Either he's fed up with carrying the can for his boss's failings - or he's going to regret giving an interview after borrowing those fags off the Home Secretary....
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It's coughing up blood already - Land Rover cutting back production.
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It's coughing up blood already - Land Rover cutting back production.
As is Toyota.
www.burtonmail.co.uk/burtonmail-news/displayarticl...8
"CAR manufacturing giant Toyota has confirmed that production at its Burnaston plant will be cut - but insists no permanent jobs will be lost. ...
The motoring giant says it is feeling the effects of difficult market conditions, with high fuel prices and the darkening global economic outlook forcing it to act now.
Spokesman Steve Carter said: "What we have announced is that we will temporarily be moving production of the Auris model to one shift. ..... "
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Spokesman Steve Carter said: "What we have announced is that we will temporarily be moving production of the Auris model to one shift. ..... "
I wonder if they now regret that awful central console in the Auris? :)
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I have no doubt that they are regretting the wretched centre console in the Auris. I test drove one as I am replacing my Corolla. The tinny plastic moves when you press your leg against it - which you cannot avoid. There was also not enough room for my left foot. Seemed a very good car otherwise. I am now looking at a Mazda 3 1.6 diesel which HJ seems to like. Has anybody any experience of it ?
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I tried a Mazda 3 but found it very cramped in the cockpit - more so than the silly Auris which, with that naff centra console, is nigh impossible for any long-legged person to get comfortable in.
Why oh why is there this trend with fatter and fatter centre consoles?
Edited by tawse on 31/08/2008 at 16:42
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I don't think any more than it was already going to it seems everyone knows and has known what the government seems in denial about (apart from this slip of the tongue by Darling).
An official interview in a major national newspaper is hardly a slip of the tongue. People in his league are too good for that. They switch off forbidden topics in the way kids switch off swearing in front of their parents. So his comments are deliberate and planned, whether for the general government cause, or his own. I think he's right. Let's party like it's 1929.
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An official interview in a major national newspaper is hardly a slip of the tongue.
He has since given TV interviews, and not retracted anything he said. [Not even to claim that he was misquoted].
The only slip he may have made was to truthfully use the "p" word when describing how people feel about NuLabour.
www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/30/economy.al...g
"....
People are xxxxxx off with us ...
His press adviser tells Darling, whose relations with Downing Street have been tense over the past year, to speak his mind in the interview. "Now Alistair," the adviser tells the chancellor as Decca Aitkenhead begins the interview. "Tell her everything. Make sure you tell her everything." "
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His earlier comment on stamp duty holiday already made housing market from bad to worse :)
It won't kill car market as more people will rush to downgrade.
Edited by movilogo on 30/08/2008 at 19:08
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The only slip he may have made was to truthfully use the "p" word when describing how people feel about NuLabour.
I'm not sure it's just his comments that will kill off the car market - more the policies of this Mickey Mouse Government over the past 10 years or so.
Bring on the next General Election! Can't come quick enough for me. Not that any of the opposition parties are any better but I for one feel the need for change urgently.
I suspect Gordo won't be leader any more by the time we get to express our great displeasure of the interfering do [no] gooders. Too late for Labour tho. Thank goodness .
Edited by Webmaster on 31/08/2008 at 02:45
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My next door neighbour won't be changing either of his privately owned cars this year as he has done for the last ten years (since I've known him) - he is a man of means and if people like that are pulling out of the car market - that's trouble (He currently has a 57 A6 and his wife has a similar aged A3)
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The market reminds me of 1973.. just like the economy.. but without the strikes.
My view is Darling is trying to ensure Gordon gets the blame.. 6 days ago Gordon said it would all improve rapidly.. and he was working hard etc tractor production statistics the right thing blah blah..
And the car market reminds me of then: small car sales = great. big ones = disaster..
You must remember that official statistics on the economy are so distorted by now we do not see the truth.
The economy needs massive interest rate cuts or deflation looms. (see 1929:-(
But big interest rate cuts mean the fall of sterling accelerates and food price inflation worsens as does fuel.
What the economy does not need is tax rises. (oops VED!)
