The country we live in - Must read!

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The country we live in - Must read!

wotnowarninglight said:
Sorry :eek: dont know what came over me... my Pepsi Max Cafe Cino must have been spiked with something :eek:

And one of today's news headlines: one of the UK's premier bishops says the thought police are alive and well.

Anyone else actually read that book? It describes the current state of the country rather well I thought. I think I'm allowed to think that anyway :confused:. Where are the rest of the moderating team when i need them to tell me how to think :(
 
G Spag said:
Over here it's going to become law to carry some form of identificaton.

In Italy and France have toll motorways (and I'm sure plenty of other European countries do aswell). This means everyone pays peanuts in road tax in comparison, but if you use the motorway more, you pay more. Can't say fairer than that. Not to mention (in Italy anyway) you actually insure the car, not the person driving. So should someone in a stolen motor smashes into you, you'll get a pay-out.

In that respect, yeah the grass is greener

But income tax is much higher in both countries to make up for it (the money has to come from somewhere, it's just how it's collected), so £170 a year in road tax is nothing compared to 5-10% extra income tax. It's the same in a lot of european countries that you insure the car. It's the same in Holland, but you have to remember the person who's car in stolen looses their no claims bonus and has the accident logged against their insurance record. A better way would be to have a slush fund for non insured accidents and bigger fines for those caught not having insurance to pay for it.

You can always pick things from other countries which are better, but if you look at the whole picture it's really not bad in the UK.

If you go to Denmark you have 150%+ tax on cars, so a Punto is double the price in the UK and road tax is more than 3 times the UK.
 
poggy said:
But income tax is much higher in both countries to make up for it (the money has to come from somewhere, it's just how it's collected), so £170 a year in road tax is nothing compared to 5-10% extra income tax. It's the same in a lot of european countries that you insure the car. It's the same in Holland, but you have to remember the person who's car in stolen looses their no claims bonus and has the accident logged against their insurance record. A better way would be to have a slush fund for non insured accidents and bigger fines for those caught not having insurance to pay for it.

You can always pick things from other countries which are better, but if you look at the whole picture it's really not bad in the UK.

If you go to Denmark you have 150%+ tax on cars, so a Punto is double the price in the UK and road tax is more than 3 times the UK.

Agreed.

We do have a standard of living as high as much of Europe and lower taxes. Sure, you can pick up an example of a specific tax cheaper in europe, but you have to view the holistic picture; when much of Europe has figures around 30% as the basic level of income tax, you will appreciate it's nowhere near as bad in the UK as people would have you think

Randomman said:
Ah but it wasnt an article, it was a well constructed letter in, possiblly written by a far right wing person, but either way, what is written about in my original piece has either

a) happened
b) being put into effect
or c) been discussed as a serious 'solution'

It's all supposition and fluff based on a skewed concept of what the UK is (or isn't). It's called sensationalism, and it has no place in the real world.
 
Skewed concepts have a place within reality, its what people make of them that distorts their original intentions. With reference to my orginal post, it cant be the only feeling of what could happen if all these 'one of stories' and 'ideas' were combined to form commonplace in society
 
The problem with sensationalist articles is that any reporter can complain about the state of something, but it takes a brilliant one to offer a viable solution. Quite obviously the reporter who wrote the original article was just bashing for the sake of bashing.

Both Poggy and JTD Stilo are right in pointing out that it's easy to pick one or two factors that make other countries seem better than ours, but you need to see the WHOLE picture to make a truly balanced judgement.

For instance, (not factual, just hypothetical), Iraq might have much lower income tax rates than the UK, along with cheaper costs of living. It might even have cheaper car insurance and road tax. But you have to offset this with a lower standard of living, poor roads and public facilities, higher crime rate, religious extremism, terrorism and also a country on the brink of civil war. I know it's an extreme hypothesis, but the grass suddenly doesn't seem that much greener now.

In any debate like this, I want to see a potential solution not just a whinge! So if our country is so bad, which other country outweighs our standards overall and how has this been achieved? There's a challenge for those that complain about the state of the UK!

