Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
8 February 2010
12:0739985Hat tip to Guido for this little snippet...
There were once P.I.G.S. (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain), countries thought at risk of defaulting on their sovereign debt.
Ireland is no longer one of thse because they are now controlling government spending, making large public sector cuts.
Now we have the S.T.U.P.I.D. countries: Spain, Turkey, UK, Portugual, Italy and Dubai. These are the countries the City now fears to be at risk of sovereign default on their debt.
The truth is there is not much chance of the UK defaukting but a downgrade to AA is a great possibility.
Gordon's great achievment this, turning the UK into a STUPID country, sums up a certain Mr Gordon Brown.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
8 February 2010
12:1239988these people in the city must have a lot of time on their hands barry.
i always thought they ran around like mad talking into 3 phones at the same time, a bit like michael douglas in that film about the american stock market?
turns out they must be doodling at their desks sorry workstations.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
8 February 2010
12:3439990It is actually part of the risk assessement business, integral to the City. For this acronyms are quite useful. Though the UK have not (yet) been dowgraded the market is building in higher risk premiums on interest due to concerns.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
8 February 2010
16:4640030Barry. Can`t we have F.....g stupid. Don`t leave the french out.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
8 February 2010
19:2940045Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Italy end up hot, poor countries outside the Euro Zone which we visit on holiday (just like the old days!).
Dubai, which has bugger all apart from sand, is bailed out by next door neighbours which have both sand and oil.
Ireland HAS already cut public sector pay by up to 15%, child benefit by 15%, raised prescription charges by 50%, cut unemployment benefit for all claimants at a variable rate reaching 50% for youth claimants.
I wonder which way we will go??????????????
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
8 February 2010
20:2040051that is the question that is on many voters lips.
as an example i read an article today where the reds were promising all cancer patients their own nurse.
a cove for the blues "andrew lansley" said this would not happen because of the reds planned spending cuts.
how are the traditional red and blue supporters supposed to understand what is going on?
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
8 February 2010
20:5240054Simple Howard, look at the track record of Brown and Labour - they make promises, anything that they think will gain a vote, then do nothing about it. Add to that the obvious, the appalling economic mess they created and the need to curtail public spending then you get simple and obvious lies by Labour.
By contrast the Conservatives have been tioning down promises in response to the crisis demonstrating greater truthfulness.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
9 February 2010
08:2940073On the hospital side, when Labour came in, in 1997 Tony Blair said that there would be no wards with both sexes on them and this would be completed very soon.
I believe it was Lord Adonis the then Minister responsible, later said this cannot be done and it was wrong to have promised it. No diffwerence now 13 years later.
MRSA and other hospital acquired infections, may be slightly on the wane now, but 13 years ago, no one had ever heard of them; but since then, an incredible amount of people have died from them, or been severely damaged.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
9 February 2010
11:0640081on the plus side, waiting lists for seeing specialists, hospital admissions and similar have fallen dramatically.
to me the biggest foul up has been throw money at G.P.s without specifying what is should have been used for.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
9 February 2010
12:2740090But what about the waiting list to get on the waiting list.... Then of course there are the clinical distortions caused by the target system to reduce the headline waiting lists....
Guest 670- Registered: 23 Apr 2008
- Posts: 573
9 February 2010
12:5940091I was diagnosed by mydoctor as having a hernia, a very common complaint in men. I was referred to a specialist who saw me within a week, the operation was carried out at Canterbury two days later.
My Wife during the reign of Thatcher needed an operation, she was told by the Consultant, having waited something like 6 months to see him, that the waiting list for her type of operation was at least 18 months. You read too much Tory propoganda Barry.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
9 February 2010
13:2140092But Dave.... there are plenty of people who have had the opposite experience, indeed it was a story told to me by a client within the last few weeks that prompted my comment.
At the end of the day though there is plenty of evidence from doctors who tell us that their clinical priorities are being distorted to meet centrally set targets. That is the real problem that is being created. Your good experience may well have been because of certain targets while my client's condition may not have been subject to a specific target so got put back.
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
9 February 2010
14:4940097And then again, Barry, I have had much the same experience as Dave. I was seen by a vascular consultant within 24 hours of a very worried Doctor ringing me following receipt of some X-rays on a foot; I could have had surgery within a further three days if I had wanted it, but I am going on holiday and needed my feet functional!
The NHS are superb when they want to be. Unlike the dark days of the past the staff are conscious of needing to be seen to be good - and they are very very good. Like the teaching sector, the NHS would be far better if it weren't used as a political football by politicians who only make things worse.
True friends stab you in the front.
9 February 2010
18:3840119Amen to that!
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
9 February 2010
18:4340121Wrong post Bern.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.