And the cuts just keep on coming !!

[beeswax]

No, but they have a certain 'spin' on it.

If we start raising taxes excessively on the banking sector, how do you think they will reclaim the lost profit? Quite simply, from us in higher interest rates on loans, even lower rates on saving and higher bank charges.

Also, I say bring on massive bank bonuses, they're currently taxed at 51% when over £150,000 and that's not going to change any time soon.

 

Not having a go at you teejay, but if some companies paid the taxes they owed instead of salting the money away offshore, we wouldn't be in quite the mess we are.

Private Eye | Official Site

[localzuk]

Not the case at all. I know plenty of money making local businesses, that were started by local people, with 'no education', and now employ local people who are 'non-educated' on good wages. A degree isn't needed for all walks of life. A degree isn't even needed for most walks of life. Relevant training for the job at hand is, but not a degree.

 

Ok, tell me this then, why is West Somerset as poor as it is? It has loads of local, small, businesses that make money and employ unskilled labour.

[Hightower]

Ok, tell me this then, why is West Somerset as poor as it is? It has loads of local, small, businesses that make money and employ unskilled labour.

 

Because they are wasting all their money on educating people who don't want to be educated and are just looking for a 3-year party, of course!

 

@buzzard - I whole heartedly agree. My missus has a 1st class degree, and knows her stuff in the subject at hand. But common sense - none! Not a single iota of the stuff mate. I'd be lost without her still

[mattx]

 

But feel free to let the government know your solution. I'm sure an armchair expert is worth a hundred "tossers" in Whitehall and Westminster.

 

I do, by voting. And no I won't see the other side as I remember the last time this lot were in thanks.

[aerospacemango]

Private Eye | Official Site

 

I get Private eye every 2 weeks.....

 

Best read around!

 

And, pretty impartial too! They'll have a go at everyone....doesn't matter about politics or belief!!!

 

Oh, and love the Pseudo-names section......

 

Signed

 

Queen Spar Krangers

[Hightower]

And no I won't see the other side as I remember the last time this lot were in thanks.

 

I really hope I don't hold the same grudge against labour in a couple of decades from now. The conservatives are different people to last time they were in, as were labour. In 20 years they'll be different people again.

 

I used to have long hair and a big nose. Still got the big nose, but my hair is trim now, which is proof that people do change.

[teejay]

Not having a go at you teejay, but if some companies paid the taxes they owed instead of salting the money away offshore, we wouldn't be in quite the mess we are.

Private Eye | Official Site

No offence taken ;-) Can't open that link, it's blocked, but in answer:

Why do they salt the money away offshore? Apart from being greedy it's because the tax rate is too high here. If it was lower, then it wouldn't be worth offshoring and we would get the tax revenue from it. If you don't approve of what a certain company does, don't use their products/services, it's supposed to be a free market after all ;-)

[teejay]

I do, by voting. And no I won't see the other side as I remember the last time this lot were in thanks.

 

Yep, and I remember the Labour lot before the last conservative lot, who combined with their union buddies really did manage to bring this country to it's knees.

[mattx]

What we need is an anarcho-syndicalist commune........

[gshaw]

Don't send your kids to Uni then, simples. I have to echo Hightower here, not every job needs a degree, infact the vast majority don't need one but as every tom, dick and harry goes to uni now they seem to ask for them when there is simply no need for them. Our last headteacher didn't have a degree, so why would you need a degree to be a NM? The quicker this country gets out of the mindset of "you MUST have a degree to get a job" the better.

 

The majority of people I know who have got degrees are on a far lower wage than the people who left school and got a job. To be more specific the vast majority of people I know who have degrees work in Tescos. University was just an excuse for a 3year party.

 

Degrees have been so devalued now that something has to be done. Surerly its better to keep degrees for the elite (in terms of intelligence) and get everyone else training in things which are useful to the country rather than a degree in David Beckham, or archaeology simply for the sake of it.

