Also massive increases in car and home insurance in the past few years, train, air and bus fares rising by more then inflation.
Really?
My car insurance is a lot cheaper this year, home insurance about the same. Air Fares are about the same. Don't normally use the bus so can't comment on that.
Also massive increases in car and home insurance in the past few years, train, air and bus fares rising by more then inflation.
And in october 2014 Renting a property across England and Wales has now hit an all-time high as average residential rents reached £768 per month and up from £686 per month in 2010
Sometimes average figures are just no good at describing what is happening to a population.
Average wages could rise for all kinds of reasons without the wages of most people increasing, never mind the wage of the 'average' person.
There's little point in telling people that the economy is on the up because 'average earnings' are on the up, when people know what's in their own pay packet. Most of us have been on pay freezes or below inflation rises for many years now. We've been subject to pay cuts in real terms and it takes more than reading that some other people are getting above inflation pay rises to make me better off.
I thought the ONS used Median Average to calculate wage rises - in which case most people would have to see a rise in wages for the average to go up.
And in october 2014 Renting a property across England and Wales has now hit an all-time high as average residential rents reached £768 per month and up from £686 per month in 2010
Listening to Radio 5 a couple of days ago and one of the guests said that rents had actually not reached the levels they were at before the financial crash. Not sure if it was in real terms or not.
Listening to Radio 5 a couple of days ago and one of the guests said that rents had actually not reached the levels they were at before the financial crash. Not sure if it was in real terms or not.
Ask the general public - do you feel better off? then ask them do you feel better off compared to 2010? then ask them do you think the wealthy are better off now than 2010?
Ask the general public - do you feel better off? then ask them do you feel better off compared to 2010? then ask them do you think the wealthy are better off now than 2010?
Well the answer to whether people feel better off than in 2010 is going to vary. In every economy some people do better than others, some areas do better and some companies do well in a recession while others go bust in good times. If you ask that question then yo have to be prepared to hear that many people are very happy.
There's no doubt that there have been big regional variations in the recovery. There are parts of the South East which are booming, shop units are full and where the recession is a distant memory (if it ever happened at all) while there are other areas which are still struggling.
Whether the "wealthy" are better off is fairly irrelevant unless you subscribe to the politics of envy.
Well the answer to whether people feel better off than in 2010 is going to vary. In every economy some people do better than others, some areas do better and some companies do well in a recession while others go bust in good times. If you ask that question then yo have to be prepared to hear that many people are very happy.
There's no doubt that there have been big regional variations in the recovery. There are parts of the South East which are booming, shop units are full and where the recession is a distant memory (if it ever happened at all) while there are other areas which are still struggling.
Whether the "wealthy" are better off is fairly irrelevant unless you subscribe to the politics of envy.
At the root of this is that household finances are not felt to be improving, with around twice as many people in each British region saying they are getting worse off as are getting better off. The fall in energy prices has not fed through to consumers and they still don’t feel the recovery
The figures used as proof that things are improving are about as reliable as the factory output and agricultural figures that the Soviet Union used to report on news/propaganda shows. Even if they are true, they aren't in any way an indicator of how most individuals are faring.
I was thinking of post a thread on this yesterday but it would have been the same argument all over again, like the last unemployment went down thread. The same people saying people aren't liking good news cause they are Labour etc.
Personally, I don't take it as good news because of the high amount of people, who are in work benefits, as in tax credits. I don't see vast amounts of people coming off tax credits. Also in regards to the earning more than inflation but how many are even earning more than £16,284 or £20,400 for couples? So that they can have a normal life, around 4 in 10 households or 8.1 million people aren't.
My car insurance is a lot cheaper this year, home insurance about the same. Air Fares are about the same. Don't normally use the bus so can't comment on that.
In terms of fare in my region, the train went from in 2013-
Returns
1 zone £2.50
2 zones £3.50
3 zones £4.40
In 2014
Returns
1 zone £2.60
2 zones £3.60
3 zones £ 4.50
Now in 2015
Returns
1 zone £2.70
2 zones £3.70
3 zones £4.60
I believe in 2010 or 2011 the fare for 2 zone was only £3.10. Even though the amounts don't appear significant but believe me, it wears a hole in the pocket when travelling to the town centre and back over a period of time, which is a 2 zone fare.
What with that telling post and your continual defence of Labour ever since then, what conclusion should be drawn from that?
Your stalking abilities are sadly lacking. I have written posts disagreeing with Labour policies many times too. Having left wing views and being a Labour supporter are two very different things.
I defend Labour only when they are unfairly critised, isn't that what any independent thinker would do?
The data is correct but it's from a very low base rate. Think pre-2008 (sub-prime recession).
Mortgages available to anyone with an income.
Credit Cards available to anyone who wanted them.
Low food prices (basic bread 15p, beans 8p etc).
Could go for a job which didn't have another 50-100 applicants.
Construction industry booming.
No endless empty units/business properties.
