CI Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 The Construction Industry is still on its knees, few big jobs in LOndon have kept things afloat a bit - Olympics, Westfield (Stratford), Shard etc. but as that comes to an end there will be lots more people out of work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 kicking off all over europe again today, particularly Rome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I did something I don't do very often yesterday, ventured up the M1 North on business I spent half a day in a town up there and I was shocked at what I saw in terms of poverty levels, boarded up closed shops/pubs etc. A real eye opener, we are drifting into a perilous position as a nation. In a town centre? If so then I don't think it has a lot to do with North/South/East/West. Have a look in Malvern Link, in Dunstable, in any number of places. The UK high street is either a mix of modern pawnbrokers, Greggs, estate agents, charity shops, mobile 'phone shops and Primark or, often in more affluent areas, seems to have become just pubs and coffee shops. The rise of the out of town retail centre (places which according to some supermarket chains are seeing reduced numbers because of petrol costs) kick started the change, I'd say. Indeed Snowy. Having lived in the North West for several years, this became more and more noticeable. Bolton used to have a decent town centre, but then the retail park next to the Reebok stadium opened, and with Asda, Tesco, Next, M&S, HMV, JJB Sport and HMV etc all providing 99% of what traditional town centre shops offered, but at a much lower cost, Bolton town centre died on its arse. By contrast, Wigan built a big new shopping centre in the town centre, and this has seemed to have a rejuvenating effect on the place, as the increased footfall from the bigger retailers has given hope to smaller retailers too. I go back every few weeks, and am always amazed at how may shops, as well as decent pubs seem to be thriving in Wigan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 kicking off all over europe again today, particularly Rome Yes, wasn't there a post a few days ago that said it was a few people on a section of pavement in NY, so small as to be unseen? Seems to have grown a bit since then. People will get out on the streets. There's a lesson from the Arab Spring. This won't be a revolution, but it will be a big step forward in radicalising a lot more people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I had to agree with one of the placards being used by protesters in London: "If voting changed anything it would be illegal". That's about the size of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Have to say the protest in Dublin is pathetic. I dont mind people protesting about money but middle class, wannabee left wing yuppies arent exactly inspiring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Have to say the protest in Dublin is pathetic. I dont mind people protesting about money but middle class, wannabee left wing yuppies arent exactly inspiring Why? The entire point about it is that 99% of us that get screwed over in favour of the 1% who have the power to lobby government to get what they want. That 99% includes the middle class. It's about everyone but the super rich standing up and saying we shouldn't have to pay because the 1% screwed everyone else over and how it's time the governments actually started representing the majority of the people and not just bowing to the rich minority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 well 150 people who just about finished college and have their tents leftover from the festival and have rich Daddies isnt going to make the IMF and EU leave Ireland. Its small time and just as embarrassing as the McLeish to Villa protests Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Every movement has to start somewhere. I don't see what's so small time and embarrassing about people actually standing up for something. What I find embarrassing is the way everyone is too damn scared to actually fight for anything these days. They see injustice and just shrug their shoulders and go "well, can't do anything about it" without even trying. Maybe they won't change anything, but at least they can say that they tried and they got their voices heard. When was the last time you stood up for something you believed in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieB Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 When was the last time you stood up for something you believed in? I'd hope I try and do that in some small way every day. It's not all doom & gloom t'up North BTW.. communities are joining together and trying to help themselves and become more self sufficient. The problem is sometimes fighting a system which appears to have vested interests at heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelboyVilla Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Any one know how the building trade is. We have had a few quotes from builders and they all seem to be jam packed with work which seems strange as they say that the building industry is one of the most vulnerable sectors...? September was the lowest level of activity in construction since December, when the weather stopped much work from happening. The PMI (index of activity) was 50.1 - anything below 50 signifies negative growth. Negative growth? That must be good for the Demolition companies?? The construction industry has been in the doldrums outside of London for 2 to 3 years now. And as stated when the Olympics, M25 widening and rail upgrades stop so will the industry as investment dropped long ago. For any private company or government body the first thing you drop off the future investment list when money's tight is construction work. Whether it be new works or refurbishment works you make do with what you have rather than loose people? Construction is usually the last industry to pick up after a recession as well! Hence I am in Perth WA living it up not really caring about the recession, in fact, what recession!