Preparedness for when

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

We are Brits. We carry the heritage of butt-kicking warrior peoples who've made these islands their home over the millenia and added into our backgrounds, culturally and genetically. We do not give in to terrorists, nor look askance at people of other faiths and nationalities and turn on them because some nutjobs with grudges go on killing sprees. Anyone who thinks that they can justify turning on some other Brits (or other residents/ visitors) over what the psychos are doing is a fool and a coward, like those imbeciles desecrating Muslim graves. How wrong, how pitiful, how despicable.

And very well said.

:mad: Gird your loins, and sharpen your pitchfork, the enemies you really need to worry about are already amongst us. [STRIKE]Lynch[/STRIKE] errrr, I mean HUG a banker today.

I don't get the acronym, Hang something Gut? A variation on hung, drawn and quarter perhaps?.

Though I'd add whoever decided GMO in animals feeds to the list of bankers, politicians and lawyers.

moneyistooshorttomention

Oh...I'm not down on lawyers personally:rotfl:. At one point I wondered whether to re-train in that direction myself (albeit rather low-level, ie legal executive). I tend to rather rate having laws to control human behaviour personally....

But I'd agree with you re *ankers, M*nsanto and their ilk and many politicians. Errrm....time was in my family when a relative had sights set on becoming an MP...but that was QUITE some time ago and things have changed a lot since then...

Tell ya' in Family MITSTM we tend to be a pretty law-abiding/go by the rules lot by and large:rotfl:. We can be caught standing there in the corner explaining exactly why a certain law or rule is in place - for the greater benefit of society (ahem....yep...that would have been me then personally earlier today...).

GreyQueen

Just had SuperGran on the blower. Her next door neighbour was holidaying in that very hotel 3 weeks ago. He's saying hell still go back to Tunisia, too. But meanwhile he has to deal with brawling drug-dealers in the flat below his own.

Frugalsod

GreyQueen wrote: »

Just been having a very interesting convo with a couple of blokes, combined ages pushing 150 years, combined life experience spanning several European countries as well as the UK, combined family anecdotage spanning some truly horrific experiences such as the Weimar hyperinflation and two world wars. Plus both know a lot of history, are in constant contact with people of all nationalites and are in the more ruffianly end of the monetary system - fascinating.

It makes sense to learn a bit of history so you get an idea of what to expect. It sort of repeats itself as politicians fail to learn from the past.

GreyQueen wrote: »

Quite a lot of French people have been rocking up in person at Spink in London to buy gold - been going on for some time already. If they keep it under £8k cash purchases there's no ID details retained. Unlike France. Softly, softly, the gold coins go back to La France, to hide quietly for a while. Ditto certain other nationalities.

Until the recent statements from the Eurogroup or Troika the euro could have been stabilised. Now the end is certain as far as I am concerned it is only a matter of time. The biggest factor was made in 2008 when they decided to save the banks. You could save the banks or the euro not both. The failure of the banks would allow the cleansing of the national balance sheets which will now come via austerity and default of nations. The decision to bail out the banks means that the problem has now infected the stronger nations. Even Germany is doomed because of that decision. It will only take longer for them to realise it.

GreyQueen wrote: »

Seems that there's people out there in the eurozone with feelings in their watter that holding just fiat currencies ain't too clever.

Fiat currencies can be maintained but the problem since the 1980s has been rampant financialization at the expense of the real economy. The other problem are that gold currency systems are seriously deflationary and so only the rich benefit because it falls slower than wages. So everyone else gets poorer. Gold bugs never tell you this. Also the people suggesting gold already have significant holdings of the stuff so need new mugs to come in and drive up the price. In addition when you are linked to gold it is impossible to devalue your currency to get out of a trade deficit. You have to confiscate gold like the US did in 1930's to revalue it at a lower value. So the confiscation of gold was to allow then to devalue the dollar. Floating currencies allow trade deficits to be eliminated by devaluing the currency making imports more expensive.

