Clapham Saint

I don't know what the actual figures are for debt as a % of gdp (they might well be as shown on that graphic but doing well comparatively to most of the countries shown does not actually mean that we are doing well.

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The figures don't even match up within the single document. In the graphic UK debt = $1.05trillion In the text below UK debt = $42.2 trillion I don't know what the actual figures would be (although no doubt they are easily available to anybody with access to google) but I don't think that these are the best to use to make a point.

This is the attitude that really irritates me. The Investment bankers have to shoulder a large portion of the blame however blind scapegoating and pitchfork waving only goes to demonstrate a lack of understanding. Yes the investment bankers are partly responsible, however the misregulation (again contrary to popular vitrol there was lots of regulation, a lot of which was put in place by Gordon Brown, it was just totally inadequate). We would also not be in the current situation if the defecit had not been allowed to run as high as it was PRIOR to the crisis. Had we not sold our gold reserves at the bottom of the market (again thanks to one G Brown who still refuses to even acknowledge that even with hindsight this was a teeny tiny mistake) etc etc

Some excellent dive sites! http://www.divesitedirectory.co.uk/red_sea_dahab.html

You can gift as much as you like. You can only gift a certain amount TAX FREE. It used to be £3,000 p.a. but could (should) have gone up by now.

There was a chap at school who came out with a load of these including: "Guys, is Christmas on the 27th or the 28th this year?" and "Do veggie burgers have meat in them?" He's a doctor now...

Are you saying that he's toast?

Just enough to be able to know that all of the world's ills are the result of it.

I'm willing to bet that they have high earners though...

Are you saiying that waiters do their job for the love of making restaurant goers meals more enjoyable? And what are you basing your assertations regarding hedge funds on? Other than media spin of course. Like it or not hedge funds (and investment banks, high street banks, asset based lenders etc for that matter), play a vital role in the economy. Without the investment and lending that they provide businesses would find it very very dificult to expand and invest in growth, let alone start up in the first place, providing jobs, customers for other buinesses, increasing tax revenue and so on. Yes banking activity contributed to the crash, but the government knew what they were doing and were happy to encorage it whilst it brought in tax revenue (greedy should be taxed at 982374928347%) and consumers (in general) were hapy to borrow way more than they had any prospect of being able to afford to pay back (self certification mortgages). People need to step back and realisethat blindly scapegoating does not mean that bankers are evil and everyone else is a saint.

I suspect AA is on up to £500 per hour. He dooesn't work every hour of everyday on P********h but still, his fees will be a lot more than £86,000

His wife? Other than that I can't see why we or anybody else should care.

Is that picture some bloke's face photoshopped onto a woman's photo?

Iron Chancellor my hairy ****

Quite. Unless Chainrai pumps in a load of cash (or sells to somebody else that does) I'm sticking to the toast. The longer you leave it in the toaster the blacker it gets.

Rather than pay £5. Sign up to pay £5 but then call in AA and pay just £1 spread over 4 years at 25p per year. Bargain

What's the difference between Music technology and an ordinary music a level? Just curious

I did one when I was at Uni in 1999 Took some new hay fever tablets for 2 weeks and spent two afternoons at the hospital. £200. Easy money.

Eastenders?

Really?

Depreciation (spot the accountant) Edit: Damn too slow

Has anybody found a data update to bring FM2010 palyers teams etc up to date for the current season? I've been looking but can't seem to find anything. Surely somebody must have created one somewhere?

There's a diference between being "experienced" at something and "good" at it