Do you actually think about what you write or do you just bash the keyboard with your forehead?



I did. I'm not.



There's an echo in here...

You must be in a generous mood tonight.



I don't think we should rule out both options yet...

Also consider Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain.

The US is still on its , and believe it or not China has also had a down-turn.

Yup...other economies are booming compared to ours

The massive rise in food bank use for emergency food (ie the limit of three days rations) is a huge embarrassment to the current government, its the one statistic that bucks the message of growth and equal wealth distribution and the trickle down effect, the one statistic that points and says, "Hang on, something isn't right here".

So the current incumbents act like all politicians do and try and shout down the bad news in that well known politicians rule that if you shout loud enough and all shout together, and probably wave paper in the air too, then it will go away - the well worn explanation wheeled out on this very thread is if you give something for free then people will come and when you advertise something for free then hordes will come.

Its a dumbfook argument and is the equivalent to shouting very loud, putting your fingers in your ears and waving paper in the air for the only relevant fact required in your knowledge of what a food bank does is that its emergency food, three days rations and you can't go back again on the fourth day and in Oliver Twist style ask for more, as a ploy for a constant supply of free food its a fookin stupid idea because by Thursday you'll be hungry again.

As for advertising, do you know what the annual budget is for the Trussell Trust to advertise its food banks is ?

£0 per annum.

France is not a major economy? Really poor trolling.

www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... g-machines www.theguardian.com/news/datablo ... statistics Perhaps the poorest in society who can afford to smoke and gamble can help those budget so they don't have to use foodbanks. It seems they're able to heat and eat and still have cash over to spend. And as we know the checks in place ensure only those in genuine need get referred so those happily puffing away outside Betfred before going in to stick a few quid on a nag at Haydock will never need to use them. Bloody foodbanks! What sort of country is it where people can get free supplies from charities in their hours of need, I hope it doesn't catch on, there'll be thousands of the buggers next. If we're not careful there'll be charities for cancer sufferers, children, animals. MADNESS!

www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... g-machines www.theguardian.com/news/datablo ... statistics Perhaps the poorest in society who can afford to smoke and gamble can help those budget so they don't have to use foodbanks. It seems they're able to heat and eat and still have cash over to spend. And as we know the checks in place ensure only those in genuine need get referred so those happily puffing away outside Betfred before going in to stick a few quid on a nag at Haydock will never need to use them. Bloody foodbanks! What sort of country is it where people can get free supplies from charities in their hours of need, I hope it doesn't catch on, there'll be thousands of the buggers next. If we're not careful there'll be charities for cancer sufferers, children, animals. MADNESS!

So you don't care that the Labour party screwed the poor and disabled? But you do care that the Coalition do? Interesting.

Oh, and I'm sure it's written down somewhere that there has to be gestapo style interviews before the golden ticket is handed over, but humans have a tendency for "path of least resistance" thinking, so can you *really* be that d to check bank accounts, cupboards for a bag or two of penne?

Labour left me alone to fight my illness not like this government who have done nothing but call us in every 6 months for pointless assessments in case people have grown limbs back, take money off disablef people for them daring to have an extra bedroom, change Pip from DLA so drastically that the majority of us will lose our independence and basically call us liars, fakers and scroungers.

Unfortunately leaving you (and others) alone was the problem.

Labour allowed the welfare state to balloon out of all proportions so that now this Government are having to take the tough decisions to ensure it is fit for purpose again and adequately strikes a balance between those who need help and those would could work.

It's much easier to expand the welfare state than reduce it.

Quote ="Hull White Star"Labour left me alone to fight my illness not like this government who have done nothing but call us in every 6 months for pointless assessments in case people have grown limbs back, take money off disablef people for them daring to have an extra bedroom, change Pip from DLA so drastically that the majority of us will lose our independence and basically call us liars, fakers and scroungers.'" Oh. My. God. Every six months? That's just scandalous. What should happen, is someone should be able to say "I'm disabled, you'll have to take my word for it, give me money now and forever, no questions asked". You poor, poor lamb. In case you missed it, the last government brought in a lovely little scheme that penalised people for having an extra bedroom. Oh and here's Alistair Darling who reckoned 70% of those on incapacity benefit were "liars, fakers and scroungers". www.theguardian.com/society/2001 ... disability To be honest, you'd be better if you simply said "Tories......WAAAAAAHHHH"

Quote ="Hull White Star"Labour left me alone to fight my illness not like this government who have done nothing but call us in every 6 months for pointless assessments in case people have grown limbs back, take money off disablef people for them daring to have an extra bedroom, change Pip from DLA so drastically that the majority of us will lose our independence and basically call us liars, fakers and scroungers.'" Oh. My. God. Every six months? That's just scandalous. What should happen, is someone should be able to say "I'm disabled, you'll have to take my word for it, give me money now and forever, no questions asked". You poor, poor lamb. In case you missed it, the last government brought in a lovely little scheme that penalised people for having an extra bedroom. Oh and here's Alistair Darling who reckoned 70% of those on incapacity benefit were "liars, fakers and scroungers". www.theguardian.com/society/2001 ... disability To be honest, you'd be better if you simply said "Tories......WAAAAAAHHHH"

So nothing to report on the economy then.

