Job Discussion Forums

[sheikh radlinrol]

Never thought I´d see the day when I praised a Tory politician on a public board but there seems to be more to DC than meets the eye. First, he saw off the odious Salmond in our independence referendum and then he predicted correctly, against the odds, a Conservative majority at Westminster in the GE. Now, it seems that Frau Merkel is so desperate to keep us in the club that she is willing to negotiate with Dave. Rule Britannia!

[grahamb]

And Hurrah for the Blackshirts!

[Phil_K]

You better believe it! Now we've got rid of the LibDem gold-diggers, he can spread his wings. Negative inflation, rising wages, just the beginning...

[grahamb]

To be followed by the re-conquest of the rebellious American colonies.

[Knedliki]

Millions of people can't afford to buy a house.
Increasing suicide rate.
Insidiously privatising the NHS.
Endless welfare cuts while the bankers continue to get their multi-million pound bonuses.
More food banks than ever before.

The Tories answer to dealing with falling literacy rates is to shut down and sell all the libraries!

[grahamb]

Little Englanders are unconcerned about such trivial matters as welfare cuts and food banks.

[sheikh radlinrol]

[scot47]

Ignorance of how the Economic System works has never barred a man (or woman) from membership of the Conservative Party.

Mr Salmond and 55 other SNP MP are now elected representatives at the Palace of Westminster The clock is ticking.

[Phil_K]

[johnslat]

Dear Phil_K

It's all relative, eh?

But perhaps the true measurement isn't against third-world countries (kind of a fixed game) but against what your country once was and/or what your country should/could be like.

In that respect, how many countries would "measure up," I wonder.

Regards,
John

[Phil_K]

Dear John

Oldies such as I (we?) will probably always compare unfavourably with the past, but I definitely believe my beloved country is in a pretty good place right now.

Regards
Phil

[johnslat]

Dear Phil_k,

Oh yes, it's we (72 and counting).

Well, that's fair enough. I have mixed feelings about my country: could be better; could be worse.

I just hope the future holds progress rather than regress.

Regards,
John

[sheikh radlinrol]

[johnslat]

Yup, it's bad for debtors:

"A second effect: even aside from expectations of future deflation, falling prices worsen the position of debtors, by increasing the real burden of their debts. Now, you might think this is a zero-sum affair, since creditors experience a corresponding gain. But as Irving Fisher pointed out long ago (pdf), debtors are likely to be forced to cut their spending when their debt burden rises, while creditors aren’t likely to increase their spending by the same amount. So deflation exerts a depressing effect on spending by raising debt burdens – which, as Fisher also points out, can lead to another kind of vicious circle, in which depressed spending because of rising real debt leads to further deflation".

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/why-is-deflation-bad/?_r=0

Link to Fisher:

https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/docs/meltzer/fisdeb33.pdf

Regards,
John

[Phil_K]

Even as a non-expert, there are two things I do know about economics. First, that there seem to be pluses and minuses whatever the situation, and secondly, if you put 27 economists in a room to discuss economics, you will get 27 different (differing?) opinions!