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David_Bouvier

Listed below are comments made by David_Bouvier between Wednesday, 1st October 2008 and Thursday, 16th July 2009.

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Map of the Week: Recession cuts crime? 7:37pm on 16 Jul 2009 While over-interpretation of the detailed stats is obviously a problem, it is also always hard to spot a turning point.

The overall and sectional stats seemed to have started falling around 1995. This is more than a deacde ago. Indeed it is before Labour was in government.

Funnily enough it coincides with the end of the recession post-ERM exit, and the long period of growth that became the Brown Boom.

As growth faltered in 2007 and onwards the decline in crime seems to have ended. It is almost impossible to tell if you are at a turning point while it is happening, so we can't be sure, but the picture over the last 15 years is consistent with a story that says crime rate changes are driven by the economic cycle.

Which is not to say that the details of the stats were not abused, but perhaps the journalists were using inappropriate illustrations of the correct headline.
Poor subsidising the rich in private pensions 6:00pm on 01 Oct 2008 AnonUK1 -

Cutting annual investment returns on your pension fund by just 1% makes a huge difference in your pension pot, because the difference is compounded over your entire working life.

For a steady payment over 45 years, the difference is around 30-40% depending on the base average return you assume.

Gordon's tax raid on pensions would cost you nearly a 1/3 of your pension over a life time. Got that?!

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