That some people need to use a food bank is a very sad state of affairs but you seem to have forgotten that there has been a very serious world economic crisis with many many casualties all over the globe. Neither should it be forgotten that the last Labour Government left office with the cupboard bare.

The new government had to take over an economic mess and their attempts to put right the wrongs Labour left behind have taken much longer than originally expected because the recession went on longer and was deeper than anyone imagined. The recovery was further delayed by the ongoing Euro crisis that has had such a negative effect.

Because things are getting better on most economic fronts does not mean the Government can solve all problems at a stroke. It will take time to remove the need for the likes of food banks and for the majority of the population to feel better off but the future at present is positive. So why not celebrate this?

You say that one almost million people have used a food bank in the last year. Can you tell me is that one million different people? or is it one million parcels given out?

The Trussel Trust opened their first UK foodbank in 2000 and started to market their franchised network in 2004 during in the boom and bust years of Blair and Brown so you can stop the snearing at the present Government as they have put us on the road to recovery. The Trust has successfully marketed the Foodbank social franchise model and is a key factor in the growth of the network. Their strategic aim is to have a Foodbank in every town in the UK so it is no wonder more people will be using their services. It is likely that there has always been a need for foodbanks but the recession and the increase in availability are reasons for the rapid growth.

No one is saying we shouldn't be assessed but come on!! You really think its acceptable to drag someone in after seeing them only six months before to check if a limb has grown back? Even you must think that is ridiculous. David Cameron said many times in the House that disabled people and parents of disabled people were exempt from the bedroom tax. He lied.

I hope you never experience the total dispair and stress you feel everytime you get a brown envelope through the door, the sick feeling of dread that you are being called in again despite an abundance of consultants letters that are ignored. It could happen to anyone at anytime. You might not be quick in your opinions if it was you or a loved one.

Lord Elpers did you read the article in the business section of the Sunday Times last weekend? It is suspected that the Office for National Statistics were far too conservative in their GDP figures throughout 2012 and that GDP growth for that year could be revised up by as much as 0.7%.

This would further underline the excellent job this Government has done in turning the economy around.

According to Ms McVey its seismic. She needs to consult a dictionary before she opens are mis-informed mouth.

Yes I did read the article and as it says those early ONS estimates should have been taken with a bucket-load of salt as its weak initial GDP estimates brought this government close to a crisis. As did the comments a year ago from Oliver Blanchard, the IMF's chief economist, who went over the top in warning George Osborne that he was "playing with fire" with his policies and who has been proved spectacularly wrong.

The article also reminded us that Blanchard was not alone in misreading Britain's economy and it pointed out "the delicious irony, against the French-run IMF, in that if you were looking for an economy with growth problems, look no further than France predicted to grow by just 1% this year after 0.3% last year and zero in 2012" This a socialist run country with economic policies shared by Ed Balls-up. (You have to suspect the judgement of someone with hair cut in the style of an ill fitting cheap wig)

So a good job we have Gerorge Osborne who had the strength of character to stick to his guns and tough it out against all his critics who have been proved to be so wrong.

His critics are correct.
Its only right wing nutters i.e the current government and its apologists who believe that Gideon has been right about anything.

But seeing as reality is a concept that is way beyond their comprehension and understanding, as evidenced by the drivel posted by dogma driven incapable of joined up thinking right wing apologists who post on these forums, then I suppose there should be a small amount of sympathy for them. The education system and their parents have let them down badly.
Just imagine, being greedy, inhumane, nasty and lacking the ability to even understand what the word social means.
Sad so sad.

There speaks an example of a bitter poster whose whole message is negative, abusive and filled with envy. These comments have nothing to do with the discussion on the welcomed improvement in the economy and the positive signs of a return to better times for all.

To extract that quote in isolation I think you are being overly optimistic in your assumption that the continuing improvement in the economy which will eventually take the numbers back to what the economists say we were at in 2007, will necessarily mean "better times for all".

Being in the business that I am in I know without contradiction that the workplace is an entirely different place to what it was pre-recession and there will be no will to change the accepted practices of low cost, untied labour by employers as their markets pick up again, indeed an improving market is all the more encouragement for the practice of letting an agency provide your shopfloor numbers rather than have the bother of doing it yourself, its cheaper and a hell of a lot more flexible.

All of which means that wage rates will be kept low for the majority of employees for a long time to come, kept low by a still fragile economy, kept low by the constant repetition of the inflation word but mainly kept low by the fact that you now have a middle man to provide for in your contract of employment, not only is your place of work trying to cut costs, so is your employer the middle man because believe me, the agencies are in the most cut throat business I have ever seen and contracts are won and lost on a weekly basis for the sake of one or two pence per hour.

For an awful lot of people the feeling of job security is a thing of the past and will probably never return.

