday.
could it be that the worm of genuine human kindness is finally turning back in favour of the addage: what goes around comes around if it is, then its about time!
if everyone helped just one person, then noone would need help.
as christmas eve turns into christmas day, all thats left is that cosey feeling here, and to wish all of you, friends and family alike, a warm and wonderful MERRY CHRISMAS, have the best one ever!
Denz on 12.24.08 @ 08:36 PM CST [link]
Tuesday, December 23rd
"upto 50% off"
im quick to slate the media when they fail to point out obvious facts on a story, that reflect the media owner's allegances to the government or companies/interests, etc. but credit where credit is due... well done sky news!
this morning, whilst the BBC thought that the most relevant story would be to tell us about how "the BBC always trounce the other channels with their christmas schedule" (and then proceeded to show us numberous clips of dr who and wallace and gromit's tv special) sky news reported on how the "upto" sales are not as good as they appear!
they sent a reporter into various shops in a shopping centre, to find "bargains"
the reporter asked what was actually 50% off: - one salesman showed him a rack of clothes outside the shop... nothing else in the shop was even 30% off in price - another famous clothes store salesperson stated they couldnt find anything that was actually 50% off but added "im sure there is something!"
in total 4 high st stores couldnt find a single item that was 50% off and when the reporter interviewed shoppers many stated that any discounted things they could find were the junk that nobody wanted, and most hadnt seen any 50% items at all.
the most telling thing the public stated was that even prices with a percentage off, were still as expensive as last year!
sky news then interviewed a top office bod, from john lewis, and asked him why all these "upto 50% off" sales, were not always what they seem? the bod answered that "its stores marketing to attract the customer into their store" sky reporter then asked.... so its a con then? the top bod said "no, its just progressive marketing"
i think most of us agree, it is a con trick! in all the discussions surrounding the credit crunch and how hard it is for retailers, ive yet to hear that keeping general prices low would help the retailer out.... i wonder why???
you would not believe the absolute tosh that our labour government has come up with now!
after ridiculing the conservatives and liberals, that claim many of the country's problems are caused, in part, by family breakdown, ed balls (the legendary government minister whos a complete no hoper) has come up with a "talking shop" and "three point plan for the government to resolve the issues involved" of such waffle, that hes in danger of gassing himself with his own wind!
if you decide to read any of this please keep in mind, that for years the government have denied that family breakdown even exists!
"Schools Secretary Ed Balls is getting together with Britain's agony aunts for a "relationship summit"." despite paying record amounts of funding to social services, he prefers to consult agony aunts? "An "anguish of agony aunts" - the collective noun chosen by themselves - will advise ministers on how to support children facing family breakdown." bless him.... he needs a list!
have some suggestions for free mr balls: - secure the borders of the UK.... and maybe stop guns and drugs from entering the UK? - ease the burden of taxation on the family unit and employers... this would free up the need for both parents to be out grafting all the time and having to put kids into nurseries... which has got so bad, that many people work almost for nothing as their wages go to pay for care for their kids, even when they are not using the facility when holidays are in place! is it really that hard to concede, that money paid by family members to nan or grandad etc, by a relative, should be permitted and not punish the family member who steps in to help? DONT FORGET: this money has already been taxed at the wage packet, but to have it effect other aspects of the carer's lives is disgraceful! - give elder relatives some respect, and put them at the centre of family based policies! remember policies mr balls, this is where you actually DO something, instead of having endless talking shops to discuss things and do very little!
