The so called UK economic recovery

[Mich the Tester]

I think we should stop trying to raise our kids with the ability to deal with the tulipty world we live in

We should raise them with the ability to make it a better place to live for all.

That's a nice thought and I think it could start by teaching them that debt for the sake of impulsive or compulsive spending will only make life a lot harder in the long run, and by following our own teachings.

Oh, and you don't necessarily make your life better by buying stuff.

[darmstadt]

Oh, and you don't necessarily make your life better by buying stuff.

Oh tulip, that's were I've been going wrong all these years :-) Not even hookers and cocaine?

[Mich the Tester]

Oh tulip, that's were I've been going wrong all these years :-) Not even hookers and cocaine?

No, get yourself a damned good woman, you know the type; intelligent, attractive, cultured, educated, well dressed, emancipated, independently wealthy, big tits nymphomaniac and you won't need either of those.

(characteristics not necessarily shown in order of priority)

[original PM]

Oh tulip, that's were I've been going wrong all these years :-) Not even hookers and cocaine?

[hyperD]

No, get yourself a damned good woman, you know the type; intelligent, attractive, cultured, educated, well dressed, emancipated, independently wealthy, big tits nymphomaniac and you won't need either of those.

(characteristics not necessarily shown in order of priority)

And another important characteristic: someone that is not au fait with matrimonial lawyers!

[Old Greg]

No it doesn't. Whether something is a 'terrible crime' or not is a subjective value judgement, and as such my description of it being reported as if it were has no bearing on whether I consider it, in fact, to be a terrible crime, or not (or perhaps more charitably, it means that you're lacking a grasp of basic logic).

My personal feelings on the matter can be implicitly inferred from the context of the post in whole, by anyone less obtuse than yourself.





Excellent point - your amazing logic and reasoning have clearly shown me the error of my ways, and I've been converted.

(this is meant to be sarcastic - incase you were unable to infer that much from the context)

Let's accept that you're an incoherent idiot and move onto what appears to be the nub of your position: that the national debt inherited by future generations is the same as slavery. Obviously, there are many sound arguments to blow this one out of the water but here is one:

Slaves do not have the right to vote for legislators. This was the case in ancient Athens, Republican Rome, in the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese empires and the USA etc. Future generations will have the right to vote for legislators.

If future generations choose to, they can legislate to wipe out the debt - default if you like - through an Act of Parliament. There are three potential objections to this:

1. Moral: it is stealing from those owed the debts including pension funds and national savings investors. However, if future generations are slaves (and never ran up these debts in the first place), then these people are slave owners, and therefore party to the crime of enslavement, so we should not worry about the morality.
2. Legal: there is no legal objection. Parliament is sovereign.
3. Economic: the country's credit rating will be ruined so the country will never be able to borrow again. But debt is slavery so that's good, isn't it?

So, the det is only repaid if future generations

[Mich the Tester]

If future generations choose to, they can legislate to wipe out the debt - default if you like - through an Act of Parliament. There are three potential objections to this:

The debt left to them by legislators they didn't vote for?

I still maintain that passing on debt to children is deeply immoral and an affront to the whole concept of democracy.

[Old Greg]

The debt left to them by legislators they didn't vote for?

I still maintain that passing on debt to children is deeply immoral and an affront to the whole concept of democracy.

It may be immoral and an affront but it is not slavery for the reasons I outlined above.

And remember, no Parliament can legislatively bind a future Parliament.

Parliamentary sovereignty - UK Parliament

Parliamentary sovereignty is a principle of the UK constitution. It makes Parliament the supreme legal authority in the UK, which can create or end any law. Generally, the courts cannot overrule its legislation and no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change. Parliamentary sovereignty is the most important part of the UK constitution.

[Mich the Tester]

It may be immoral and an affront but it is not slavery for the reasons I outlined above.

Agreed.

[Doggy Styles]

The debt left to them by legislators they didn't vote for?

I still maintain that passing on debt to children is deeply immoral and an affront to the whole concept of democracy.

Maybe, but I reckon it mostly arises through incompetence at economics - balancing the books. For example, Brown's new paradigm of no boom and bust. He managed to bust during a boom.