A comment that all right wing apologists bring forth when their own arguments are blown out of the water.

Of what, whom, do you believe or actually understand I am supposedly envious of?

The =#0000FF"welcomed improvement in the" economy of tax evasion, tax avoidance is doing well, as is the black economy. The so called UK economy is a joke. It is being run by non accountable people supported by a government who empathise with their aims. That right wingers who have not grasped that is the sad part.

The UK economy is a joke and the reason why it is can be traced back to the worst piece of social engineering ever created during peace time by that woman and her cronies.

The trouble is that right win apologists cannot or will not see that and lack the capacity to work out why it is. All they do is stick their fingers in their ears, sing la la la and hope things go away.

Oh, another point, please, for my edification, and possibly education, show me where I have been abusive?

Quote ="Hull White Star"Of course they do when they prove with bank statements and official referals that they need it. Why do you chose to ignore the facts of how you actually get your 3 days worth of food? I know you're not thick, that just leaves the definition of a troll.'" This guy didn't, of course he'll be the only one! Right? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... laims.html

Quote ="Hull White Star"Of course they do when they prove with bank statements and official referals that they need it. Why do you chose to ignore the facts of how you actually get your 3 days worth of food? I know you're not thick, that just leaves the definition of a troll.'" This guy didn't, of course he'll be the only one! Right? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... laims.html

Quote ="BobbyD"This guy didn't, of course he'll be the only one! Right? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... laims.html'" So they sent a reporter to write a smear story about a Trussell Trust foodbank and he quickly realised that the only way they would give him a smidgen of a story is if he lied to create a persona and then go through the official channels - the rest of it is unsubstantiated gossip and exageration, for example he is "gifted £40 worth of food for three days and staggers out of the door laden down with bags", then have a look at the photo and the list of items and ask yourself if you'd be staggering out of the door with that lot, or indeed if it would all be sufficient for your invented wife and two children even just for three days. Another poor example of a vindictive politically motivated news media outlet feeding a clientele with hatred - they couldn't even wait any longer than the second paragraph before spitting out the phrase "asylum seekers" to stoke the flames of vindictiveness, FFS its no coincidence that this newspaper fawned the Nazi Party in the 1930s.

Quote ="BobbyD"This guy didn't, of course he'll be the only one! Right? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... laims.html'" So they sent a reporter to write a smear story about a Trussell Trust foodbank and he quickly realised that the only way they would give him a smidgen of a story is if he lied to create a persona and then go through the official channels - the rest of it is unsubstantiated gossip and exageration, for example he is "gifted £40 worth of food for three days and staggers out of the door laden down with bags", then have a look at the photo and the list of items and ask yourself if you'd be staggering out of the door with that lot, or indeed if it would all be sufficient for your invented wife and two children even just for three days. Another poor example of a vindictive politically motivated news media outlet feeding a clientele with hatred - they couldn't even wait any longer than the second paragraph before spitting out the phrase "asylum seekers" to stoke the flames of vindictiveness, FFS its no coincidence that this newspaper fawned the Nazi Party in the 1930s.

But you have not attempted to put up any argument ....so no chance of even a slight headwind from your direction.

You just make left wing statements filled with hate and repetitive phrases that are backed up with no facts or figures, And of course you shout a lot with capital letters. All of whichb is perhaps why your comments are largely ignored.

So why take my quote out of context then? However the ONS with changing methodology and in time we will have a very different recession and recovery profile. We may even gain 5% in extra GDP! As stated in the ST "Growth in recent years looked implausibly weak when set against strong employment. The productivity puzzle may evaporate with data revisions and better measurement of the surging grey/black economy identified by Morgan Stanley."

The MS report is interesting it says that there is £45Bn more cash around than in 2007 and our black economy may well have jumped from 12% to 16%. Which suggests if true that the UK's output far from being lower than in 2007 is about 4% higher! Which is one answer to the productivity puzzle ie: the rise in the black economy means less work is being reported so it looks like productivity has fallen.



But this should be no surprise as the excesses of the credit fueled pre crisis bonanza were unsustainable. Life is all about change not always for the better.



But many are making up the difference on the black



Nobody said life is fair! Before the crisis we were living above our means and now we are having to pay for it. Remind me on whose watch did this all come about?

I couldn't give a shoite who's watch anything happened on, everyone knows my opinions on politicians and my opinions on financial forecasters and investment "experts" are even lower, if they really knew anything of which they pontificate they'd be making a living out of backing their own opinions with hard cash rather than being employed by someone else to "predict".

I didn't take your quote out of context, I simply took a note of caution in the hope that better times were on the way for everyone, we are currently winding down the last 12 months towards the election and we will be receiving many upbeat "forecasts" between now and then, but we will all do well to note George Osborne and his cautious approach to bigging up the economy, he doesn't do it, in fact in speeches he does the opposite and warns of harder and deeper cuts to be made post 2015, he'll let the publicists and newspapers build up the feelgood factor - there are still some hard times to come and anyone who swallows what they are being told by the more compliant media without listening to Osborne are simple fools.