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieB Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 This caught my interest.. Looks like December 5th 2011, could be Occupy San Francisco because this guy is preparing to go up against Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley on that date filing 2 major lawsuits.... over short selling and the devaluation of his company stocks Overstock.com Patrick M. Byrne (born 1962, Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States) is the president, CEO, and chairman of the board of directors of Internet retailer Overstock.com. In 1999, Byrne took control of the company, then called D2: Discounts Direct, and changed its name to Overstock. He had previously served shorter terms leading two smaller companies, including one owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. In 2002, Byrne took Overstock.com public. The company has since increased its revenue to over $1 billion a year, and achieved full profitability in 2009. In 2002, Byrne was named to BusinessWeek’s list of the 25 most influential people in e-Business and Ernst & Young awarded Byrne the "2002 Milestone Award Winner Utah Region." In 2010 Overstock.com was named the best retailer to work for in America by Forbes, noting that Byrne's 92% employee approval rating is the highest of any CEO in the nation. Beginning in 2005, Byrne become known for his campaign against naked short selling, a practice which he says has been used in violation of securities law to hurt the price of his and other companies' stock. Under his direction, Overstock.com has filed two lawsuits alleging improper acts by Wall Street firms, a hedge fund, and an independent research firm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Any one know how the building trade is. We have had a few quotes from builders and they all seem to be jam packed with work which seems strange as they say that the building industry is one of the most vulnerable sectors...? September was the lowest level of activity in construction since December, when the weather stopped much work from happening. The PMI (index of activity) was 50.1 - anything below 50 signifies negative growth. you're both talking about 2 different things. overall, the construction industry is hurting, no big projects or major housebuilding. locally, small cash-in-hand builders are booming, too much work & not enough time. the reason for this is that people aren't moving house much, and so are doing home improvements instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted October 17, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted October 17, 2011 Should be in the joke thread really, if only! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Any one know how ethe building trade is. We have had a few quotes from builders and they all seem to be jam packed with work which seems strange as they say that the building industry is one of the most vulnerable sectors...? September was the lowest level of activity in construction since December, when the weather stopped much work from happening. The PMI (index of activity) was 50.1 - anything below 50 signifies negative growth. you're both talking about 2 different things. overall, the construction industry is hurting, no big projects or major housebuilding. locally, small cash-in-hand builders are booming, too much work & not enough time. the reason for this is that people aren't moving house much, and so are doing home improvements instead. Well, agree with your point, but not sure we were talking about different things. Yes, building and construction are different things, but some degree of overlap, I think. They move not entirely in lockstep, but both reflect what people/companies are feeling about the economy, where it's going, whether investment makes sense. And currently, it mostly doesn't. That's because we're in the Japan-lost-decade phenomenon, which neither Camoron nor Osborn understand. Balance sheet recession. Interest rates at zero, but no-one wants to borrow. Not described in mainstream economics textbooks - does not compute!!!! Dodgy builders doing stuff cash in hand, no vat, good luck if you go back when you find out they **** up. Long established decent firms going bust, the vat's a killer for them, get undercut by the cowboy clearings in the woods. So, would we rather have the established firms doing a good job, or the crims doing a dodgy job for cash? Which will help us out of recession, which will mire us further in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 When was the last time you stood up for something you believed in? I'd hope I try and do that in some small way every day. It's not all doom & gloom t'up North BTW.. communities are joining together and trying to help themselves and become more self sufficient. The problem is sometimes fighting a system which appears to have vested interests at heart. Yes, you do that. Every day. Respect for that. Communities need to stand together. Some people do that at the very local level, others at a city-wide or even wider level. All levels of that fight are necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 The temporary inflation problem is still here. CPI at 5.2%; RPI at 5.6%. Don't worry, though, all of the 'experts' tell us that it's only one way from here and it'll be less than half this rate next year (even if it were so, for how long would it be like that?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 My payrise for Nov 1st is RPI +0.5% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 From a timing point of view, the Government have excelled again today with the announcement that our, the taxpayers donation to The Royal Family has been increase to £34m per annum Great, just **** great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Figures apply to USA but nevertheless this is interesting. Wonder how closely the UK mirrors that pattern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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