Lord Duckhunter

How can you have a Country where the Head of State is inherited, where people sit in the Parliament on the basis of what their father did, yet tax the eyeballs out of ordinary people, who make a few quid and what to pass that down to their kids? Dont forget they have already paid tax on the money that they are passing down to the kids. The problem with our tax system is that it is designed to punish or drive certain behaviours, rather than raise the most revenue. The Laffer curve illustrate's this perfectly. Tax people too highly, whether it is income or land/inherited wealth and people will find ways of avioding it. The rich aviod it, the poor dont pay it, and the poor saps stuck in the middle get stung. It's a joke that the state takes so much of our money to waste. Governments of both clours are obbsessed with wasting our money.

Always makes me laugh the way the Sandal wearers, BBC and other nut jobs go on about global warming and how we must reduce our "footprint". I could live up a tree, go to work on a Penny farthing and heat myself by covering up with straw, and it'll not make a blind bit of difference. Look at these prunes who "off set" their carbon ommissions, whatever that means. Until India, China, USA, Brazil ect get onboard a few middle class Country supper types being good lefties, are wasting their time. Instead of polluting our beautiful landscape with wind farms, instead of brain washing our kids and our struggling population, the political elite in this Country should save their lectures for the worst offenders when they fly round the world to meet them (after planting a lovely tree to offset that jet flight).

Thanks, I spent loads of time last night trying to work out how the Dutch could go through, as they lost to both Denmark & Germany.

Why then, did they increase NI contributions for everyone in 2002, even the very lowest paid workers? Why didn't they just increase the top rate of tax and spare the poorest from paying extra NI and loading firms with an extra 1% cost on every employee?

If increasing taxes was the answer then the Labour Gov. of the 70's would be the most sucsessful we've had. Income tax take went up after Nigel Lawson's tax cutting budgets. If I am sucsessful, surely I should be able to leave the fruits of my sucsess it to my "feckless offspring". Rather that than it going to feckless wasters who've not worked as hard as me, or to be spent on a national celebration in honour of a family that have the greatest inherited wealth in the whole Country. My Father in Law left school at 14 with nothing, he built up a sucsessful Night Club business and made a lot of money. He went without holidays and worked many many hours building it up. He is now comfortably off, why should he be taxed more when leaving HIS hard earned money to his children, especially when he's already paid a higher rate of income tax on that money anyway? Had he pi ssed it all up, blown the lot, there would be no tax to pay.

This is one of the best articles I've seen recently, I particulary agree with the bits; "The heart of the matter is the way public debt allows the current generation of voters to live at the expense of those as yet too young to vote or as yet unborn." " today's Western democracies now play such a large part in redistributing income that politicians who argue for cutting expenditures nearly always run into the well-organised opposition of one or both of two groups: recipients of public sector pay and recipients of government benefits." "The present system is, to put it bluntly, fraudulent. There are no regularly published and accurate official balance sheets. Huge liabilities are simply hidden from view.Not even the current income and expenditure statements can be relied upon in some countries. No legitimate business could possible carry on in this fashion." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-18456131

Fantastic, I'm really pleased for the guy. Where would we be without his "support for the Commander-in-Chief" (mummy)?

Not only that, but we were specifically told that it would not happen. It was a Trading bloc, nothing more nothing less, that's what we were told. Grocer Heath lied to us, and the establishment have been lieing ever since.

Nonsense, there is a huge difference between States in the Union wanting to "guard their distance" and sovereign Countries forcing their peoples into a Federal Europe by the back door. If you think the tensions between the Greeks and the EU are the same as between the federal Government and Mississippi you are wrong. The people in Mississippi had a vote in their presidental elections, the Greeks did not, yet appear to have ended up with Angela Merkel running their finances. Last time I looked USA was one Country and the EZ was 17 Countries.

Exactly. This is what the "project" is. A United States of Europe.

Only because Labour promised us a vote. Had the Labour manifesto committed us to the Euro with no vote, Hague would have won a landslide. By promising a vote, the issue went away.

What a load of pony...... It is not a "good idea". You can not have monetry union without fiscal union, that is the plain and simple arguement that Farage and others have always held. What on earth are you thanking Gordon Brown for? He was for the Euro, he just wouldn't bend the rules for our entry, an entry that he wanted in principle (not that he would have got in past the British people). Thanking someone for not breaking the rules, is like thanking a hoodie for not mugging you.

It was not a "noble" idea at all. It was all part of "the project", and the outcome of "the project" is a federal Europe.

There is nothing wrong with owning your own house, but houses need to be owned to live in, not used as an investment oppurtunity. The only "savings" a lot of people have, myself included, is the equity in the house. I've always found it strange that we tax people on their hardwork and hammer them when they become more sucsessful, yet people can make vast profits, by just selling their house and the tax is pretty low. When we sell our house, we would have made a huge profit. What have we really done for that profit? It took no skill, no judgement, just being able to afford a mortgage at the time, paying the mortgage ontime, and we'll come out with a load of cash. We didn't buy our house to make money, but even after this downturn, we'll make a few bob.There are millions like us and then add to that the people who do buy to make money and you can see the issue. Unfortunately if you want more people to rent, unless you build loads of council houses, you are going to end up with even more people buying the houses to rent to those people, and making even more money that way.The market will still be inflated

We went last year. People are great and very friendly. Beaches aren't as nice as some Greek Islands, prefered Kos to be honest. But we went all inclusive so stayed on the site most of the time. Mrs Duck loved Rhodes Town, but I didn't see the attraction to be honest. The Greek people and the weather make it a fantastic holiday destination, but the past 2 years we've suffered delays and disruption at air ports and last year there was a taxi drivers strike. We are not going back this year, purely because of that, we were 5 hours sat on the plane last year, due to a strike and twice people left the hotel, only to come back later that night, again because of strike action whilst flying home. Just didn't want to risk hassle this year, as it maybe worse. Dont want to put you off, because it's got to be my fav holiday country.