 

My thoughts exactly

 

Years ago you didn't need degrees apart from very specialised high-end professions and it's got rather silly now with people that can barely string coherant sentences together coming out with degrees but yet still completely incompetant when it comes to actually doing something useful in a job!

 

Why not raise the standard of A-Levels, make people choose a career earlier then train properly in it from there. Degrees should then be seen as a high-level step forward into specialised areas such as Law, Medicine, Science etc not fussing around with soft subjects that add no real value.

 

I think it's a real cop-out when people are coming of out degrees and still not knowing what job they actually want to do at the end of it... what's the point of studying something for 3-4 years then going off and doing something completely different?

 

It would probably end up cheaper to extend the A-Level phase to 3 years and have a shake-up there (as the grade results seem to be getting silly now and devalue the qualification) into a more University-esque style but aimed at moving into careers afterwards.

 

(for the record I had 4 A-grade A-Levels but chose the job route instead and voted UKIP last time... yes technically pointless but I didn't want to vote for either of the big 3 as I don't trust any of em!)

Edited November 26, 2010 by gshaw

[Roberto]

ah, but then we start getting into the old argument about what the taxpayer as a whole will tolerate as far as 'free at the point of delivery'. NHS, yes. Three years of partying and media and communication degrees [full on daily wail mode], probably not.

 

so what we're seeing really is a democratic outcome. There will be some help for low income families [probably not enough], subsidy of key degree courses, plus a repayment method which doesn't require upfront payment of fees in full or part.

maybe this is the least worst outcome.

 

Indeed. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, there are no simple answers.

[teejay]

What we need is an anarcho-syndicalist commune........

 

Nothing to stop you setting one up...

[Roberto]

I do, by voting. And no I won't see the other side as I remember the last time this lot were in thanks.

 

Well that's certainly rational - are you saying that people never, ever change?

 

Because Labour have had a few bozos over the years, as have the Tories and whatever people thought of the Lib Dems before, I don't think they're doing themselves any favours at the moment. So looking at your logic I can only assume you don't vote at all because there is nobody left to vote for.

[localzuk]

Well that's certainly rational - are you saying that people never, ever change?

 

Because Labour have had a few bozos over the years, as have the Tories and whatever people thought of the Lib Dems before, I don't think they're doing themselves any favours at the moment. So looking at your logic I can only assume you don't vote at all because there is nobody left to vote for.

 

I'm voting Monster Raving Looney next time...

[mattx]

Well that's certainly rational - are you saying that people never, ever change?

 

Because Labour have had a few bozos over the years, as have the Tories and whatever people thought of the Lib Dems before, I don't think they're doing themselves any favours at the moment. So looking at your logic I can only assume you don't vote at all because there is nobody left to vote for.

 

Well in effect I do because my vote never really works - I'm in one of those places where it's pratically a waste. Never mind - at least I can vote without the fear of a gun being pointed at my head whilst I do so.

[teejay]

I'm voting Monster Raving Looney next time...

 

Lol, it's amazing how many of their policies have actually been implemented by the mainstream parties :-)

I've voted for them a couple of times, my favourite bunch of nutters to use as a protest vote were the Natural Law Party, the lot who did the yogic flying. Think they're still about in some countries, but they've given up over here.

[AyatollahPies]

Lower House prices is the solution to the vast majority of our problems.

 

Why bother going to University to be saddled with debt (Which has been the case for the majority since '98), and then realise that the best you can afford, is a Rabbit Hutch new build where you can hear your Neighbours use the Toilet?

 

I went to University in '98. I know people of a similar age to me that chose not to go to University at that time and instead go straight into employment. Even on very low wages, they were able to afford to buy a reasonable house for a first time buyer.

 

I have more in savings now than one of these friends paid for a semi-detached bungalow, in a fairly nice area! (And we're not talking megabucks here)

 

We don't all need to go to University, but we do all need somewhere to live, and until renters get far more rights than they currently do, ALL of the younger generations will be slaves to landlords.

 

If you're paying a fortune on rent, you have nothing left to save, and little left to spend, thus not helping the economy.