Now I know a lot of the above caused the financial crisis and was unsustainable but the average joe doesn't really consider this, they just think things were better pre-2008 and had plenty of money at hand when they wanted it. They were better if not sustainable times!
Even now the average joes still think we are in a recession. Our living standards have fell greatly compared to the Labour heydays.
If I wanted to go out on the piss midweek and was short on cash I'd just give Capital One a call and get a credit card with a £3000 limit, that would last a good few weeks. If I wanted to work I could walk into any job, if I wanted some time on the dole, no problem.
The stat they always pull out about record employment rates is just a reflection of a higher population and to be taken with a pinch of salt.
It is becoming abundantly clear from this thread that the Tories on here are better off and the Labourites are not.
Whether or not the claims are in relation to reality is another matter.
This board does have similarities to the fan-boy console wars to be found in gaming forums where people do not allow reality to affect their support of their team.
It is becoming abundantly clear from this thread that the Tories on here are better off and the Labourites are not.
Whether or not the claims are in relation to reality is another matter.
This board does have similarities to the fan-boy console wars to be found in gaming forums where people do not allow reality to affect their support of their team.
Until May I suspect almost all threads in the political forum to be like this. I'm seriously thinking of taking a break until after the election. For a while I followed the climate change discussions and even iPhone v. Android, but the fanatical statements with little thought behind them make all these exchanges very boring for everyone not part of either team.
What concerns me is that the tax take is still falling.
We have record employment numbers, which should be great and the signs of a growing economy, but falling per capita output and lower tax take, which are the signs of a recession.
None of the numbers available make much sense to me to be honest.
The figures make sense to me as people on Workfare or pushed into taking Zero Hours Contracts for example are not counted as unemployed.
Then you still have large numbers of immigrants coming into the country and swelling the employment numbers because many simply exist on part time agency work and survive through sharing overcrowded squalid housing.
must say with fuel prices low, mortgage low I've never had it so good. I suspect those partisan or bitter about a tory government will not acknowledge the figures. Probably dredge up the same old rubbish about workfare and zero hour contracts as per usual.
Well done to the coalition for not following Labour's Plan B and taking us down the path of even more debt, deficit and high unemployment.
It is becoming abundantly clear from this thread that the Tories on here are better off and the Labourites are not.
Whether or not the claims are in relation to reality is another matter.
This board does have similarities to the fan-boy console wars to be found in gaming forums where people do not allow reality to affect their support of their team.
It's not that way at all.
There are a few Tories/Labour gung-ho supporters, the rest basically come across as not liking either Labour or the Conservatives.
Some dislike Labour more than the Conservatives, for others it's the Conservatives who are more disreputable.
So I see it as a "which party is least worse" type of forum, with hardly anyone who could be said to be a supporter of either party.
But the number of very keen Conservative supporters is higher than for Labour.
must say with fuel prices low, mortgage low I've never had it so good. I suspect those partisan or bitter about a tory government will not acknowledge the figures. Probably dredge up the same old rubbish about workfare and zero hour contracts as per usual.
Well done to the coalition for not following Labour's Plan B and taking us down the path of even more debt, deficit and high unemployment.
Only a fool would want that.
Maybe when you stop being a student and try paying bills such as Council Tax you might find things a little less rosy...
Comments
Really?
My car insurance is a lot cheaper this year, home insurance about the same. Air Fares are about the same. Don't normally use the bus so can't comment on that.
And in october 2014 Renting a property across England and Wales has now hit an all-time high as average residential rents reached £768 per month and up from £686 per month in 2010
He didn't cause it but his policymaking as chancellor worsened the crisis.
He let public spending rise too much, failed to regulate banks and failed to diversify the economy.
All meant the crisis had a worse impact on the UK
I'm sure the left wing socialist landlords will be raising a glass to that this evening.
I thought the ONS used Median Average to calculate wage rises - in which case most people would have to see a rise in wages for the average to go up.
Listening to Radio 5 a couple of days ago and one of the guests said that rents had actually not reached the levels they were at before the financial crash. Not sure if it was in real terms or not.
I am just going on this report. http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEoQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ibtimes.co.uk%2Fuk-house-prices-rise-rent-hits-all-time-high-1470376&ei=fXTnVI6FEcKrU_Dpg6gI&usg=AFQjCNGiy25kDh2uLKhrk5kNfEZ9YGPJjA&bvm=bv.86475890,d.d24 According to the latest LSL Property Services' Buy-to-Let Index from the UK's largest lettings agent networks, Your Move and Reeds Rains, the significant jump in house prices across Britain also led to landlords' gross returns to jump 13.4% before mortgage or maintenance costs.
I have never been so well off
Well done Dave. Good job George.