And as for the newspapers, Daily Fascist sums up most of them! They are all biased one way or another, with the exception of perhaps the Independant or the Guardian, and most rely on sensationalist headlines/ stories to grab attention. Plus more importantly, these sensationalist stories SELL newspapers, as at the end of the day they are business commodities out to make money, and a screaming headline with outlandish reporting will do that!

I prefer to watch a selection of news bulletins on TV to get a more balanced view, though even some of those can show bias. For the tabloids though, the best use I have found for them is to use them for wrapping up my dog's poop when I clean our garden :p
 
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According to international living the best country to live in is..........France:eek:

1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Australia
4. Denmark
5. New Zealand
6. Austria
7. United States
8. Sweden
9. Finland
10. Italy

But later states...

The most expensive countries in the world

1. Japan (138)
2. Norway (123)
3. Denmark (116)
4. France (116)
5. Hong Kong (113)
6. Switzerland (109)
7. United Kingdom (109)
8. Iceland (106)
9. Austria (104)
10. Finland (103)
11. Netherlands (100)
12. Sweden (99)
13. Singapore (98)
14. South Korea (97)
15. Germany (95)
16. Ireland (94)
17. Australia (93)
18. Belgium (93)
19. Russia (92)
20. China (90)

Info here if interested:rolleyes:
http://kron.com/Global/story.asp?S=4336202

p.s. I find TV news better than papers but I avoid the BBC.Best way these days appear to be 'blogs' from the people living there/involved.
 
Helz said:
Anyone else actually read that book? It describes the current state of the country rather well I thought. I think I'm allowed to think that anyway :confused:. Where are the rest of the moderating team when i need them to tell me how to think :(


HELZ, youre quote has put a great big grin across my face:D :rolleyes: I couldnt have put it better myself!!(y)
I havent commented on this thread as yet cos most people know my feelings on this subject and if some people mis-interpreted it,TUF:eek:, i dont care.Seems to me alot of people prefer to go around with blinkers on than face facts!:( Like Phil said, "the trouble today is that nobody thinks they can make a difference" and hes right,unless you start making your voice heard you never will.:mad:
I am also not an anarchist, but if i feel i am right to run my country down i will(y) but look out if you aint a british citizen and start doin it cos bloods thicker than water!!:devil: OMG:eek: im beggining to go off on one again!,What the hell, this will probably get removed or sumat anyway(im probably inciting a revolution with comrade Helz or other!) BYEEEEEE
 
Comrad HELZ

Comrad MATT68

Comrad PNL

Anyone else got the BALLS to join us :slayer:
 
Errr... drinking my last can of PMCC whilst revisiting this thread :D We have the freedom of speech but expressing your opinions is difficult in this odd climate of apathy & political correctness we find ourselves in. If it ain't gonna ruffle a few feathers is it worth saying? Probably not... Comrad WNWL (y)
 
Let me give you lot a little prod now think of this:( has anyone seen the film about an english man who took a bet to see if he could creep up with his empty rifle and KILL ADolf hittler well he was laying there and he pulled the trigger and after that he realised that if he really did it then it would probably end W/War two so he pulled back the bolt and inserted a buttet into the chamber and took aim :bang: to late he was caught :( BUT what if he had put that bullet into that chamber the first time :cry: yes the answer is obvious he would have saved thousands of lives 6 million of my people that went to the gas chambers and not counting the thousands of soldiers of all nationalities IF ONLY HE HAD
 
THats right T14 just one man who didnt make that decition that one could have saved so much unessessary suffering :cry:and could have brought about change.
 
What a perfect example Phil, of how just one person can make a difference.:worship: :worship:
Tho some people dont like it and it embarrasses the other 1/2 i go thro life saying it how i see it. Im past caring who i upset, imho it takes a bigger man to speak his mind than to hide behind lies just so it keeps everyone happy!(y) So what if im rocking the boat, i can swim.
Oh and by the way, my Post is back-What annoys you?:woot: :woot:
 
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