T66
|
| posted on 10/3/12 at 01:40 PM |
|
|
I've found the key to this , only watch the news occasionally. Never the bbc.
Only do it once a day, and only watch the headlines.
I've become a bit of a Euronews convert, far less depressing.
Personally I would like to move to Spain , and grow potatoes.
|
|
|
|
|
morcus
|
| posted on 11/3/12 at 07:46 AM |
|
|
The system would be better if you actually had to be from somewhere to stand for election for a long enough time that you couldn't do that sort
of thing. The one that really gets me is when you get two people who are married and both MP's.
Other news networks are far more fun in other languages, especially when you don't speak them.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
|
|
|
MikeR
|
| posted on 11/3/12 at 03:26 PM |
|
|
Ok before you start saying we need to boost manufacturing you need to grasp the value chain.
Take an iphone. They cost about 400 quid. Of that 400 quid something like 40 quid or less is spent on actually making the product. The rest of the
money is 'services'. They range from the marketing and design through to the transport, storage and sales.
Now please, someone, anyone, tell me how here in the UK in one of the worlds most expensive countries with a minimum wage of around 6 or 7 pounds per
hour we can compete making something in the millions of units against somewhere in india / china?
The only thing we can manufacture is stuff that either is of high quality (that others don't have like germany does), is needed now (so needs to
be local), has to be inspected through creation due to its 'importance' (think military etc), or is done in such small quantity that
others don't want to know.
If you want a great example look for reman (i think) who had some inlet trumpt parts made in the far east for a lot less to excellent than he could
get in the uk (which now destroys the low quantity argument).
This country was skint with unions making mad demands when thatcher was in power. The country couldn't continue, thatcher took an approach that
go us out of the mire (i'm not saying it was the right approach but something had to change). The service industry has done this country very
well - the issue is I don't believe its a long term sustainable main industry for a country & we need jobs for people who aren't
skilled / able to work in a service industry.
|
|
|
Neville Jones
|
| posted on 12/3/12 at 12:28 PM |
|
|
The country needs skilled jobs to be created, to try and halt the death of a lot of skilled occupations on the verge of disappearing.
When oil gets scarce, the costs of shipping will sky rocket, making imports uneconomical, and despite cheap overseas labour, manufacturing will be
forced back to local. Maybe not in my lifetime though.
Cheers,
Nev.
|
|
|
bobinspain
|
| posted on 12/3/12 at 06:30 PM |
|
|
Just as a little diversion from the seriousness of the topics under discussion: In the life and pensions industry we used to say that an actuary was
someone that made accountants appear interestiing by comparison.
Ever thought of this-----When you're born, your life expectancy (UK male) is 79 years.
What happens at 79? Well, your life expectancy goes out to 89.
At 89 you've an expected 5 years to go, and even if you are 'lucky enough' to bat on 'til 110 years of age, you still have
another 1.22 years life expectancy.
You get the picture, the figure for expectancy never gets to zero, therefore we should all 'live forever'. It's a type of
'Zeno's paradox,' which states "In a race, the quickest runner can never overtake the slowest, because the persuer must first
reach a point where the persued started, so that the slowest must always hold a lead." Or, the hare can never catch the tortoise.
On the subject of retirement, baby-boomers (born mid 1940s to early 60s) had an unprecedented opportunity to squirrel money away and see meteoric and
sustained growth, thus allowing many to retire early. Those born later (and particularly those born this century) face the prospect of being less
wealthy than their parents for the first time in modern history and growing up in an overpopulated and very dangerous world where working will be the
norm and retirement before 70 merely an aspiration.
Shame we can't have a whale of a time 'til age 30 and be state funded to do so, then work 'til we drop.
George Bernard Shaw was right, 'youth is wasted on the young.'
Bob.
|
|
|
vanepico
|
| posted on 12/3/12 at 07:25 PM |
|
|
This is why I wanna make my roadster before I leave uni, get an interest free loan to pay to build the only thing I've truly wanted to do all my
life, once it rolls out the garage I can die happy :p
Anything I do after that is just a bonus!
|
|
|