Not so well done, Source: YouGov/Cebr HEAT data, January 2015 (three-month rolling average)
Stephen Harmston, Head of YouGov Reports: ‘It is quite a bleak picture. Consumer confidence has dropped away from its highpoint of last spring and summer as the housing market stutters and household finances are too stretched to pick up the slack and generate optimism. Despite talk of the recovery gaining ground, consumer confidence is stuck at similar levels as this time last year. At the root of this is that household finances are not felt to be improving, with around twice as many people in each British region saying they are getting worse off as are getting better off. The fall in energy prices has not fed through to consumers and they still don’t feel the recovery in their wallets, and this is as true of people in London as those in Liverpool or Lanarkshire. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCwQFjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fyougov.co.uk%2Fnews%2F2015%2F01%2F30%2Fmuted-consumer-confidence-exposes-uks-economic-fra%2F&ei=CxnnVPvPDYXzUOvAgbAC&usg=AFQjCNEy8t_lEw4ghAvP7K1dyKPOHYp4lw&bvm=bv.86475890,d.d24 So twice as many people saying they are getting WORSE OFF as are getting better off
Well the answer to whether people feel better off than in 2010 is going to vary. In every economy some people do better than others, some areas do better and some companies do well in a recession while others go bust in good times. If you ask that question then yo have to be prepared to hear that many people are very happy.
There's no doubt that there have been big regional variations in the recovery. There are parts of the South East which are booming, shop units are full and where the recession is a distant memory (if it ever happened at all) while there are other areas which are still struggling.
Whether the "wealthy" are better off is fairly irrelevant unless you subscribe to the politics of envy.
At the root of this is that household finances are not felt to be improving, with around twice as many people in each British region saying they are getting worse off as are getting better off. The fall in energy prices has not fed through to consumers and they still don’t feel the recovery
I repeat. I have never been so well off.
Personally, I don't take it as good news because of the high amount of people, who are in work benefits, as in tax credits. I don't see vast amounts of people coming off tax credits. Also in regards to the earning more than inflation but how many are even earning more than £16,284 or £20,400 for couples? So that they can have a normal life, around 4 in 10 households or 8.1 million people aren't.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/19/british-families-poor-society-income-level-cost-of-living-benefit-cuts
It's only when we see people support a normal life and far less people in work tax credits, will that people see it as good news.
In terms of fare in my region, the train went from in 2013-
Returns
1 zone £2.50
2 zones £3.50
3 zones £4.40
In 2014
Returns
1 zone £2.60
2 zones £3.60
3 zones £ 4.50
Now in 2015
Returns
1 zone £2.70
2 zones £3.70
3 zones £4.60
I believe in 2010 or 2011 the fare for 2 zone was only £3.10. Even though the amounts don't appear significant but believe me, it wears a hole in the pocket when travelling to the town centre and back over a period of time, which is a 2 zone fare.
Your stalking abilities are sadly lacking. I have written posts disagreeing with Labour policies many times too. Having left wing views and being a Labour supporter are two very different things.
I defend Labour only when they are unfairly critised, isn't that what any independent thinker would do?
Good for you, I'm worse off.
Mortgages available to anyone with an income.
Credit Cards available to anyone who wanted them.
Low food prices (basic bread 15p, beans 8p etc).
Could go for a job which didn't have another 50-100 applicants.
Construction industry booming.
No endless empty units/business properties.
Now I know a lot of the above caused the financial crisis and was unsustainable but the average joe doesn't really consider this, they just think things were better pre-2008 and had plenty of money at hand when they wanted it. They were better if not sustainable times!
Even now the average joes still think we are in a recession. Our living standards have fell greatly compared to the Labour heydays.
If I wanted to go out on the piss midweek and was short on cash I'd just give Capital One a call and get a credit card with a £3000 limit, that would last a good few weeks. If I wanted to work I could walk into any job, if I wanted some time on the dole, no problem.
The stat they always pull out about record employment rates is just a reflection of a higher population and to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Whether or not the claims are in relation to reality is another matter.
This board does have similarities to the fan-boy console wars to be found in gaming forums where people do not allow reality to affect their support of their team.
Until May I suspect almost all threads in the political forum to be like this. I'm seriously thinking of taking a break until after the election. For a while I followed the climate change discussions and even iPhone v. Android, but the fanatical statements with little thought behind them make all these exchanges very boring for everyone not part of either team.
The figures make sense to me as people on Workfare or pushed into taking Zero Hours Contracts for example are not counted as unemployed.
Then you still have large numbers of immigrants coming into the country and swelling the employment numbers because many simply exist on part time agency work and survive through sharing overcrowded squalid housing.
No wonder you have 103,000 posts under your name.
102,000 of which are the same cut and paste comment above...
Such a good job he'll be out of office on May 8th.
Well done to the coalition for not following Labour's Plan B and taking us down the path of even more debt, deficit and high unemployment.
Only a fool would want that.
It's not that way at all.
There are a few Tories/Labour gung-ho supporters, the rest basically come across as not liking either Labour or the Conservatives.
Some dislike Labour more than the Conservatives, for others it's the Conservatives who are more disreputable.
So I see it as a "which party is least worse" type of forum, with hardly anyone who could be said to be a supporter of either party.
But the number of very keen Conservative supporters is higher than for Labour.
Maybe when you stop being a student and try paying bills such as Council Tax you might find things a little less rosy...