( I try to include motoring so not too political mods!)
Edited by Pugugly on 30/08/2008 at 20:33
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"but without the strikes."
There are strikes on an almost weekly basis at the moment, but as most of our major service industries are no longer publicly owned they don't have the impact they had in the 1970s.
Saying it's the worse in 60 years takes us ot the end of WWII - I don't think the USA are in a position to lend us billions this time round.
If the grand idea is to allow Local Authorities to buy empty properties and rent them out this will be a disaster. Maintanence of such properties will costs LAs millions a year which they don't have - so guess who pays.
I was at my local tyre fitter yesterday - a local railway arch outfit and he is really busy as people are looking for the best deals - he beat every internet company I searched and then knocked off a bit more as I fixed his hand towel dispenser while I was waiting!
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"I don't recall any major politician uttering such dire warnings in the past let alone a Chancellor - when he says this is the worst state the UK economy has been in for 60 years? Can it be worse than the 80s? The 70s?"
None of them admitted it in the 70s....
The 80s were actually quite good....
I doubt D's comments will have any effect of the car market, but what has actually been happening to the economy that our ruling party have been denying for the past couple of years will!!
Edited by b308 on 30/08/2008 at 22:26
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The 80s were actually quite good....
Are you kidding? The UK lost over 30% of its industrial capacity between 1979 and 1985. We moved to being what Thatcher called a 'post industrial economy' (i.e. a nation of retail parks, pubs, clubs and restaurants). In 1985 the pound was worth $1.05 !! and that was with interest rates at 12%.
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Are you kidding? The UK lost over 30% of its industrial capacity between 1979 and 1985.
We should go back to living in the Victorian times.
pound was worth $1.05 !! and that was with interest rates at 12%.
What would you consider to be the "perfect" or "acceptable" figure for these two items then?
There are strikes on an almost weekly basis at the moment,
Agreed. As many bus commuters in London found yesterday. The bus drivers have been offered 4% pay rise but the union is apparently not even prepared to put it to their members to vote upon. Thatcher left quite a lot of unfinished business. While unions such as this one exist, there is no chance for employers to go to the open market to find labour at the true market rate. Eventually it leads to the demise of the employer and loss of jobs [ as was proved at MG-Rover ].
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We should go back to living in the Victorian times.
We should go back to having some diversity in the economy. An economy heavily biassed to consumption and house price inflation is a house of cards - as we are now finding.
>> pound was worth $1.05 !! and that was with interest rates at 12%. What would you consider to be the "perfect" or "acceptable" figure for these two items then?
Depends on the economic circumstances at the time, but those were bad figures on any assessment. My point was that the mid-1980's were difficult times, the economy then was in worse shape than it is today and the legacy of that era is still visible in many northern towns.
Thatcher left quite a lot of unfinished business. While unions such as this one exist there is no chance for employers to go to the open market to find labour at the true market rate.
Yes, no doubt we can find some Romanian immigrants to do the job at £1/hour.
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We should go back to having some diversity in the economy.
If we had the economy that was there pre-Thatcher, the country would have collapsed to a level below that of the Roamanian economy long ago, and the flow of migrants would now be in the other direction.
Yes, no doubt we can find some Romanian immigrants to do the job at £1/hour.
According to reports, these bus drivers are on £16.50 an hour for a 35 hour week, get minimum 35 days annual leave, plus final salary pension, plus free travel, plus overtime and shift bonuses, etc. etc.
Their Union have rejected the 4% pay rise offered without consulting the membership.
Any EU citizen who wants to apply for those jobs is worthy of being employed, Romanian or otherwise [unless your mind sees something wrong with being Romanian?].
Edited by jbif on 31/08/2008 at 01:16
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According to reports these bus drivers are on £16.50 an hour for a 35 hour week get minimum 35 days annual leave plus final salary pension plus free travel plus overtime and shift bonuses etc. etc.
£16.50 an hour??? Are you sure? I thought bus drivers only received £7-9 an hour?
What the blazes am I doing getting retrained and getting post-graduate degrees? Where do I apply?