- return discipline to schools, bring back the cane if need be, allow teachers to draw a line that should not be crossed, instead of spending billions on finding new illnesses that excuse bad bahaviour! (to be fair to the government, it was many teachers - with labour party support - who actually voted away the cane and discipline in schools)
the article continues.... Mr Balls said family breakdown can "sometimes scar children for life - that is why there is a role for government to intervene". SOMETIMES? i would say everytime a family unit breaks down the children are scarred! the family unit is the kids fundamental basis for life, you cant let a child take 2nd place to a situation, a child's family is its life until they are old enough to be able to see things as they are!
a role for government to intervene? shouldnt government be leading the way by making life easier for families to support themselves? just one example i can give of many: if a member of a family has to go out and work unsociable hours or every weekend for normal pay just to survive, its obvious that constant exposure to this scenario, will put a strain on the relationship of the parents of the child!
the government have failed for years to base and check any policies against the impact on the family unit, for a decade the family unit has come second to the "needs of business"
sorry to be flippant but exactly how is ed balls going to intervene? is he personally going to police christmas parties and stop one of the family from straying? perhaps the government will make it illegal for any family member to go out without their official partner?
"the campaign is calling for more counselling in schools to help children through family breakdown." oh great... more talking more money wasted on training more beaurocracy... fantastic! just what we need less action and more snooping!
when will they learn? its action in the form of policies that can make a difference, if the policy could damage family units, then CHANGE THE POLICY! the policies we have seen in the past ten years, as regards working hours, moving from manufacturing to service based economy, unsecured UK borders, extortionate childcare costs, to name a few have ignored the role of the family unit in society... its no good now setting up another level of talking shop staff to discuss things.. action should have been taken before the government's policies came into force!
"On Thursday, Mr Balls is also expected to launch a new Kids in the Middle booklet, written by agony aunts, and announce a three-point plan aimed at supporting new parents as well as children caught up in relationship problems" get the basic policies right and there would be no need for any three point plan or state interference. schools are there to teach subjects, not prop up society and lecture parents old and new on what they think is the way life should be!
its government by the back door.. bring in policies that damage the family unit... ignoring the warnings... deny breakdown of the family unit is actually happening... have yet another "summit" or "consultation" then spend more money and point the finger of blame at anyone else other than the government's policies!
take your "new kids in the middle booklet" mr balls and shove it where the sun doesnt shine!
Simple procedure: i wanted to purchase a gift for an american friend of mine, visit amazon.com i thought, see what they have instock and send it from there to my friend.
How easy is that? Too easy!
i searched through their stock, found what i was looking for, placed the order (remembering NOT to log in with my username - as they often charge higher prices for users who are signed in) all was well... until i landed on the log in or set up account page!
I put in my username etc, went to the payment page. filled out the details, and was then taken to a confirmation page. amazon now have an auto currency converter - displaying the price in my own currency i could not find an alternative option (there may have been one to change it back to dollars) the only two buttons to proceed, were at the top and the bottom of the screen, both indicated continuing the transaction in pounds sterling.
i clicked on the button and the purchase was confirmed.
What didnt become apparent to me until id received the confirmation email, was the real amount that i was paying! the email stated the total cost was just over £21
a little expensive i thought.... no shipping charges as it was free delivery... no UK vat to pay as it was bought and sent from inside america....
i ran a check on the cost of the gift via the exchange rate..... eye opener time!
price of item $14.99 amazon currency converter charged me £21 current currency exchange rate is 14.99 USD = 9.66326 GBP even if i allow for some usa taxes, im positive they would not add up to more than £10!
so what should have cost me £9.66, amazon auto converted into £21.60 how is this not a rip off?
Questions:
- why are amazon charging new customers LESS than customers who have logged in before? - how can amazon make more profit on converting currency (which i didnt ask for) than the price of the product i purchased from them? - how many other people have been stung by this con trick? - who is going to sort this out and stop it from happening to people?
