Lib Dems prove once again they are not fit to govern

[BA to the Stars]

I was watching bleak house last night - and was wondering what Dickens would make of it all.

Well he wouldn't have any "Great Expectations"

[moggy]

Alberta is doing ok, Canada isn't - and Canada as a country doesn't get a great deal of benefit from Alberta; it's a weird one.

Albertans get paid (in 2010) 2000 dollars per "tax paying age" person, just for living there and pay ZERO VAT (GST).

Canada is struggling - I wanted to emigrate there, had everything ready to go and then they went protectionalist in 2010 and stopped taking people in on the N.O.C list

It's my view that the world has been duped by the many financial institutions that traded on money that no one really had (selling mortgage books for assets, or debts etc).

I genuinely think we're in a tough position here and am even a bit scared that our enemies appear to be making moves to take advantage of this, by buying into our infrastructure and key corporates.

My view, is no matter what ANY government does, we need to realise just how much we HAVE rather than the things we perceive we have lost. Consumerism and household incomes are larger than ever (our grandparents had none of this).

Money is supposed to be the solution to allocating the worlds finite resources, but we've acted and continue to act in a way where we believe no resource is finite, and neither is money.....

Tough times ahead, and as much as I hate the superrich for corruption, immoral tax evasion , and the fact the middle class seems to be paying for the whole country - tax isn't going to help much at all - especially the way this goverment is spending.

<off soapbox>

Well said.. tried but unfortunately i can't recommend.. seems like i have to recommend every person at least once before someone can be done twice!

[Mich the Tester]

Alberta is doing ok, Canada isn't - and Canada as a country doesn't get a great deal of benefit from Alberta; it's a weird one.

Albertans get paid (in 2010) 2000 dollars per "tax paying age" person, just for living there and pay ZERO VAT (GST).

Canada is struggling - I wanted to emigrate there, had everything ready to go and then they went protectionalist in 2010 and stopped taking people in on the N.O.C list

It's my view that the world has been duped by the many financial institutions that traded on money that no one really had (selling mortgage books for assets, or debts etc).

I genuinely think we're in a tough position here and am even a bit scared that our enemies appear to be making moves to take advantage of this, by buying into our infrastructure and key corporates.

My view, is no matter what ANY government does, we need to realise just how much we HAVE rather than the things we perceive we have lost. Consumerism and household incomes are larger than ever (our grandparents had none of this).

Money is supposed to be the solution to allocating the worlds finite resources, but we've acted and continue to act in a way where we believe no resource is finite, and neither is money.....

Tough times ahead, and as much as I hate the superrich for corruption, immoral tax evasion , and the fact the middle class seems to be paying for the whole country - tax isn't going to help much at all - especially the way this goverment is spending.

<off soapbox>

I agree to some extent. I don't think 'growth' is going to return to the west in the sense of having a bigger economy year in year out for a long time yet. 'Growth' in the sense of a more diverse economy which leads to more growth in size IS possible, but to do that requires a radical change of thinking on the part of governments AND businesses and I don't see that happening. The idea that a business can make more profit every quarter is simply stupid and must be dropped. Likewise the idea that a temporary drop in profits is a disaster that must be treated by pressing the redundancy randomiser button; that doesn't just destroy a business in the longer run, it destroys a society too. When I say a 'more diverse' economy, I mean we need businesses that are genuinely different to others; look at the FTSE 100; they're all the same. They're all run the same way with the same aims and are therefore all doing the same thing; offshoring the work and nationalising the costs either through dumping people on the dole instead of investing in them, or in the case of the banks taking big cheques from the taxpayer to stay afloat and handing themselves big cheques when things appear to go well for a week.

Look at high streets; all the same shops in every town selling all the same mass produced cack and turning people into uniformed zombies instead of offering something creative. Why aren't there any interesting shops selling clothes or other objects from local designers? Yep; because the rent's too high on high streets for starters; the buildings have all been bought by speculators who often leave the top floors to go to ruin while milking the shopkeepers for extortionate rent and ridiculous downpayments. Of course, the idea that councils might start buying back properties to provide chances for local businesses doesn't fit with the market religion that's taken over society. Of course, in the eyes of the market's high priests, anyone who questions the extent to which markets should govern our lives is a 'communist'. And there we are; we've sold everything of value, we've got bugger all left to sell, we're broke and we don't have the ideas to do something different.

I recommend some folks read Michael Sandel's 'What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets'. He believes we've gone too far; we're no longer a market economy (which is perhaps the only rally functioning form of economy), but a market society in which everything has a price, but nothing has a value. And that's not coming from some mad lefty, but a Harvard professor who served George W Bush's government.

The west needs a serious cultural recovery before the economy can recover; only then will people and their 'leaders' understand what's needed and how to go about doing it.

[Robinho]

The world has been duped by their own governments unfortunately.

Particularly ones that like to buy votes.

[Lockhouse]

I agree to some extent....long post....

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Mich the Tester again.

[Robinho]

Of course, in the eyes of the market's high priests, anyone who questions the extent to which markets should govern our lives is a 'communist'.

I wouldn't call you a communist. Just misguided.

[Coalman]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Mich the Tester again.

Done

[Mich the Tester]

I wouldn't call you a communist. Just misguided.

That's not a bad thing to be called by some folks.

[Robinho]

That's not a bad thing to be called by some folks.

There's nothing wrong with free market capitalism. Just the monetary system needs an overhaul so we actually get stable and tangible growth. Not debt fueled wasteful consumerism.

[hyperD]

Good post Mich.

It'll be fun when the illusion of wealth is broken. Quite quickly I believe. Fun fun fun.