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enigmajx

Listed below are comments made by enigmajx between Monday, 8th June 2009 and Thursday, 3rd December 2009.

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Public servants on $20m a year 12:34pm on 03 Dec 2009 Politically this is a no-brainer for the Chancellor.

Declare that all bonuses on a 70% state owned bank are void, let the RBS board resign and then comment how those greedy bankers were just trying to protect their own. In the face of the current recession and political climate, the opinion polls will only climb in his favour.

Of course, the financial angle may need some working through ...
Gordon Brown's monuments 10:50am on 25 Sep 2009 @ #45 by allmyfault

While most of that is true and I would certainly agree the problem has not been solved. There was a point last year in October when come Monday morning, the following things were going to happen:
1) Share markets crashing
2) Fear spreading as people start queueing outside banks wanting to get their money out

It takes little for such things to start. A brief comment at work that Bob has popped to the bank to check on his savings account, the high street branch of Halifax has just closed ... ... Confidence is a brittle entity.

Our entire society could be brought down in a week if people cannot get access to their money.

The Brown/Darling deal with the banks over that weekend staved off this nightmare (for the moment).
Gordon Brown's monuments 08:47am on 25 Sep 2009 Robert,

It might be the case that the BBC's "Love of Money" programme was way off base but if not then we have an awful lot to thank Brown/Darling for in terms of stopping the world falling over the financial cliff. This is by no means advocating that they were not partly responsible for it but the programme gave the impression that the likes of the French, Germans and Americans were asleep at the wheel and then froze when all hell broke loose. It seems it was only the British who sat down for a 24 hour period, rolled up their sleeves and came up with a plan.

Of course, the downside to all this was that at the time, Brown/Darling could not demonstrate the extent of the financial calamity to the public but could only give assurances that things were alright. Their legacy is that they staved off a financial calamity that the public did not and will never fully appreciate the scale of.

The parallels of James Bond saving the world from another lazer satellite and only getting paid his civil servant's salary while all the time being able to tell no one, seems quite apt.

enigmajx
If markets don't work, what will? 12:28pm on 28 Jul 2009 "Broadly, this is about providing households with as much relevant information as possible via the internet to make informed choices about which financial services to buy or which state school to choose.

The theory is that Google-style algorithmic data sorting replaces state-funded watchdogs and nannies."

So one can be informed and make a decision. What if the decision is wrong though due to either lack of time-sensitive information or just a mistake being made. Who does one turn to for help? Does one just post a comment on a webpage decrying the bad choice and live with it?

This is already the case with broadband. Many webpages exist reviewing, comparing, criticising and complimenting the various possibilities. However, it is guranteed that
a) for every compliment there is a criticism
b) for every criticism there is a compliment

leaving the consumer none the wiser. Even when one chooses the best possible option according to the reviews (which may have been biased by the companies concerned of course), it could still be a useless service for that particular area.

Without OFCOM to beat the ISP over the head, what else is there?

An informed masses cannot replace an empowered regulator

enigmajx
A massive swing 3:16pm on 24 Jul 2009 "The truth is that Mr Cameron has done more than enough to look on course for an election victory and Labour has done badly enough to fear that one is inevitable. "

Well, one shall prepare for the dark ages just as the previous generation prepared for such times leading up to May 3rd 1979.

:-(
The prime minister is safe - for now 12:35pm on 09 Jun 2009 It does amuse me that so many people are suggesting the death/collapse/demise of the Labour Party. I would ask them to consider where the Conservative Party has gone post-1997. After the Labour landslide and into 1998, reporters were discussing their terminal decline, that they would die out and we would forever more have a Labour style political party in power.

Were they right? uh no!

In the end the Conservatives have stayed in opposition for a couple of terms, revitalised themselves and their base support and have come back.

Labour will do the same as this is the nature of political parties.
Fewer votes for BNP 09:36am on 08 Jun 2009 ... The ultimate conclusion when people cannot be bothered to vote.

60% of the British public never bother to turn up yet all have an opinion. Well, their opinions have no merit if they cannot be bothered to put a cross in a box.

Maybe, attaching voting to tv ownership. Might concentrate a few minds!
Labour's long night of painful firsts 08:43am on 08 Jun 2009 I do enjoy it when people decide to toss around percentages and they conveniently forget the context.

Europe-wide this is the lowest turnout ever at just 43.1% and the UK turnout was lower than that!

I hardly think the UK people have spoken about anything given 60% of them didnt turn up to express an opinion. "Just can't be bothered" was the general remark around my place of work. Can we conclude that they are satisfied or disaffected. Either viewpoint is valid given they failed to turn up and have an opinion.

Maybe now our current politicians will be brave enough to make voting complusory. Would certainly concentrate the minds if 97-100% of the electorate turned up to vote wouldn't it?

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