The old addage applies: if its more "convenient" for you, then it will cost you more money! in this case, the cost of convenience, was more expensive than the actual product i bought!
you have been warned
Denz on 12.17.08 @ 10:47 AM CST [link]
Thursday, December 11th
Woolworths
i like woolies, always have and most weeks ive been down town at the weekend, i actually shopped there. very sad for me, as the accy crew who work there have always been full of smiles chat and very helpful, even when they have been dumped on the till with just one other person for help and the queues are stretching up the shop... they still find time to have a giggle. (rare these days for young staff)
now the administrators have been called in... they have gone the way of 99% of other retailers, and they have been rumbled!
over the weekend, sale signs went up "upto 50% off" i had a look in, and it was packed out, but the vast majority of everything that was in the sale, was at best 20% off, bringing it in line with all other retailers prices!
next we have the news that every woolworth's store stating "closing down sale" yet not a single store or store staff know anything about when they will close! (clearly misleading)
and yesterday, all the news programs revealed that the administrators were unable to agree deals for woolworths as a going concern... as a result, they would be selling off all stock from woolworths stores, in the hope that this would move potential buyers of the company to speed up any takeover. of course, the sideline that woolworths was going to be clearing stock was put across in a way that alerted people to possible bargains.
today, on the teatime news, it was "revealed" that woolies had its busiest days trading in its history! but it didnt tell the full story...
people who had queued up in the hope of bargains, revealed to the cameras that far from being a closing down sale, it was misleading, a marketing trick, as most items were just the same prices as saturdays, most items were only offering 10% - 20% off, as they did at the weekend... which one woman openly stated on the news... "just as it was on saturday, its a con trick!"
yes love, you are correct, just because its put across as a closing down sale, doesnt mean to say its good value!
for a long time now, in all walks of life, qualifications have ruled over experience. during my time at halfords i witnessed people with vast experience being over-looked for management jobs, by fly by nights, some of which didnt know their arse from their elbow.
recent tragedy of baby p, head of social services there, had lots of teaching experience, but little experience of social services... so how the hell did she get the top job then?
for years ive seen young sprogs with no experience being paid the same wages as someone with say, 10 years experience. i dont mind the sprogs getting decent pay, but the gap that used to exist between non experienced and experienced staff, closed, which was wrong.
if its happening at the very top of a social services department, then god only knows where its happening... perhaps this explains why the UK's elderly people are being walked all over? they have been there - done it - got the t shirt... yet their experience is seldom used in todays world.
constant references that we need to talk to "young people" or college course that are filled with under 19s as a priority are way short of the mark. no wonder every other week we hear about difficulties in holding on to staff from various sectors of business. experienced people (in what ever field) are invaluable in all walks of life.... as you cant buy experience
Denz on 12.07.08 @ 11:29 PM CST [link]
when will today end?
been running around like a mad head since finishing on friday, straight to bury for car testing (more revealed later) finally got home, then more work on penny pinchers.. from there we finally hit the sack, to be up again early today, after an hour to wake up properly, then it was out shopping....
town was very busy, woolies packed out (there upto 50% sale - turned out to be mostly 20% off) i asked the woolies staff if they had heard anything about their jobs, not a sausage as yet, i mentioned that it was a shame all the people there today, hadnt used the branch before the company got into trouble, which was met by universal agreement from most of the counter staff. i like woolies, even if it was only for my paper i went in everytime i was in town, so to see it become yet another town centre "bargain" or "pound" shop will be a sad day.
the staff are always friendly and very helpful, more than most of the other town big companies. i wish them well.
next it was off upto ant's to hinder the removal of some big stuff in the van, from there it was home for an hour or so, whilst my better half got ready to go out for a good old traditional christmas do, an indian meal with the girls. as always im on taxi duty, no sooner had i got back from dropping her off, when the sprog arrived asking for a lift.. so away we went again...now im waiting for both or one of them to text me for a lift. they must be having a great time, as ive heard nothing from them...
until the free lift is required im just plodding around the house with nowt to do....
Denz on 12.07.08 @ 12:44 AM CST [link]
Friday, December 5th
Joining the Euro?
Despite all the denials from the government (which i do not believe) the titbits of evidence that a "yes" case for joining the euro and getting rid of the pound, is being constructed, are becoming more apparent every week!
