The Myth of record debt!

setmefree2

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Never been to Westfield, but a couple of weeks ago, OH, Isaac and I ventured forth to Oxford St to buy some clothes (work) for us both. Seemed far less busy than usual for a Sunday afternoon.

Last Saturday it was shuffling room only on Oxford St. Traffic around Westfield is a nightmare. Plus, I read in the Evening Standard that the West End was bunged with shoppers not just Brits but also with Europeans doing their xmas shopping in London 'cos of weak pound. So maybe if you want proof you can look at their web site. But of course you may just want to take a gloomy view whatever the evidence in front of you.

chucky

setmefree2 wrote: »

Last Saturday it was shuffling room only on Oxford St. Traffic around Westfield is a nightmare. Plus, I read in the Evening Standard that the West End was bunged with shoppers not just Brits but also with Europeans doing their xmas shopping in London 'cos of weak pound. So maybe if you want proof you can look at their web site. But of course you may just want to take a gloomy view whatever the evidence in front of you.

this was on the news the other day that people were coming to London for shopping as it was cheaper due to the value of the Euro.

mewbie_2

The Myth of record debt

myth carol vorderman
myth anthea bovey
myth kerry katona
mytheth judith wilson
etc.

tomstickland

Looks like the "unpatriotic" or "negative" claims are starting up. That's a way of trying to suppress the debate.

The tax payers alliance website has some good documents on it.

neverdespairgirl

Seems a mixed picture:

The weak pound is helping London retailers to withstand the economic downturn as it lures bargain-hunting international shoppers.
Selfridges reported credit card sales to euro-zone customers were up by 20% at its Oxford Street branch.
A spokesman for the New West End Company, which markets the capital's key retail district, said overseas customers were a welcome boost.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7721377.stm


But also:


UK retail sales have fallen over a 12-month-period for the first time in more than three years, a report has found.
Total sales in October were 0.1% lower than the same month last year, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
The latest sign the UK may be entering recession, it was the first time that total monthly sales had fallen from a year earlier since April 2005.
On a like-for-like basis - which pulls out the impact of new store openings - October sales were down 2.2%.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7720361.stm

moggylover

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

They are suprisingly similar. Judaism and Islam, as practised today, are much more like each other than either is to Christianity. For example, Halal meat and Kosher meat - same process, same bits of hte body you can't eat, same avoidance of blood in meat and pork, different prayers mumbled over it.

I know they are very similar NDG - and have a good helping of Jewish blood myself! My half joking wish was really that the Jewish and Palestinian people could see it as you had and put their fighting away:o .

neverdespairgirl

We can but dream....

dopester

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Seems a mixed picture:

The weak pound is helping London retailers to withstand the economic downturn as it lures bargain-hunting international shoppers.
Selfridges reported credit card sales to euro-zone customers were up by 20% at its Oxford Street branch.
A spokesman for the New West End Company, which markets the capital's key retail district, said overseas customers were a welcome boost.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7721377.stm

What exactly are our euro-zone visitors buying...

There are reports of savings that amount to hundreds of pounds on high-end luxury goods owing to the lower value of the pound. Selfridges said its price for the Lily bag by Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana was £695, compared to £950 in other fashion capitals such as Paris or Milan.

Where is the Lily bag made I wonder? Where are Dolce & Gabbana incorporated - or registered as a main company? If it isn't the UK then the main profit goes back out the UK.

We need genuine demand for UK services, or to sell some stuff we make in the UK, from UK companies, to really get the maximum benefit from anything.

This story highlights for me, it is only our weak currency which makes retail stuff we source from foreigners ourselves, attractively priced to other foreigners! Crazy.

Wikipedia:

Dolce & Gabbana (ˈdolt͡ʃe ænd gaˈbana) is an Italian fashion house. Its designs are worn by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Williams,Madonna, Monica Bellucci, Ashanti,Christina Aguilera, Isabella Rossellini, and Kylie Minogue Lynne Johnson amongst others.[1]

The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana and is based in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was £597 million (EUR€ 750 million).[2]

Dolce & Gabbana was publicly criticized by Britain's advertising watchdog Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in January 2007, for an advertising campaign showing models brandishing knives.

Jonbvn

Dithering_Dad wrote: »

The UK has more private pension provision than the whole of the rest of Europe put together. Fact.

The other thing to consider, now that most of the world is in recession is welfare benefits. The amount of benefits paid to unemployed people in France & Italy etc. is huge by comparison to the UK. When I worked in Italy, I recall that unemployment benefits were two thirds of salary:eek:

setmefree2

tomstickland wrote: »

Looks like the "unpatriotic" or "negative" claims are starting up. That's a way of trying to suppress the debate.

The tax payers alliance website has some good documents on it.

LOL:rotfl: I'm not trying to suppress any debate. I'm just trying to give a different perspective. You are free to express your view. However, I find your view pessimistic and negative. I post mostly on the MFW board - we are a cheerful, positive, supportive bunch. I believe that the DFW board is supportive too. The posters on this board have no debt and now they have falling house prices (which is what they wanted), yet they are overwhelmingly negative. I don't get it?