Its really difficult to calculate the repayments though, as illustrated ... [urlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/16/wonga-henry-raine-maths-public-accounts-commitee_n_2488079.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics[/url


Reading through that report though he does make some valid points and the MP's quizzing him make some rather naive ones (or try to), I hope their interview with him has enlightened them a little.

It's interesting how many people bemoan the negative impact of supermarkets on local economies, whilst blithely tripping off to one every week for their big shop; it's similar to the phenomenon that sees people complain about traffic whilst being traffic, or about intrusive journalism whilst regularly buying the type of organs which purvey celebrity tittle-tattle.

A perfect example is the current storm of faux-sentimentality about HMV, from people who probably haven't bought anything from there in years, preferring instead to order from cheap, offshore based online retailers or even worse, steal their music and films from file-streaming websites.

We have become addicted to cheapness and convenience and in a recession, how do you persuade people away from that addiction? I'm not sure you can, so the high street casualties are likely to continue for the forseeable future.

Believe me, I know the people who are shopping in BrightHouse and getting WONGA or PayDay loans, they are still spending like crazy and see no reason to stop.

A couple of months ago, I did an interview with a debt counsellor. Pay-day loan companies turn her from a very well-spoken rather posh, middle-aged lady to someone nearly biting their tongue to stop themselves saying naughty words.

She was telling me how debt problems are increasing for a variety of reasons – parents supporting children who are unable to find work and move out, people finding that their hours have been cut and so on.

She's been seeing an increasing number of people who, in a panic that they can't pay the mortgage one month, take out a pay day loan to pay it, and then find they need a bigger one the following month to pay back the original loan.

Another thing that's happening is that companies are also threatening legal action and even bankruptcy over very much smaller amounts than in the past, and for debts that were not incurred a long time ago.

For which I actually have a personal example.

A few months ago, I had paid off everything that was outstanding on a credit card I had. Thought that was the end of it. However, it turned out that I had some payment protection (didn't remember that) and they continued to bill for that. Less than a month later, got a letter threatening legal action for something like £25.

Eventually got letters from them acknowledging that both the card and the protection scheme accounts were closed and that no more charges would be made. Final payment was thus made instantly.

Mr Heath's take on retail casualties: www.cityam.com/latest-news/allis ... -dinosaurs Which seems to follow the consensus on here.

Mr Heath's take on retail casualties: www.cityam.com/latest-news/allis ... -dinosaurs Which seems to follow the consensus on here.

[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21059186Recession, nope, expanding Croydons shopping complex[/url

does seem an odd time to be investing £1bn

Why? Their other two places have been booming. Also there is the lead time factor - by the time its built they'll be expecting the recssion to be over.

so the fact that the Mayors Office are investing tax payers money when the rest of the country is meant to be skint is a good idea?

at least they'll have some nice new shops to riot in next time I guess.

It is quite clear that the way for people to improve their lot in this country is by rioting. In Thatcher's era inner city rioters were rewarded with millions of pounds in investment and nice new leisure centres, etc. Why would it be any different now?

It's due to start in 2015, I do hope that in two years time things have started to improve.
Anyhoo aren't we supposed to be encouraging the private sector to invest?

Just don't see why everything has to be London centric when it comes to investment.

It's the private sector, they can invest where they see fit subject to the usual planning regs.

you missed the bit about the Mayor of Londons office making a substantial contribution?

apologies, it seems to MOL investment is unrelated to the shopping centre.

The Mayor of London wouldn't be investing in Sheffield or Nottingham now would he?

Instead of whinging that everything was happening in the South moan to your council and get them to attract investment to your own area.

There isn't any money for the local authorities, it's been spent in the south!

Hogwash. Firstly that money Boris is investing was announced last year and I would guess would be from a contingency fund for events like this (funds that ALL councils have) along with moneys from HM Gov and insurance claims.

You don't see people in the South moaning when Sheffield got millions to improve or when the whole of the Arndale in Manchester was rebuilt.

Maybe not on RLFans, but plenty were at the time.

Thats odd, because I'm sure that there is a [url=http://www.leeds.gov.uk/leisure/Pages/Leeds-Arena.aspxbloody big arena[/url sprouting up on the skyline in Leeds at the moment that is part-funded from public money.

We'll also have a [url=http://www.trinityleeds.com/£350m retail complex[/url open up in the city centre later this year and work is likely start on expanding the White Rose Centre

I have to agree with coddy.

Proper fish and proper meat is so far superior that given the choice i would always get the better quality.

The issue that some raise about price is true BUT i would say that you get more taste and satisfaction from a smaller portion that the price works out the same.

Buying cheaper cuts and eating a lot of it is neither good value or a good tasting experience.

The other advantage of eating the better quality stuff as that you are not eating too much and is a good way of portion control. Quality over quantity

He is also right about BASSA fillets. Tasteless and full of pollution DO NOT EVER BUY THIS FISH

I assume you mean cheaper / lower quality meat? Cheaper cuts as used for slow cooking are good value and by the very nature of the cooking process are good tasting. This of course assumes the meat has been produced and hung correctly.

Indeed, I remember a famous lisping chef extolling the virtues of bone in shoulder of Pork, which f'd up the availability of my favourite sunday roast for months!

Yes you are right to make that point.

Oxtail is a very cheap cut but possibly one of the tastiest

Don't dismiss lamb breast either.

Morrison's sell a small 1/2 sheet for about £1.25, My local butcher sells whole breasts for 75p each. Either bone them, then roll & stuff 'em or simply season and place the racks in a hot oven and eat like you would pork ribs

I saw a documentary a few months ago on this fish (or something very similar), where the reporter visited the farm in Vietnam and found some of the fish had been deliberately mutilated (think it was one eye removed..IIRC??) as it enhanced the virility in the male allowing them to increase their stocks.

Looked rank to be honest!

I think you're getting a bit confuddled mate. It's farmed tiger prawn that sometimes have one eye removed to increase fecundity in females.

There's one weird treatment that pangasius suffer though: female fish are injected with a solution that contains pregnant human urine, this also has the effect of increasing spawning rates. It does beg the question of how they came to this conclusion and what other methods were tried before deciding that pregnant women's pi[is[/is was best