buctootim

Exactly this. My son has had to endure classes of 32 and constantly changing supply teachers in two key subjects for six months because the school is unable to recruit - and this is an OFSTED rated 'outstanding' school in leafy Sussex. God knows what the situation is like in more challenging or less attractive to work places.

How has Hart done at Turin? I havent been following him.

They won't allow a plan B because they're terrified that if there is a choice people will prefer it to the reckless gung ho charge of plan A - with Hammond leading the 'B's

There really isnt much different between Tory and Labour tax and spend policies despite the rhetoric. Agree about NI, it was a great PR wheeze post WW2 to convince people they were paying an insurance premium instead of new taxes, but everyone now knows what it is.

true, but its still a big storm over a small teacup - 70p pw for a couple of million people. The real scandal is how corporate taxation of multinationals continues to decline even as taxes on individuals increase. Stock markets are at record high for a reason - record profits.

'Second Scottish independence vote ‘looking inevitable’

Jeez you really are an utter cretin. Is there no point so big and so bold that even you can't fail to grasp? Yes wages are higher than in 1980. They rose in every decade since 1800 but have flatlined since 2007 and are projected to do the same for the next five years due to built in tax rises and spending cuts. Thats the whole point

No I'm saying most of the EU is doing better than us. Its us that are sh*t. Cant keep blaming other people.

As you've often been told - you should read more, then you would embarass yourself less often. Most of the changes have already happened. Incomes have been flat since 2007 and future tax rises and inflation will complete the picture. http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-2016-personal-and-household-finances-in-the-uk/

Weak try Wes. Growth continues to under perform at 1.6% pa - well below the long term trend rate of 2.5% despite this being the 'recovery' phase of the cycle when we are supposed to have the strongest growth. If you strip out growth due to increase in population GDP is almost stagnant. If you further take out the £1,000 per head additional spending fuelled by new debt we would be in recession. Its immigration and additional borrowing which is flattering the figures. Meanwhile we will be earning the same in real terms in 2022 as we were in 2006, a phenomena not seen since Napoleon. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/09/uk-pay-growth-budget-resolution-foundation Germany has stronger growth than the UK and a budget surplus while we struggle with another £65bn of borrowing this year to add to the existing £1.5 trillion debt pile. We will likely be 16th of 27 for EU countries growth in 2016 when all the figures are in. Not quite what the DM and Express tell you is it?

Not to mention the slowest recovery from recession in 180 years and slowest wage growth in over 200. Going great I tell ya

Each to his own, but that makes me think 'brand victim' not 'wow'

Post of the Year

"we all have to take care of our families. There were offers that came in that would take care of my family in ways that Southampton weren't willing to. It's a difficult situation. I arrived in the Premier League late at 29 years old - you still have to live 50 years after football". Three years in the PL at £50,000pw is £7.5m, enough to live on for the rest of your life. Might as well ignore the pittance he earned in the Championship and the Portuguese 1st division over 10 years, probably another £7-8 million.

I read that at initially as being "getting a meal for participation". Seemed a bit odd, but then it is Pompey.

Big cities with excellent services and the lower population density rest of the country ignored / underserved is exactly the issue that national public services were set up to address.

Sky charges an average of £564 pa per subscriber compared with £127pa for the BBC. I know which I'd rather have.

Still good, but too much commercial stuff that could be on any channel and they try to do too much. Reduce the number of stations, make it more distinctive and public interest focussed, increase overseas broadcasting from world service and fund from general taxation but with a charter and board guaranteeing full independence.

Pompey, City of Culture hopeful. Humour isn't dead. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39129473

Juncker is right. You are confused. State normal

The Express and Mail point was reference to your "insightless, grey mediocrities" and "feather-nest jobsworth dullard Eurocrats". As I said previously there are long standing commitments on both sides. I have no idea whether the hefty bill will be outweighed by our share of the assets, and nor do you. In any event even if it were all about pension commitments, what would you do? walk away from them like Maxwell or Philip Green. Screw the British civil servants, translators and programme staff who worked in the EC for 40 years? Seems like an interesting idea. Maybe the British taxpayers and companies could save a buck by walking away from the pension commitments made to you and Wes.

Your ability to get the wrong end of the stick, to misread, or simply see what you want is legendary. Thats why Shurlock calls you out. Your own quote endorses what Ive said you utter dimwit. It will be a process of negotiation. There will be assets and liabilities on both sides. Working it all out will be a long process. It cant be completed until there is a leaving date.

Do you not have any thoughts beyond a headline from the Express or Mail? Its about far more than pensions - and even if it were just that we're talking about the contractual pensions owed to "insightless grey mediocrities" like Farage and the other UKIP MEPs. We could save a bit if they resigned now instead pf hanging on for every last pound. Britain has been 'wedded' to the EU for over 40 years with longstanding financial commitments on both sides. We wont leave for around another two years, if we ever do. Unravelling all of that is going to be complex.

Returning to the drachma and devaluing would guarantee default as the debt would become even larger in drachma terms. Its not EU policies which is causing the problems, its German nationalist ones. Continuing euro crisis rather than resolving it is in their interests - avoiding debt relief saves them money and makes the euro cheaper than it would otherwise be relative to the dollar and other currencies. German exports benefit and they have near record balance of trade surpluses. British debt during WW2 reached 238% of GDP, so its not impossible to recover from - just very hard and very long. Greece isnt going to inflict more pain on their citizens if all the benefits flow to foreign banks. The IMF approach of some debt forgiveness and a lower budget surplus requirement but labour market and pension reforms seems more viable to me. The creditor nations dont want that because it would encourage the other debtor nations - the ones who could pay but dont want to - to demand the same terms.

Keeping the nip out during his iron man runs / hard stares I think Thats the one! Reduced to £725!