I'm away for the first weekend, so I'm hoping for a Monday game, or Wigan/Reading/Sunderland away.

Press bloke on Talksport at 7am this morning. Said Redknapp misjudged the England situation and ****ed Levy off by even going so far as to approach people about working with him during the Euro's, he was that sure of getting the job.Said that he has changed his agent and the new one is more combative. Also said that the interview he gave to Sky Sports last week, in which he claims the uncertainty is affecting the players (funny how he claimed it didn't affect them during the England talk), was the final straw for Levy and he'll be gone. Said Levy wants a DOF and a young Manager.

I presume you feel the same about the English cricket team.

What ruined my wedding day was Mrs Duck turning up. All my old mates were there, from my old football club, old work mates,mates I'd met in the pub over the years.It could have been a right good booze up, but the new Mrs Duck kept me on a tight lead that night.

And the next one will be a European phenomenon. Not that it will stop the ridiculous Ed Balls claiming it was "made in Downing Street". It's funny how all Labour's busts are global and nothing to do with their policies and all Tory ones are "made in Downing Street". Labour left us in a bad position to deal with a global bust, when it came. They can not wash their hands of everything, particulary banking regulation. Only 3 politicans were named and criticised in the report into RBS, Gordon Brown, Ed Balls and Tony Blair. Labour benefitted from the ERM fiasco, despite the fact they were enthusiastic supporters of it, and would have taken us in with the same result that cost the Torys so badly. They were in opposition at the time, so the buck stopped with the Tory's even though their policy were the same. Same with banking regulation, they were in charge and didn't regulate correctly so the buck stops with them.

I've always found the Scots and Welsh more anti English than the Irish when it comes to Football. I was in Dublin during England's first visit to Croke Park.I watched the Rugby in a pub in Dublin, surrounded by Irishmen and there was not any annimosity or trouble towards me at all. This match was played at a place where the British killed 14 people including one of the teams captains, and holds a very significant place in the history of their Country. Yet there was no trouble at all. I suggest that had the roles been reversed and 14 Englishmen killed at Wembley by the Argies, then an Argie watching the first visit of Argentina since that event, would not be very safe in a London pub full of English. To start going on about victimhood status and the like, shows a bit of ignorance about the history of their country. They have a hatred of the British establishment and the British state, and the English football team represent that. On an individual basis I have yet to meet one Irishmen (and I visit regulary) who has ever been anything other than friendly and warm to me and my family. I can not say the same about Jocks and Taffs, or even people from some other parts of England. As for why the TV stations treat them differantly than the French ect. Surely that's not too difficult to understand is it? Whether people on here like it or not, they are "less foreign" than the rest of Europe, with us sharing a common language, a border, & until 1922 we were part of the same Country. If Scotland votes for independance I guess we'll have threads asking why the BBC are not treating Scotland like they do France.

The Building Societies' members voted to demutualise. The bar was set quite high with 75% of members having to vote in favour, but the people were seduced by greed and "free" money. How can it be "unfettered capitalism" if the banks were nationalised. Capitalism wont work if failed business' are bailed out. Labour certainly had to take their share of the blame, particulary Brown and the now shadow Chancellor Balls.The offical report by Lord Turner into RBS said lax regulation of the City contributed to the collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland and allowed the former bosses of the bank, including Sir Fred Goodwin, to walk away without being disciplined .He said the regulator had been encouraged to take a "light touch" by Labour and that its creator, Gordon Brown, had left it with a "structural flaw". Brown made a terrible error in taking banking regulation away from the Bank of England in 1997 and hand it to the FSA.

Dario Gradi who does know a thing or two about young players devolopment gave an interesting interview a couple of years ago. In it, he claimed that there is a cultral difference which we need to over come. He said if you give group of French, Dutch or German kids a ball each they will practise skills, do keepy uppys, and flicks ect.He then went onto to say if you give a group of English kids a ball each , the first thing they will do is run and smash it into the back of the empty net.

For Capitalism to work, bad business’ have to fail and have to be allowed to go bang. Nationalising failed business’ and bailing them out, is pure Socialism, not Capitalism. Perhaps that's what New Labour meant by the "third way". Capitalism with the profits and Natiionalise the losses.

How on earth can you support the idea, an idea which will end in tears and cause the people of some European countries a decade of misery. Brown was not right, the Euro was wrong full stop. It doesn't matter whether the "golden rules" were passed or not. The whole idea was wrong and is still wrong. The problem is people and politicans thinking like you do. Until you lot wake up and smell the coffee,abandon the whole idea and have a planned ending of the Euro things will never get better. Ken Livingstone was on Sky this morning and he hit the nail on the head. The whole thing was about creating a United States of Europe. Surely the ERM fiasco should have told you the Euro was unworkable.How on earth people can still support the idea is beyond me.