Also until we have reform of the banks and the political funding the end result will be the same they will screw over the middle classes for their own benefit and so even a gold backed currency is doomed.

GreyQueen wrote: »

I'm spending money on necessities this summer, eyeglasses and dentistry, not exactly movable assets but the gold crowns will always retain a smallish resale value.

Same here. My plans are for a solar cooker and Kelly Kettle. I am already well stocked up food wise.

GreyQueen wrote: »

A lot of people can't be bailed in because a lot of people have no cash on deposit. Many people are effectively negative-cash and in debt.

They have an even bigger problem to contend with. Deflation. Deflation makes the real cost of the debt higher so making it harder to pay off plus their incomes will fall under deflation. Example Greece. So you get hit twice as hard by rising real debt and falling real income. Add in the eventual collapse of all asset values including gold. Add negative equity and deflation can only mean one thing bankruptcy. It is only a matter of time. And that is the reason that banks do not like deflation it makes lending much harder to do profitably and makes lending contract which is lousy if you want a bonus.

GreyQueen wrote: »

I foresee governments getting ever more inventive about taxing what they can get their hands on, such as property. In most of the western world; Europe, US and Australia, you can have your home seized for non-payment of property taxes. So, even the mortage-free only own what they own if they can pay the taxman his 'rent'.

This is all to avoid the most effective tax of all income tax. If they raised capital gains taxes and extended it to homes they would be rolling in money.

GreyQueen wrote: »

I've always thought it anomalous that the UK can have you gaoled for non-payment of your property-based taxes (council tax) but they can't take your property. Since bigger brains than mine are advising government, I think that others will have noticed this, too, and will be making plans to possibly change this in the future.

Yes but they already put significant numbers of low paid single mums in prison over another tax - the TV License.

moneyistooshorttomention

Errrrmm....I aint sure on rating TV licence as a necessity - as its always perfectly possible to manage without a tv (or, in this day and age, as we know - many people watch things on Iplayer)

so "single mums" and "TV licences" is putting two voluntarily chosen items in one sentence and I can understand why if TPTB are exerting heavy penalties for not paying for a luxury item (albeit one the vast majority of us have) and peoples personal circumstances are not the State's business in that sense.

I don't think it would make sense to grab peoples homes for unpaid necessary bills (eg Council Tax) - as why put people in a situation that the majority would not be able to recover from. You'd be just making them angry - whereas prison is a punishment and once you've done the time you've paid for the crime so to say and can then resume life as normal afterwards (bar having the type of employer that would sack you for that obviously....).

Am not really quite sure what will happen if there is deflation and don't know that I'm particularly expecting it either. Arent we being told at the moment that its basically zero inflation? - but we can all see that's not true when we study the rising prices of many foodstuffs/price of housing/etc.

Time will tell I guess...

Frugalsod

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Errrrmm....I aint sure on rating TV licence as a necessity - as its always perfectly possible to manage without a tv (or, in this day and age, as we know - many people watch things on Iplayer)

so "single mums" and "TV licences" is putting two voluntarily chosen items in one sentence and I can understand why if TPTB are exerting heavy penalties for not paying for a luxury item (albeit one the vast majority of us have) and peoples personal circumstances are not the State's business in that sense.

It was only a few years ago that one in eight women in prison were there for non payment of the TV license. It was also not for much money either. Some had been paying but were inside for as little as a few pounds. Apart from the £500 a week prison cost you can add a similar amount for foster care while mums are locked up. The TV License is a regressive tax hitting the poorest hardest.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/courts-jail-845-for-not-paying-tv-licence-fines-1428836.html

Also single motherhood is not always chosen. It could be a case of domestic violence or being widowed. Neither are a choice.

Secondly most people regard a TV as a basic necessity even if many of us barely watch it. Have you not heard of people plonking kids in front of TV's to keep them busy while the parents do chores or something else. In addition kids will discuss last nights TV at school and a kid who cannot keep up with such conversations will become isolated.