- the european president tells us that "all the people that matter in the UK are openly talking about joining the euro" - gordon brown and other ministers continuously tell us about "the new world markets" (they always were world markets before) and how "we should be working closely with our partners" to fight "a global downturn" - the government's continuous policy of funding major projects (like wars) by printing new money instead of using money already in our economy - the lack of government action to support the pound as it falls on the money markets - £400 billion to stop banks from collapsing, yet nothing on buying back the pound and strengthening its position against other currencies?
classic case of the UK people seeing a government plan being brought in by the "back door"
a few years back, i took on my local council as regards asbestos in homes and having it removed for safety. i gave an interview to a county wide paper and radio interviewer, who kindly stepped in to ask the questions i wanted answering but was refuse an answer. after the interview, the reporter (who deals with my county councillors on a daily basis) joked about more pressing issues.
"many questions concern the introduction of regional assemblies by the labour party!" after a "no" vote of more than 90% in the north east of england for having a regional assembly there, the government changed the way they approach the problem of wanting to introduce something that the people do not want!
since the "no" vote i was told - the government told everyone that they had dropped the idea as it was unpopular. they then proceeded to break up services looked after at county level:
* housing stocks were removed from council control with big incentives for joining a public/private partnership * highways control was split between local and county councils * ambulance services split up * police services split
the reporter gave me a long list of examples of how services were taken away from local people, with a plan to use the break up of services and possible future failings and people anger, to build a campaign for a "yes" vote for a regional assemblies - culminating in telling us that "a regonal assemblies would bring all the services under one roof control" (of course, had they not broken up all the services in the first place, this situation wouldnt have come about)
i was sceptical, but the reporter left saying, "just watch what happens to parks and gardens locally, they will be next!" 2 weeks later - parks and garden control was broken up and farmed out to a mishmash of committees and "new" official bodies!
This is how labour work - if its a vote loser, or they lose a vote on their plans, they then change the way things operate, building a "yes" argument, and then re-ask the question! (indirect government)
Now to the euro:
Far from giving financial controls to a european body that we have no control over, i believe the opposite is true, we should bring power and control back to the UK parliament.
the FSA had the powers to stop banks over charging, they didnt use those powers over the past ten years which have cost us all. I dont care where in the world a crisis started, if the FSA had acted to stop the problems, the banks wouldnt be in this position now. the question is: why didnt they use their powers? (would banks falling help a "yes" argument for joining the euro?)
gordon brown tells us this is "an unprecedented global problem" and we "would be stronger if all countries have a new framework" but as we see the government have no clout forcing banks to lower interest rates, then how would interest rates set in europe be forced upon the banking world?
printing more money to fund projects means more sterling in the economy and a weaker pound! no control over a weaker pound? (one of the best arguments for joining the euro, is to say "it would stabilise our currency!" and stop weak currency problems from happening)
unprecedented financial turmoil never seen before.... its a new problem! new problems need new solutions! \\WRONG - the problems of recession are nothing new at all! (the way the problems have come about are new, as a responsible government would have made sure the powers to force banks to refinance themselves before increasing their borrowing, would have been used... but the government failed to do this!) - were these failings intentional? i believe they were!
far from taking power away, we should be bringing back power of control over our own economy! we elect MPs and a government, if that government fails, we can vote them out and replace them with a new one. if we give away power, then regardless of which government we elect, any economic problems will remain and nothing will change!
would you be happy having your finances controlled by people you cannot vote out of office? i know i wouldnt be.....
The bank of england today announced a 1% cut in interest rates. its now down to just 2%
one question: whats the point?
* most people with tracker mortgages, have a clause written into their mortgage terms, that state the minimum interest rate they can pay is 3% - this reduction wont be passed onto them * most people with other kinds of mortgages have this clause also - they too, will not see a reduction in their bills some mortgages have been taken out at fixed interest rates over the last few years - did the lenders know something we didnt? unusual to insert a clause restricting the lowest interest rate possible to 3% dont you think?
