Night of the Iguana: Old Fogies with young Thai Nubiles. Do they mix?

[12DrinkMore]

Well, there are some 50,000,000 Brits just about to vote for the next government.

What will be the result? Hmmm, I thought I should make a poll out of this, but no, what is the point?

One way or another, the UK has already determined its way into the future.

Labour have led the country in the biggest boom and bust in the history of the universe. The economy is in shreds, RBS Fred helped out there, and is laughing all the way to the bank. I wonder who he now is banking with and whether he has much invested in the UK? Although the half million or so Quid a year "pension" will go a long way in any currency except Zimbabwe. OH! :D Wish I hadn't associated the strident and proud Great British Pound with the Zimbabwean Dollar...

But next week the Labour party will deliver us the new budget, but maybe not from evil. This signals the kick-off for the election.

And to start the <deleted> rolling

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/finance...ave-Labour.html

Don't bother too much with the article, just check out the banter in the comments. Quite a few laughs in there.

Just got to this one

At the end of Annie Hall, Woody Allen says*:

"I thought of that old joke: This guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, 'Doc, my brother's crazy, he thinks he's a chicken.' And the doctor says, 'Well why don't you turn him in?' and the guy says, 'I would, but I need the eggs.' Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships. They're totally irrational and crazy and absurd, but I guess we keep going through it because most of us need the eggs. "

Mr Brown may or may not believe he is a chicken. But he has manifestly constructed his own reality, in which he is always right.

We know that. We know he is mad. But what about the rest of the population? Are we mad, too? Do we really believe Gordon Brown can lay the eggs that we need?

Cluck Cluck Cluck, Mother Hen Gordo laying eggs?????

:D

This goose never laid a golden egg, instead he sold it all off.....

:D

Nothing left under his kilt and unfortunately Cameron is lacking in his Y-fronts as well.

[Chaimai]

I am no apologist for Fred or Gordon, or a whole host of other people who are culpable in this fiasco. However, I think some of your arrows should be fired across the pond to where it all started.

This is not to excuse the British government (and institutions) who collectively did not have the sense to see what was happening or were simply too greedy (in the case of institutions) to get off the gravy train.

Anyway, the elections will not provide the solution. I think they will only result in continuing uncertainty.

That is not say that I don't believe the UK will continue it's recovery - I believe it will. I see it now, and in some ways that contributes to the ongoing uncertainty.

For many people it is virtually 'business as usual' and there is no passion building up against the current government. Distain for Brown perhaps - but no fire in the belly against Labour. Equally, there is no fire in the belly in favour of the Conservatives.

I am sure we will not see red (or any other colour) shirts rallying, on the streets of London, with the same enthusiasm at Thaksin's supporters.

I genuinely believe that many people don't give a flying fart which party is elected because they have no faith in either

Whilst it makes little difference to day to day operation of the country, it does affect many things that are influenced by judgement of the International markets etc. That does not bode well.

There has not been a strong party leader since the days of Thatcher and Foot. The relative extremism of their views at least made for 'passion'.

[12DrinkMore]

I am no apologist for Fred or Gordon, or a whole host of other people who are culpable in this fiasco. However, I think some of your arrows should be fired across the pond to where it all started.

This is not to excuse the British government (and institutions) who collectively did not have the sense to see what was happening or were simply too greedy (in the case of institutions) to get off the gravy train.

Anyway, the elections will not provide the solution. I think they will only result in continuing uncertainty.

That is not say that I don't believe the UK will continue it's recovery - I believe it will. I see it now, and in some ways that contributes to the ongoing uncertainty.

For many people it is virtually 'business as usual' and there is no passion building up against the current government. Distain for Brown perhaps - but no fire in the belly against Labour. Equally, there is no fire in the belly in favour of the Conservatives.

I am sure we will not see red (or any other colour) shirts rallying, on the streets of London, with the same enthusiasm at Thaksin's supporters.

I genuinely believe that many people don't give a flying fart which party is elected because they have no faith in either

Whilst it makes little difference to day to day operation of the country, it does affect many things that are influenced by judgement of the International markets etc. That does not bode well.

There has not been a strong party leader since the days of Thatcher and Foot. The relative extremism of their views at least made for 'passion'.

Yep apathy rules, mediocrity is the answer.

This is getting the UK nowhere. There is no discernible path leading to a sustainable state.

Another quote from a comment in the article I posted.

- yes, the lowest interest rates for a decade but that means millions of pensioners who rely on interest from their savings to exist are becoming poorer on a daily basis. Besides, it was ridiculously low interest rates, at 3 or 4% based on keeping inflation below 2% when everyone knew it was nearer 8%, that sucked more and more into taking on debt they could not service.

- low unemployment – you are a comedian but not of the funny kind. There are, officially 2.46 million unemployed, but, there are another 8.08 million classed as economically inactive, making a grand total of 10.54 people of working age in UK, 16 – 65, who are not in employment and contributing to society through taxation. That is why the social budget, including welfare, unemployment, tax credits and the rest, pensions and other handouts is just under £200bn a year. Madness.

