Britain is going to be Tory for at least 10 years.

[Strontium Dog]

Gummint has absolutely NO right to take ANY of the money, IMO. But then I'm a Libertarian.

I am a liberal, and to some extent small-l libertarian. I don't like tax, but if we're going to have tax (and I can't foresee a society in which we could do away with it), then it must be better to tax unearned income, like inheritance.

I mean, someone who inherits a property has done literally nothing to deserve it. If we have any pretensions towards meritocracy in this world, then inheritance should surely be taxed at a higher rate than, say, income, which a person has actually put in some effort to get.

[laklak]

Fuck old money. If I were nouveau riche I wouldn't give a shit what The New York 400 thought about me, my money would be just as green as theirs. So I didn't get invited to opening night of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's newest exhibition, they aren't invited to my private Jimmy Buffet concert on Dog Island. All ya'll are, though. I'll send the Gulfstream 650ER to pick you up. Do you prefer Cristal or Moet? Dump a little beluga on the foie gras, it's fucking delicious.

[pErvinalia]

I'll have prawns and bread and beer.

[JimC]

Throw another Trump supporter on the barbie...

[pErvinalia]

And grab Barbie's pussy?

[laklak]

Barbie doesn't have a pussy, and Ken doesn't have a dick. That's why all the Barbies and Kens look alike, they reproduce by fission.

[mistermack]

It's funny how the Guardian can give out such pessimistic forecasts for the economy, and yet house prices are still on the rise.
Apparently I'm missing something, and house prices can rise for ever.

There is going to be such an almighty crash if they ever start to fall.
Watch out for some dramatic high-jinks by the government propping them up.

Problem for the Tories is that there's no prospect of Labour getting into power and taking the blame. Maybe Corbyn is being crafty, and playing the long game?
Maybe winning an election is the last thing he wants ?

[PsychoSerenity]

Apparently I'm missing something, and house prices can rise for ever.

There is going to be such an almighty crash if they ever start to fall.
Watch out for some dramatic high-jinks by the government propping them up.

They've been propping up house prices for years, through planning regulations that allow developers to build loads of profitable big expensive houses while at the same time limiting the overall amount of housing developed, and massively hindering local councils from being able to build housing themselves. And this latest lot especially, - just look at the "affordable housing" help to buy and shared ownership schemes. They don't reduce the actual sale price of the house, they just put government money towards allowing the purchaser to get themselves into more debt, so they can buy now and... hope that they can keep up the payments in the future. What could possibly go wrong?

[Strontium Dog]

It's funny how the Guardian can give out such pessimistic forecasts for the economy, and yet house prices are still on the rise.
Apparently I'm missing something, and house prices can rise for ever.

Well, you do specialise in missing things, so yes, in this instance, you're missing the fact that the pound has lost about quarter of its value since the disastrous referendum result, so prices have come down considerably if you're buying in euros, dollars, roubles, or any of the multitude of other currencies that have gained traction against our worthless poond sterling.

[pErvinalia]

Barbie doesn't have a pussy, and Ken doesn't have a dick. That's why all the Barbies and Kens look alike, they reproduce by fission.

Gender is a social construct.

[JimC]

Barbie doesn't have a pussy, and Ken doesn't have a dick. That's why all the Barbies and Kens look alike, they reproduce by fission.

Gender is a social construct.

No, gander is a social construct, you great goose!

[mistermack]

Well, you do specialise in missing things, so yes, in this instance, you're missing the fact that the pound has lost about quarter of its value since the disastrous referendum result, so prices have come down considerably if you're buying in euros, dollars, roubles, or any of the multitude of other currencies that have gained traction against our worthless poond sterling.

I do miss some of the shit that you churn out. I'm so embarrassed.
Yes the pound has fallen. So what? How does that prop up house prices Einstein?

What it means is that anybody who bought recently in dollars, roubles etc. has taken a big hit on their investment. Hardly encouragement to others to dive in again.
Also, the current weakness might continue, causing losses for anyone who buys right now in foreign money.
Also, the drop in Sterling is causing a rise in inflation, that will likely be countered with interest rate rises. Hardly good news for the housing market.

Did you miss some of the bleedin obvious, by any chance?

[Strontium Dog]

Evidently I need to simplify it yet more.

House prices are rising in sterling only.
In every other currency, they are plummeting.

Since house prices rises in the UK are driven, in the main, by overseas property investors, a property crash is unlikely at any time in the forseeable future.

[mistermack]

Evidently I need to simplify it yet more.

I don't think you have any other option.

[Brian Peacock]

So, Gorgeous George it the new Editor in Chief at The London Evening Standard, where he can continue his fight for truth, justice, and true-blue one-nation conservatism as a respected member of the press.

What a privilege to be able to welcome George Osborne to the ranks of journalistic colleaguery. The former News of the World cover star and chancellor is the new editor of the London Evening Standard, a role he will combine with his jobs as MP for Tatton and being a £650,000-a-year escort for an investment fund. Osborne has now been a Tory chancellor, an investment banker and a newspaper journalist – a sequence whose next two terms are estate agent and serial sex killer.

Primarily, it is a thrill to see Osborne finally get his break in journalism, over two decades after failing to get on the Times graduate trainee scheme. Bless him for keeping on plugging away – it’s so easy to get discouraged by a setback like that. My advice to young journalists seeking to emulate his success is to consider adding a similar interest point to your own CV. Have you had experience of running an austerity con? Did you probably destroy the union? Pop those alongside your freelance local paper cuttings and see how you get on...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... g-standard