* some lenders are only passing on a quarter of a percent cut in interest rates - people with these lenders wont benefit from the full cut of 1%
it all begs the question, why bother having an independant bank of england controlling interest rates, when they are not being passed on to real people? how can the ruling government control the economy, either reduce spending or increase it, when all they can do is ask and pressure various sectors to do the right thing, with no control to force them to do anything.
as per normal, its us, the real people, that have to suffer in the form of paying out more money!
County court procedures - penny pinchers told you!
With the news that some banks and building societies are willing to suspend mortgage interest for upto 2 years, as always there are more questions than answers to how the system will work. (as with all policy initiatives lately, the devil will be in the detail, which will be revealed in the next few days so sit tight)
but a more fundamental problem has arisen in recent years, that is causing major hardship and long term damage - the procedures of the county court.
Since January 2008, (and mentioned before this date) penny pinchers has been calling for a major reform of how the county courts deal with people in financial trouble.
today, the liberal democrats are starting to pick up on this, and also asking for action (better late than never i suppose)
the old court system: - you had a debt you couldnt pay off fast enough or maintain payments on - a judgement for default was obtained through your local court (which confirms you owe the amount outstanding) - the court looked at what you had coming in and going out, then set a regular payment based upon this, and awarded a judgement for the balance to be paid off, at a level that could be afforded according to your finances.
- failure to maintain these payments allowed the company to come back to court, and apply for an attachment of earnings, or a charging order, which places a guarantee on your property to secure the debt (so if you remortgage or sell your home then the arrears would be paid before you received any money from the sale) - continue to fail to make payments, the company could again come back to court and ask that the full amount become due at once and the home (or asset) be sold to pay the debt. This option was rarely allowed by the court, as it was for extreme cases.
under the old court system, failure by either party to provide information or appearance at the courts request, the case was found in favour of the other party, who had presented itself within the court guidelines
under todays court system
* you have a debt you couldnt pay off fast enough or maintain payments on * the company state that you both cant agree, it will goto a court * the company drag out the issue and continue to send out automated letters that increase the amount owed by £25 or so every letter * months later it finally goes to court * instead of applying for a judgement to state the amount thats owed, they apply for a charging order straight away (often telling the person that its just a formality to secure the debt against their home or asset) * the company then demand immeadiate payment in full and when it is not possible,then ask the court to rule for sale of the home/asset to pay off the debt outstanding!
its not always the bank or company originally involved, they sell the debt onto third party companies for a fraction of the outstanding amount. these third party companies are applying the same techniques to force people out of their homes simply for profits.
* companies now dont abide by court times - in one instance i dealt with, the company submitted a court action and received the information the court demanded inside 14 days, yet the company didnt reply to this in time, the court simply applied an automatic "stay" to the case... this allows the company to come back to court and continue the action anytime in the next 6 years! if i was claiming money from the company, do you think the court would allow me to ignore the court times for upto 6 years? not a chance! case would be thrown out and i would lose 14 months of worry for the individual followed until the court finally found in favour of the individuals proposal, it wasnt easy, it was touch and go and still hung on the judges decision on the day!
the whole civil court process should serve both parties equally... as its approach has been changed by "guidelines" issued to courts by the government, then business is exploiting it to their own unfair advantage, causing much hardship and worry on the individuals involved!
it needs sorting out.... but as is often the case, the powers that be dont think it warrants any action and it must be working well... all they have to do is look at the evidence and act!
Denz on 12.03.08 @ 11:53 PM CST [link]
Tuesday, December 2nd
let it snow!