GreyQueen

TV Licensing are on my s**t list right now. Just had the 5th letter and one visit since late Feb. Each letter was returned unopened with clear statement on the envelope that there is still no TV here. I haven't had one since 1987, the previous tnt didn't have a TV either.

Gonna sick the MP on them next time; 'bout time they did something for me. What a ruddy waste of time (watching it and dealing with TVL). And their agent missed me on their visit and never came back as promised. They're all mouth and no trousers, where I have lots of both and was looking forward to ragging on them.:D

Mind you, they'd've had to get past the cage fighter/ drug dealer neighbour and the threaten-to-kill-ya neighbour to get to me. Perhaps it isn't surprising that they didn't come back.:rotfl:

SG once asked the local freepaper how come we didn't get copies delivered to us? The terse answer was that they couldn't find anyone who had the guts to walk all around the Towers and deliver them.

Pal's just dropped in for a visit. Employer is making them all apply for their own job again this month and has pre-decided to let go/ offshore two in three posts. Pal is sick to the back teeth of all this bull and is contemplating going as a contractor. Or running away to sea. Comes to something when well-paid professionals express envy of my 'umble life.

I've been dealing with a lot of wheelie bins today. They're bliddy things; in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong content, falling into the truck and being nicked. What numptie steals wheelie bins, FGS?!

Oh, hang on, bloke around the corner in the flats has got two wheelie bins in his living room, now I mention it. No one knows why. It's one of the many strange things about the neighbourhood.

At least he's quiet.

moneyistooshorttomention

There's no strange smells emanating from those wheelie bins is there GQ? - not of the rubbish kind either.....

From what you say about some of your neighbours - I'm wondering if one of them has a little sideline of "love your neighbour" (or, to be more precise, the total reverse of that.....) and the bins are to "tidy things up" afterwards so to say.....

You wouldn't have to go far, by the sound of it, to find any service you want provided there....

I can blimmin' talk - as I always used to think the location of one of my workplaces was set extremely conveniently in the event to hire a few "extra skills" (of the tall/broad/male and rather disreputable variety). Well....we all knew where to go for a supply of drugs if wanted (oh...yes....recalls one of my colleagues sacked for that at one point.....).

GreyQueen

He doesn't appear to be using them as bins, or for any purpose, I think they're just ornamental. Why anyone would want to have two 240 litre wheeled receptacles in a living room which is itself only 12 x 9 ft is quite beyond me. Can't be right in the head.

Many Shoeboxers have transferrable skills. Some of them are involved with transferring other peoples' property. Some have been involved in off-the-book car ownership transfers. Several others are experts in decimal weighing of small quantities of high-value product. We are a go-to area for some consumable leisure items.

As SG says, At least we don't have a crack house or a working girl at the moment. There's always a plus side, if you look for it.

Chief pastime in the past few days is trying to catch the flytippers. How so many pieces of large upholstered furniture can move around so frequently and so silently is astonishing. It was easier when they threw them off the upper floors as you'd hear the crash and be able to calculate the source afterwards from the trajectory.

One (now incarcerated) neighbour threw a telly which missed landing on my noggin by about 4 seconds' worth of walking. It wasn't personal, he was just in a temper and not looking. Given my feelings about TV in general, it was beyond belief that I was nearly killed by one.

thriftwizard

Pal's just dropped in for a visit. Employer is making them all apply for their own job again this month and has pre-decided to let go/ offshore two in three posts.

Friend & neighbour over-the-road has a similar story; her entire department at the university have been notified that they are now redundant & they're invited to apply for half as many jobs, for fewer hours, at a lower rate of pay. They've known this was in the offing for a year & management have used it ruthlessly to manipulate them; anyone not volunteering for extra unpaid work had it made clear that their card was marked. A miserable situation, but in the meantime the university's been going all out to attract the very students who need the kind of support that they give (who bring them in extra money) on the back of the current level of provision & expertise... not good.

I've walked away from situations like that more than once, and not regretted it for one moment. But I wasn't relying on the job to keep the roof over my head...