Scots "workshy" according to Jackie Stewart

[tim123]

I do not have anything against profits, I am just disturbed by the level of profit particularly from companies who insist on paying minimum wage yet refuse to reduce prices to consumers. Shell and BP announced phenominal profits this year (ISTR) yet the price of petrol at the pump is as high as it has ever been and I wonder how much the forecourt attendant earns?.

Oil companies are not a good example. Their profits are windfall profits due to the rise in the price of oil that they RISKED drilling for before they knew what price they could sell it at. They could equally well have made a big loss if the oil price had fallen. Their retailing profits (or losses) are an irrelevance in their overall accounts.

Try other examples.

tim

[The Lone Gunman]

Oil companies are not a good example. Their profits are windfall profits due to the rise in the price of oil that they RISKED drilling for before they knew what price they could sell it at. They could equally well have made a big loss if the oil price had fallen. Their retailing profits (or losses) are an irrelevance in their overall accounts.

Try other examples.

tim

Doing the nice but dim bit again are we?
They still make ridiculous profits and have done year on year for a ridiculous amount of years.

As for your last point and I do agree that their retail profits are irrelelvant (they have all said so) then why are they charging so much for the damn stuff. Why not give it away?

[tay]

Part of the problem is that many UK citizens (actully include the US, NZ and Aus etc in that) have an over inflated sense of thier own importance. The stigma of asking for state payouts is gone.

The typical attitude is that the wages are to low... sorry thats bollox, if they are to low... get 2 jobs. But many seem to think these jobs are beneath them.... newsflash... if your collecting benefits and living at the mercy of the govt... you are already at the very lowest rung of society, you are dreg and a loser.. you are worthless to society and basically scum.... but the good news is that the govt will help you climb that ladder and make more of yourself, thats how capitalism works, its not supposed to be fair, its supposed to reward winners and those who start with an unfair advantage, but thats where the imporatant check and counter balance of state support comes in... you get dealt a rum hand? The govt will help you by educating you, and providing benefits whilst in emergency. Maybe.. just maybe one day you will rise up the ladder and have those snooty toffs working for you!

I like that. I know I had an advantage over others due to my upbringing, I dont think people on the benfits should stay there forever, they should be ashamed of where they are at, and be provided with a leg up, not a permanent excuse to be a lazy pain in the ass who cannot read.

[tay]

They still make ridiculous profits and have done year on year for a ridiculous amount of years.

Whats the problem with making a profit? I dont understand that attitude at all. Money is going to shareholders instead of workers... thats fair. And alot depends oin your definiton of worker.. if I quit my job and invest the momey and track markets all day.. why should I lose out on my wages? The workers know what wage they are accepting, they sure as hell would expect that wage if the BP has a loss one year.

[tim123]

Doing the nice but dim bit again are we?
They still make ridiculous profits and have done year on year for a ridiculous amount of years.

As for your last point and I do agree that their retail profits are irrelelvant (they have all said so) then why are they charging so much for the damn stuff. Why not give it away?

Because they are selling a commodity on the world market. Why should they give it away? (In any case, the pump price is 80% government tax)

They are a corporate. They took a risk in investing (someone else's) money in order to make a return. They (and the someone elses) happened to have got lucky. Why should they not be able to keep what they have 'won' from this risk? They don't make the world price, someone else does.

Communism has been shown not to work (by a chap named Blair - Eric), why do you despise capitalism so much?

tim

[The Lone Gunman]

I am not a communist nor am I anti capitalist, I am a contractor FFS.

This is far too complicated to explain it all here.

History shows that nations companies and individuals do well when we all do well. Industrial revolutions and Victorian models where the poor are kept poor whilst the rich get richer do not lead to development.

The difference between richest and poorest can be modelled in a diamond shape nations who have a short wide diamond do better than those with a tall narrow one. The difference between the richest and poorest should not be too great. We as a nation, and globally are heading for the later model.

The poor need aspirations. The promise of bettering themselves which is daily being taken away because every step higher they take on the ladder the deeper the ladder sinks.

You will never understand untill you are queueing for soup.

[DodgyAgent]

I am not a communist nor am I anti capitalist, I am a contractor FFS.

This is far too complicated to explain it all here.

History shows that nations companies and individuals do well when we all do well. Industrial revolutions and Victorian models where the poor are kept poor whilst the rich get richer do not lead to development.

The difference between richest and poorest can be modelled in a diamond shape nations who have a short wide diamond do better than those with a tall narrow one. The difference between the richest and poorest should not be too great. We as a nation, and globally are heading for the later model.

The poor need aspirations. The promise of bettering themselves which is daily being taken away because every step higher they take on the ladder the deeper the ladder sinks.

You will never understand untill you are queueing for soup.

The last thing the poor need is to be given anything apart from a decent education. If you leave them to form their own aspirations they will be absolutely fine. They do not need do gooders deciding for them what to do whether that be a guilt ridden middle class socialist (who is only interested in himself) or the state.

[SallyAnne]

...actully...thier...to ...your ...imporatant ...rum


I dont think people on the benfits should stay there forever, they should be ashamed of where they are at, and be provided with a leg up, not a permanent excuse to be a lazy pain in the ass who cannot read.

As opposed to those who cannot write?

You, my good sir, are a prize cock.

And have now been moved to a lovely room along with bagpuss and DA. Congrats.

[DodgyAgent]

As opposed to those who cannot write?

You, my good sir, are a prize noddy.

And have now been moved to a lovely room along with bagpuss and DA. Congrats.

Many Poles who came here could'nt even speak the language, so I am not sure what your point is?

[rootsnall]

As opposed to those who cannot write?

You, my good sir, are a prize noddy.

And have now been moved to a lovely room along with bagpuss and DA. Congrats.

DA - where is this good education going to come from ? Will it be provided by your free market driven education system. The kids from the poor areas, already behind when they start school through no fault of their own then get pitched in the worst schools.