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#121
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In message , at 12:52:05 on Sat, 19 Sep
2015, Basil Jet remarked: No doubt you think Boris is an American then. Are you asking me about the nationality of Mr Kemal? In that case (see below) the answer is "Turkish", but he died in 1922, so it's not terribly relevant. Who? Oh dear, can't use google? The first page of which gives me a choice of 5 Mr Kemals (the most prominent of which is fictional). No doubt there are 100s more in the following pages How on earth is one supposed to know to which Mr Kemal it is that you refer? Boris's name would be Kemal if Osman Kemal had not changed his name to Wilfred Johnson during the First World War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Kemal -- Roland Perry |
#122
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On Mon, 14 Sep 2015 14:33:17 +0200, Robin9
wrote: British Leyland died under Thatcher, not before Thatcher. WELL YEAH! The cheap money dried up and the cancer died. doh! In the 1970s the Government had taken a stake in BL which Thatcher sold off to her beloved British Aerospace. I don't recall the financial details but, knowing Thatcher, I imagine she sold it for less than its real value, thus cheating the British people and rewarding her friends. The taxpayer was fortunate HMG did not have to pay BAe to take the crock of its hands. The fact that the innumerable strikes and stoppages in the 1970s did not kill off British industrial companies proves that the underlying strength of those companies must have been considerable. It was only after 1979 that these companies, many of which exported on a large scale, went to the wall. Trades Unions exist to protect their member's interests, not organize political strikes and destroy shareholder value. The inescapable truth is that British industry could contend with strikes, three day weeks and stop/go economic strategies but could not survive the credit squeeze, high interest rates and high value of the pound that Thatcher and her dim-witted, uncomprehending Chancellor, Geoffrey Howe brought in. It should always be remembered that most of the companies that went under during the Thatcher/Howe period were making a theoretical profit. Theoretical, sure. Stop subsidizing stupidity with cheap money and the party was over. They were not trading at a loss but they ran out of money. Michael Edwardes, the boss of British Leyland, commenting on how high interest rates were killing British manufacturing, said it would be better for the U. K. if North Sea oil was left under ground! Thatcher of course ignored him. The successful can afford to ignore failures like Edwardes. She needed North Sea oil revenues to finance her tax cuts for the rich and unemployment benefits for the growing number of people out of work because the now much reduced U. K. economy was not generating the same tax returns it had in the 1970s. So while Norway used its North Sea oil revenues both to finance a huge investment in infrastructure and to set aside a future investment fund, our North Sea oil revenues were frittered away and at the end of the 1970s one of Thatcher's legacies was a country with a crumbling infrastructure. Norway was fortunate not to have several decades of left wing infiltration to reverse. Your comment about subsidising rents is comically relevant to today's Thatcher created situation where rents are astronomical and have to be subsidised by the tax payer: about £23 billion this year, I believe. I note your confession that you did not feel up to buying your property in the open market as the rest of us did. No, inflation always kept a home out of our reach. We knew we could afford the one we were in if we could but persuade our borough council to sell it to us. Instead you waited until Thatcher flogged it to you at an enormous discount, A man does his best for his family. When an opportunity presents itself only a fool ignores it. then sold it at a vast profit and cleared off to America. An authentic Thatcher idolator! Ad hominem invective noted. Sad really, because you are more than capable of marshalling facts and making your case. So, conversation over. |
#123
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On Mon, 14 Sep 2015 12:40:33 +0100, David Cantrell
wrote: On Fri, Sep 11, 2015 at 03:25:18PM +0100, e27002 aurora wrote: wrote: I'm more inclined to blame Clement Attlee's green belts. At least in London and its immediate surroundings there is little land left to build on unless you first knock something down. ALL of the new developments near my place - and there are a lot of them - are on the site of some now demolished building. Are you NUTS? I have lived in an unending urban sprawl, Los Angeles. Green belt is the most wonderful blessing. IMHO it should not be messed with in any way. I like the green belt too - one of the reasons I chose to live in Croydon was because I like having countryside nearby. However, I think I like *more* the idea of people being able to afford to live in homes that aren't just little flats crammed into any available space. I can always travel a few minutes more to get to the countryside. Your point is well taken. However, IMHO, there are better solutions than destroying precious greenbelt. For many youngsters, singles adults and empty nesters what is needed is a home not a house and garden. There is ample opportunity to build TODs around key transit nodes in London. When Camden Town station is redeveloped to allow the Northern Line split I would love to see it and the immediate surrounding streets developed into a TOD. And no, "move to Derby" (or wherever) isn't really a solution to the problem. We already know that the demand is for homes in the south east. Absolutely correct. There is a need for single family homes however. And, these could be provided with a new generation of new towns. How about "Didcot Garden City", "Calvert Garden City", "Sandy (Bedfordshire) Garden City", etc., etc.? |
#124
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On Sat, 19 Sep 2015 12:52:05 +0100, Basil Jet
wrote: On 2015\09\19 12:15, tim..... wrote: wrote in message ... On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:04:54 -0500 wrote: In article , y () wrote: On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 15:51:31 -0500 wrote: No doubt you think Boris is an American then. Are you asking me about the nationality of Mr Kemal? Who? Oh dear, can't use google? The first page of which gives me a choice of 5 Mr Kemals (the most prominent of which is fictional). No doubt there are 100s more in the following pages How on earth is one supposed to know to which Mr Kemal it is that you refer? Boris's name would be Kemal if Osman Kemal had not changed his name to Wilfred Johnson during the First World War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Kemal So there is a village somewhere in Turkey that is missing its idiot. We have him in that ugly building in Southwark (Surrey). |
#125
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![]() Quote:
capable only of obfuscation. Last edited by Robin9 : September 19th 15 at 11:50 PM |
#126
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On Sat, 19 Sep 2015 12:15:22 +0100
"tim....." wrote: wrote in message ... On Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:04:54 -0500 wrote: In article , y () wrote: On Wed, 16 Sep 2015 15:51:31 -0500 wrote: No doubt you think Boris is an American then. Are you asking me about the nationality of Mr Kemal? Who? Oh dear, can't use google? The first page of which gives me a choice of 5 Mr Kemals (the most prominent of which is fictional). Anyone told you that when you're trying to be clever - its helps if you're actually clever to start with. -- Spud |
#127
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On Sat, 19 Sep 2015 18:37:28 +0100
e27002 aurora wrote: So there is a village somewhere in Turkey that is missing its idiot. Or a bedsit in Green Lanes. -- Spud |
#128
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