- booming stock market. It has only improved because the pound is now so cheap, at $US1.50 to the pound, and UK companies in such an economic mess that shares are being sold cheap encouraging foreign companies and investors to grab a slice.

- a recovering house market? No, since the re-introduction of VAT at the higher rate it has slumped again because people do not want to lose out and cannot afford to sell at less than what they paid for the damned mill-stone around their neck in the first place. As for re-possessions, even the housing minister, when discussing the 46,000 re-possessions last year said it was a good thing rather than people have an increasing debt around their necks.

- strong levels of investment? Nonsense. It is precisely because bankers and financiers have not invested in our economy for the last 2 decades and CEOs and directors paid out too much in dividends and failed to find investment to improve productivity and efficiency through automation that UK companies have gone to the wall or been bought out by US and European companies. And, they are still being bought with the subsequent loss of hundreds if not thousands of jobs through closing UK factories and plants as part of the re-structuring, downsizing and outsourcing work to India, China and Malaysia.

Oh, and don’t forget we have the most expensive and one of the slowest rail networks in Europe; despite doubling the NHS budget to £110bn it is now less productive and efficient as moist other European countries (we are at position 13 out of 33 for spending, but down at 23 out of 33 for value-for-money and we have one of the fewest number of consultant physicians, at 204 per 100,000 head of population, than just about all of Europe); the state education system is a mess and the GCSE and ‘A’ levels have been dumbed-down to the extent that some even emerge from University with degrees but cannot spell; we have the highest crime rates in Europe and London is the crime capital of Europe; we have the worst record for teenage pregnancies in the world apart from, possibly the USA with 7 times the population, and the highest social welfare payments for single and unmarried mothers; and, the UK has the highest proportion of its population existing on relative low incomes than all other EU countries than Greece, Spain and Latvia.

There are a lot of issues which need to be addressed, all I see is bullshit emanating from a bullshit bunch of politicians.

And the UK population carry on as before, collecting their benefits, eating fast food and watching the cheap widescreen TV.

Frigging losers.

[12DrinkMore]

Has anybody else clocked it?

Gorden Brown = GB = Great Britain

:D

[Chaimai]

Has anybody else clocked it?

Gorden Brown = GB = Great Britain

So for UK you would have Useless K*nt ??

[jonwilly]

Who is David Cameron ?

No Cheating, No Google just answer the above.

I had never heard of him until he was Leader of the Conservative Party, where did he come from ?

From one Lord Ashcroft's pocket, bought and paid for by the said Lord.

His actions have thrown away a 20 point lead to the point now where a Hung Parliament seems most likely.

The shadow Chancellor is not the Shadow Chancellor because he is the most qualified but because he is Dave's best mate.

I termed Tony Blur a Snakeoil salesman the first time I saw him on TV.

I actually though Gorden was a reasonable person when he became Chancellor, his strict Scotchs methods to pay of UK debt fooled me.

Then he started to sell off the Gold having given the market Notice, very low price for a piece of Fabian Ideology.

The No Taxes and along comes Stealth.

No matter what he says He did starve the Troops of the money required to fight Blur's Wars

(Mine is the first generation able to contemplate the possibility that we may live our entire lives without going to war or sending our children to war.)

Yes Blur did say the above, Goggling is permitted.

The most Disgraceful UK Government I have seen and I do remember Jim Callahan, met him once, to be replaced by What ?

john

Tory believe it or not.

[chiang mai]

I have to agree with Chaimai's earlier post, people don't care because there are no good options, "when faced with a choice between two evils, go with the one you know"!

But I do think the forth coming budget will hold an early part of the answer, I can easily see Dargling (sic) suspending property Sales Tax again in order to get the property market moving, in fact, I reckon that's a dead cert. Some kind of give away to the pensioners is also likely, they've been badly hurt because of falling savings rates he will say! So with the first time buyers appeased, pensioners catered to, low earners and folks on benefits already onside that just leaves it to Dargling to stick it to the middle classes and wheee, game over, Labour for another term and CM curtails any further thinking about moving back to the UK to live.

[ThaiPauly]

It's a shame that "Screaming Lord Such" is not around anymore.

I think he would be in with a really good shout this time around

He'd get my vote.

He may have been a clown but what do you call the rest of 'em

[12DrinkMore]

“I will not allow house prices to get out of control and put at risk the sustainability of the recovery.”

Gordon Brown’s 1997 Budget Statement

“Under this Government, Britain will not return to the boom and bust of the past.”

Pre-Budget Report, 9th November 1999

“Britain does not want a return to boom and bust.”

Budget Statement, 21 March 2000

“So our approach is to reject the old vicious circle of the…the old boom and bust.”

Pre-Budget Report, 8 November 2000

“Mr Deputy Speaker we will not return to boom and bust.”

Budget Statement, 7 March 2001

“As I have said before Mr Deputy Speaker: No return to boom and bust.”

Budget Statement, 22 March 2006

“And we will never return to the old boom and bust.”

Budget Statement, 21 March 2007

Maybe his promise will now hold?

It's just going to be one massive bust.

[sabaijai]

Not related to Thailand.