Christmassy feel (out of ten): 9
i awoke this morning, very early, to the phone ringing. eyes half open, it was the missus, trapped after a long night shift, in work! regardless of which road she took, she could find no way home, so she went back to work. (personally id have dropped the car off at work and set off walking)
after many attempts to get home (all 7 miles of it) she finally landed at around 10am, shattered and wet, she dived up to bed for some much needed kip and slept for the rest of the day, bless.
i was woken again by a message that school would be closed for the day. great i thought, a calm and peaceful day off pottering around the house, working on penny pinchers maybe, listening to some tunes, etc... not a chance! within an hour of getting up a neighbour was round seeking a new tv deal via penny pinchers. once we had sorted that out another search through the Online shopping centre - company list to find a jacket for another present...
once that work was done, i slumped down in the settee with a steaming hot brew and dozed for a couple of hours... how cool is that!
winter weather returns as the earth returns to its past angle upon its axis, i fully expect and hope that winters will return to being a real season. for too long we have had the drizzley grey damp winters which is down right miserable. i love the snow, its a leveller, everyone struggles, and those with thicker skins and more umph about them come out and shine, they get to work where possible, regardless of weather, they have fun, people smile, kids get the sledges out, cars disappear from our roads, streets become safer for kids to play, like they are being reclaimed. shame in summer we cant have a no car week, when everyone has water fights etc
i like the biting cold outside, whilst being snug in the house i love the snowball fights and snow angels and sledging after hours in the cold, the steaming mug of hot chocolate is fantastic!
i doubt it will, but long may it continue....
Denz on 12.02.08 @ 11:28 PM CST [link]
Monday, December 1st
Banks, the euro and personal debt
Not a very good place for money in the UK today at all!
Banks - mortgage lending in october 2008, fell by almost 70% to just £459 million! (the BBC of course, gave it less than 4 minutes on their news channel bulletin - george osbourne got 9 minutes for visiting a yacht!)
- the government are going to hold the banks "close to a fire until they lend" no point, they should have stopped them from further borrowing, when they were over stretching, but the government and the FSA who told us they would make them refinance themselves (as the bank of england used to before labour took its powers away and made it "independant") didnt actually do anything and wont answer questions on why they did nothing!
- as a result of the financial problems, the president of the EU has revealed that those in power in the UK, i.e, gordon brown and his cabinet, have been and continue to, discuss andconsider the UK joining the euro currency and getting rid of the pound! pretty worrying really and explains why the government have not been buying up the currency on the money markets to strengthen it. it also explains why for various projects, like the iraq war, the government have been printing money, instead of using the money in the nations economy - weakening the pound
personal debt figures Personal debt in the UK, is now so bad, its equivilent to £40,000 of debt for every person in the UK aged 18 or above thats disastrous enough, but the follow up action is even worse!
its one thing to keep repeating that banks must work with customers etc etc etc (heard it all before labour) but what are the government doing for the people as regards protecting them from the money machine businesses?
- refunding penalty charges? allowing the banks to challenge legal precident that already exists saying what they are charging people for automated letters is wrong and shouldnt be allowed, banks certainly shouldnt be allowed to drag the court case out for the length of time they have, pay the people back and stop the practice... NOW! - charging orders? where a bank or debt collector goes to court and applies for a charging order to secure the debt on any property owned, before the court allows a repayment plan to be set up. the correct procedure is: * judgement awarded for the outstanding amount between the two parties * income and expenditure is assessed by the judge and repayment is set up based on these figures * if (and only IF) the debtor doesnt keep to those repayments, then the bank or debt collection company can apply to the court for a charging order on property or an attachment of earnings.
the government is allowing courts to simply award charging orders against property at the same time as judgement is passed, then the creditor is applying for sale of the home to pay the debt! even when this gives advantage over other creditors owed, they are still being awarded by some courts! disgraceful! what are the government doing about it? nothing!
- unenforceable agreements? where a creditor lends money to a person, but doesnt follow the law in the wording of the document or correctly keep the original agreement for a minimum of 6 years. people are quite rightly challenging these under the consumer credit act.\\
what do the government do about this? they change the law to stop people challenging them! disgusting!
the people of the UK elect a government to stand up for them in times of difficulty. they elect a government who will prevent hardship on the people of the UK... they do not elect a government who manipulates the financial situation to bring in what their own party think should be the way of doing things!
its time for the queen to step in and dissolve parliament and give the people the chance to vote if they agree with what is being done!
Denz on 12.01.08 @ 10:50 AM CST [link]