[torledo]

Being educated isn't just a selfish endeavour leading to higher pay cheques for that individual.

 

agreed. but you have to look at this issue in the context of what the govts. plan is for the public finances.

 

Yes, we as an economy benefit from having a better educated workforce. But in the context of a government that wants to reduce the budget deficit significantly, there's no way that a free at the point of delivery HE system is going to happen. Unfortunately it's one of those areas that has to give.

 

if we could resolve our deficit problems by getting more tax revenue from corporations and the very wealthy, but the numbers probably don't add up. And anyway such groups seem to get more sympathy from some quarters of the [hence the don't tax them more or they'll slope off strawman], than students from ordinary backgrounds wishing to get a HE experience without debt punary. Which is indeed a bizarre situation we seem to have found ourselves in.

[teejay]

Well in effect I do because my vote never really works - I'm in one of those places where it's pratically a waste. Never mind - at least I can vote without the fear of a gun being pointed at my head whilst I do so.

 

So true, we like to winge and moan about the mess this country is in, but there are far, far worse places to live. We really are very fortunate to live where we do.

[localzuk]

agreed. but you have to look at this issue in the context of what the govts. plan is for the public finances.

 

Yes, we as an economy benefit from having a better educated workforce. But in the context of a government that wants to reduce the budget deficit significantly, there's no way that a free at the point of delivery HE system is going to happen. Unfortunately it's one of those areas that has to give.

 

if we could resolve our deficit problems by getting more tax revenue from corporations and the very wealthy, but the numbers probably don't add up. And anyway such groups seem to get more sympathy from some quarters of the [hence the don't tax them more or they'll slope off strawman], than students from ordinary backgrounds wishing to get a HE experience without debt punary. Which is indeed a bizarre situation we seem to have found ourselves in.

 

The problem is the current set of policies are favouring business and not the people. For example, the article someone posted earlier to the Guardian. (fine, it is probably biased but the points stand). Allowing the banking industry to dole out massive bonuses, after they created much of this mess in the first place, is just wrong.

[teejay]

Allowing the banking industry to dole out massive bonuses, after they created much of this mess in the first place, is just wrong.

Those bonuses are taxed at 51% if over £150,000, so the bigger the better I say ;-)

[torledo]

I have more in savings now than one of these friends paid for a semi-detached bungalow, in a fairly nice area! (And we're not talking megabucks here)

 

same here. i wouldn't be surprised if my savings couldn't buy a couple of bungalows, at the prices they were in 1998.

 

plus i went to uni and spent years having student loan repayments deducted from my wages. i feel like i am either paying the price for not having speculated or for not having gone

knee deep into mortgage debt.

 

i didn't even get the kind of wage inflation to justify the route into HE. But it's not all bad, and i can't complain too much. much of it is as a result of my own decisions, but i sure as hell believe

there has been a major wealth transfer that's only beginning to be reversed.

[aerospacemango]

We don't all need to go to University

 

This is very true....but people should still have a CHOICE over whether they go to Uni....

[Roberto]

Well in effect I do because my vote never really works - I'm in one of those places where it's pratically a waste.

 

I wonder if any of the talk about electoral reform will make that change. I'm interested in seeing how well this coalition works as we may get more of them if voting reform does go ahead. In theory at least, we can hope it puts a stop to the more "lunatic fringe" ideas of each of the parties in the coalition.

 

I'd love to be able to vote "none of the above". Not spoiling your vote or any of the current methods but being able to go into a voting booth and tick a box that says "Actually, I've got no confidence in ANY of you lot" and have it counted as a "vote of no confidence"

 

Never mind - at least I can vote without the fear of a gun being pointed at my head whilst I do so.

 

This is true. The fact that we can take that for granted while some people die for the sake of voting in other countries does rather put things in perspective.

[teejay]

This is very true....but people should still have a CHOICE over whether they go to Uni....

 

They still have that choice, noone is saying you can't go to Uni, it's just the method of paying for it has changed.