Phil & Krusty Back on Our Screens

PasturesNew

davilown wrote: »

Suddenly all those who were on a better pay cheque in the private sector are wishing they were with their mates in the public sector imho.

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/08/11/47061/public-sector-staff-paid-more-than-private-sector-employees.html

"Public sector staff paid more than private sector employees"

"the average state worker secures an extra £150 per week in pension payments - on top of a £60 per week higher wage."

lynzpower

Yes, but as Ive said before PN, not everyone who works for the state gets a pension.

OH temps, for the State.he has done in various depts for 3 years. I worked for local gov for 5 years- not on the pension scheme. In my team in social services of 15 8 of them were agency staff, me and 2 others were still paying off a student loans so didnt start saving for pension. Only 3 of a team of 15 IIRC were paying into the pension- mainly because salaries were low ( 23k in london is really not a lot when paying 600 rent as most people do/ did) there is simply not the spare money to put even into short term savings, let alone pensions.

lynzpower

poppy10 wrote: »

I still don't get it

Ok

Flat was on market for 275

Sealed bids took the value to 309- yes someone paid 309 when AP was 275 ( as I remember there were at least 4 people willing to go over AP)

Claudia got her identical flat for 223. therefore the 86 loss on the vaue of the property

Not borne out by claudia, but by the buyer AND LENDER who thought the property was worth 309.

Cannon_Fodder

Nice one, Kenny4315...!

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/property-money/housing-market-news-views/kirstie-and-phil-on-house-prices-and-the-credit-crunch-08-11-17_p_1.html

Claremac

Some interesting comments particularly from Brad Duncan where he calls the offer made by Phil "ridiculous" when some think that it wasn't enough off! The clue is when he then says that "we should all take our property off the market causing a shortage!" so he is obviously selling. He then comments that "The time to buy is now without being too greedy." The definition of greed would obviously change depending on whether you are buying or selling!

Strapped

ioscorpio wrote: »

The Teignmouth bungalow is still for sale at £179,950 even though Phil said the owner had decided to rent it out.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-23867777.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy&mam_disp=true

Loving the EA ad for this property. I lived in the next-but-one road for several years as a kid so know the area pretty well. "Within a mile of the beach"...yeah straight down a 1:2 hill all the way. You'd have buns of steel walking that every day (I remember I did!)

Generali

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Afghanistan's traditional Islamic culture was heavily influenced by Sufi-ism, and much more tolerant of diversity of faith than the Deobandi-inspired Taliban.

The International Crisis Group report in 2007 said:

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The desire for a quick, cheap war followed by a quick, cheap peace is what has brought Afghanistan to the present, increasingly dangerous situation. It has to be recognised that the armed conflict will last many years but the population needs to be reassured now that there is a clear political goal of an inclusive state. Actions to fight the insurgency must be based on and enforce the rule of law with priority given to the reform of the police and judiciary. Short-term measures such as reliance on ill-trained and poorly disciplined militias, harsh, ad hoc anti-terrorism legislation and discredited power brokers from past eras will only undermine the long-term goal of building sustainable institutions.[/FONT]

A professor of anthropology wrote recently in a long and detailed report on Afghanistan:

There is no evidence that the status quo ante which so many hoped for in the aftermath of the toppling of the Taliban regime has returned. Instead the downward spiral which began many years ago with the Babrak Karmal coup d’etat has, after a brief pause, continued on its way.


Like an ever increasing number of countries which have been propelled into ‘modernity’ as a result of armed external intervention, Afghanistan’s past currently looks much brighter than its future.


When states fail in this way, only those with the good fortune to belong to well armed majorities can expect to enjoy any degree of personal security. Minorities have a hard time, to but it at the very mildest. The Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan are one such minority.


He went on to say:


Despite the high hopes (and the severely limited vision) of the coalition forces who were responsible for bringing down the Taliban regime, what was represented as a window of opportunity proved to be a false dawn. In the years that followed Afghanistan has fallen back into a state of armed warlordism.


It was not ever thus. I had the good fortune to visit the country whilst it was still controlled by King Zahir Shah. Hence I witnessed the status quo ante which many Afghans desperately hoped might return. So far, however, no-one has discovered the remedy which would serve to put Humpty back together again.

The thing is with Afganistan, everything I read is long on analysis and very, very short on remedy.

A precis of recent Afgan history:

1970s - USSR invades. End up bogged down.
1980s - USSR soldiers get killed by Afgans, armed by the US for the most part
1990s - USSR leaves, Afganistan falls into civil war over who gets to run the place next. The Taliban win (I think that means a group of local Princes).
Early 2000s - Some Bloke living in Afganistan upsets the US-ians a lot. US invades.
Mid-2000s - US invades Afganistan looking for Some Bloke. End up bogged down.
?2011 - US leaves. Afganistan falls into civil war over who gets to run the place next. Another Taliban win (I think that means a group of local Princes).
2030 - ??? invades. End up bogged down................

neverdespairgirl

Taliban means students. THe groups formed to start with in extremist Madrassas run in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.

Prudent

I thought someone on here may be interested in lunch?

http://www.nwsense.com/sensenatwest/html/win_dinner.php

harry_w

GracieP wrote: »

The woman expert on the blue chair seems fairly on the ball.

Eta; Merryn Somerset Webb, editor of Moneyweek.

She is, and she was throughout 2007 when she was advising people that rental costs were great value compared to mortgaging to afford house prices. She said she had sold and was renting.

She also pointed out that those house prices were historically overvalued and unsustainable given the comparison to earnings.

Apart from Moneyweek, she writes occasional columns in The Sunday Times, The Standard and The Financial Times.

Also author of Love Is Not Enough: A Smart Woman’s Guide To Making (And Keeping) Money.

She's so grounded. [me swoons]

Listen to her views from July 2007 (last interview) and 2008 (2nd interview):
http://commoditywatch.podbean.com/?s=Merryn+Somerset+Webb+

Soon to appear on the cutting edge of crash culture?

She was part of a pilot for a Max Keiser show, picked up by BBC World (pilot looks like it was pitched to Al Jazeera): http://kinooga.blip.tv/