Davkaus Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 To be fair, if you anonymously surveyed any workforce in any industry in the UK, they will all tell you they are chronically underpaid and deserve a massive rise. In other news, dog bites man. Other workforces rarely get to decide their own salary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 So on one hand you complain about unfair competition from online retailers, but you want to create an unfair market by some retailers having cheap rent from the government who has compulsory purchased from the landlords. Government has long accepted responsibility for trying to ensure that competition is reasonably fair, and has passed legislation to that effect, established regulatory bodies, investigated specific markets, and taken action where competition seems to be lacking. The particular thing about online firms dodging tax and therefore acquiring an edge over competitors is a more recent thing which really should be dealt with, in line with the principles underpinning competition policy - though it would carry the additional incentive of increasing tax revenue, which is a further argument for doing it. I accept your point that there's a danger of advantaging some retailers through what I propose (and by the way there's an associated danger that those with first access to cheaper premises may try to prevent access for their own competitors if they run the management body, and if there's no control on that you could expect it to happen). It would not be possible to do it for all firms, or do it at the same time for all those you could do it for, so that's an issue. The answer would be along similar lines to how government decides which firms to give grants to, if not everyone can benefit - criteria which might include size, strategic or local importance, whether located in an area needing support and so on. Again, it's not insoluble. Who is going to pay for all the properties that the government will buy at market value? but then renting out at well below market rent. I would see initial funding as coming from government, with charges to users being set at a level to eliminate any continuing subsidy. A variant on that would be to have charges set at a level which over time would repay the initial grant or fund continuing acquisitions. A bit like the way social housing is funded. Tenants are not forced to pay high rents they enter into a lease, they negotiate to get the best deal they can, one of the major mistakes that small retailers makes is that they do not take professional advice when taking on a lease. I think many have found the negotiations to be a bit one-sided, less so in the very recent past, but seldom a negotiation between equals. Yes, they should take professional advice; though if they were dealing with a socially responsible, not-for-profit landlord, run for the benefit of lessees, I wouldn't imagine they would need to. As the biggest retail landlords tend to be pension funds, would you not be taking billions out of people’s pension pots? If you're buying the properties at market value, then what you're taking away is future speculative profits. That's a good thing. We talk a lot about rebalancing the economy. Part of what that means is to try to redirect investment into productive activity, and away from rent-seeking. If pension funds are encouraged to help in that rebalancing, that's a good thing too. But of course there are plenty of retail landlords who aren't pension funds, and again if they have to look elsewhere for profit rather than just extracting rent from people who are doing something to create value, again that's good. Should we not be supporting those activities which create wealth, rather than those which simply extract some of the wealth created by others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Should we not be supporting those activities which create wealth, rather than those which simply extract some of the wealth created by others? That sounds suspiciously like the argument used by the Conservatives when they reduce the public sector. You are George Osborne and I claim my five pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 All jessops closing tonight 1200 jobs gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) All jessops closing tonight 1200 jobs gone It will be closer to 1500. Also announced today that 800 jobs are to go at Honda. They can all go and join the rest of the skivers who are out of work then. Edited January 11, 2013 by markavfc40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 That sounds suspiciously like the argument used by the Conservatives when they reduce the public sector. You are George Osborne and I claim my five pounds. They speak a lot about "wealth creators", when they actually mean "wealthy people", apparently unaware of the yawning gap between the two things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 It will be closer to 1500. Also announced today that 800 jobs are to go at Honda. They can all go and join the rest of the skivers who are out of work then. Skivers is a bit harsh. Read the other day about someone who left Oxford with a 2/1 and took them +150 applications before they got a job! Ons figures yesterday were pretty shocking. Construction sector down 10% year on year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted January 12, 2013 Moderator Share Posted January 12, 2013 Skivers is a bit harsh. Read the other day about someone who left Oxford with a 2/1 and took them +150 applications before they got a job! Ons figures yesterday were pretty shocking. Construction sector down 10% year on year! Saying you missed the point would be an understatement, you would need to get a taxi back to it to even get close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 (edited) Skivers is a bit harsh. Read the other day about someone who left Oxford with a 2/1 and took them +150 applications before they got a job! Ons figures yesterday were pretty shocking. Construction sector down 10% year on year! I think you missed his point to be honest lol. But yes, it is difficult out there, I got a 1st in Economics from a 'top' university and it took me a while to get a job. Not quite 150 applications but when you factor in many jobs having multiple-stages to their recruitment process you start to lose a lot of time. Graduate jobs are increasingly being taken up by people who graduated a number of years ago and have had a couple of years 'experience' in a relevant sector. Hyper-competitive would be an understatement. Edited January 12, 2013 by Dr_Pangloss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Oh ? Who are the 800 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 (edited) Honda! Didn't you read the original post? Edited January 12, 2013 by Xela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Honda! Didn't you read the original post? Thought it was 1500? Or was it 800 then another 1500? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted January 12, 2013 Moderator Share Posted January 12, 2013 Jessops has been doomed for years, it really was the worst camera shop in the world. When you can go to a chain store like John Lewis and get better advice and better stock ordering than a camera specialist you know its bad. Personally I use Calumet who have a local branch on an industrial estate because although its a big chain, their staff are very knowledgeable, they can usually order non stock items in 24 hours and I've never had a problem with them. They aren't the cheapest shop out there but the little extra mile they go in service terms is worth the extra few quid they charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 What's this coffee chain Tesco have just bought a 49% stake in ? Tossers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 What's this coffee chain Tesco have just bought a 49% stake in ? Tossers Sounds like a bad choice of name to me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thought it was 1500? Or was it 800 then another 1500? 1500 at Jessops... 800 at Honda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 1500 at Jessops... 800 at Honda And 800 created at JLR. Honda UK manufacturing for the EU market which has collapsed, JLR for the Asian market which is booming, Jessops done in for being rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 as you are playing like for like and bugger the workers - how are you going to reconcile the people about to lose their jobs at HMV? - will go into administration tomorrow Or is the reality that as the country approaches yet another recession with this arsehole of a Gvmt the soundbites (lies) that they have told , the steady stream of companies going bust, the continued North South imbalance, etc etc is something that can be deflected rather than being considered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) I was just about to say that HMV is (finally) going to the wall tomorrow. Edited January 14, 2013 by Xela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Another 800 jobs at Land Rover Solihull being created for anyone looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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