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According to reports these bus drivers are on £16.50 an hour for a 35 hour week get minimum 35 days annual leave plus final salary pension plus free travel plus overtime and shift bonuses etc.
Standard rates for NW London bus operator working for TFL.
Mon to Fri basic £11.50 ph, o/t £13.68 ph.
Sat and Sun £14.87 ph, o/t £17.71 ph.
Expected avarage weekly hours of 48 for over £500.
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>> We should go back to having some diversity in the economy. If we had the economy that was there pre-Thatcher the country would have collapsed to a level below that of the Roamanian economy long ago and the flow of migrants would now be in the other direction.
In the 1980s, it was. Anyone else remember the frequent changes in the way unemployment was counted that even then failed to keep it under 3 million?
And to the person who thinks we should go back to Victorian times I think you should be careful what you wish for. Very few Victorians enjoyed the luxuries experienced even by the poorest British people today. Most of them were a minor injury away from the workhouse.
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snipquote!In the 1980s it was.
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, anyone?
Programmes like that are a barometer of the nation's health. Could you see broadcasters putting something like that together now?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 01/09/2008 at 01:34
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Judging by the adverts on London buses and the general quality of drivers they're having trouble recruiting retaining the right people even if the reports jbif reads are correct. How many of us would drive a bus in London, particualry in the rougher areas, at any price?
And the union cannot just call members out - there must have been a ballot authorising industrial action.
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snipquote!Are you kidding?
Compared to the chaos which was the 70s it was.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 01/09/2008 at 01:34
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he beatevery internet company I searched and then knocked off a bit more as I fixed his hand towel dispenser while I was waiting!
Do you do this for a living or are you one of those Star Trek engineers who can fix anything as long as you have a sonic wrench and a tricorder to hand?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 31/08/2008 at 02:43
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He just asked me if I knew how to fit a new roller towel to his dispenser. Never done it before, but I had half an hour to spare while he did the work. I opened the dispenser up and there was a picture showing the route for feeding the new one so I fitted it.
Having to put paper in a plotter on a regular basis must have helped! Five minutes work saved me £10 and he gets a repeat customer next time I need some tyres.
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Just who is this Will Darling - is he the evil twin of Alistair? Whoever he is, his interview was either clever pre-positioning for a leadership bid or an application for the Governership of the Falklands (or both).
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''In the 1980s, it was. Anyone else remember the frequent changes in the way unemployment was counted that even then failed to keep it under 3 million?''
We now have 6 million+ on benefits the highest number in history, due to the politicisation of the civil service namely the ONS the unemployment stats have been kept low, only by adding 2 million people to the disability register tho! the true 'unemployment' figure is 4 million
Check the economically active percentages they give a much truer picture
As to the car market, I have just bought at an auction and the prices of cars amazed me, this must be due to a lack of money around, hard times ahead
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...adding 2million people to the disability register...
You are so right, many of the young male punters I see at court are on disability living allowance or somesuch.
Fit enough to go burgling, or battling on a Saturday night, but unfit for community work, your honour.
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If Darling's comments hadn't already damaged the car market, then those he made yesterday and today almost certainly have.
I saw his interview with the Scottish BBC interviewer yesterday in which he answered five questions with the same basic sentences for each reply - embarrassing isn't strong enough a word, especially as the Chancellor seemed to be in a world far removed from others in the room.
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We now have 6 million+ on benefits the highest number in history due to the politicisation of the civil service namely the ONS the unemployment stats have been kept low only by adding 2 million people to the disability register tho! the true 'unemployment' figure is 4 million
The disability thing started in the 1980s. It was one of the many 'adjustments' made by the Thatcher government. Don't imagine it's a recent development.
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There were 700,000 people on disability when labour came to power, there are now 2,700,000
Now either the lauded improvements to the NHS ain't working and there really has been a 2 million increase, or something dodgy has happened
As for the so called 'green taxes' what are they doing to whats left of our car industry
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The answer to your question is that when Labour came to power there were in fact just over 2.5 million on Incapacity Benefit costing £7+bn and it's stayed relatively static ever since, though still costing £7+bn. There were also nearly 2 million on Disability Living allowance in May 1997.
Every government since the war has fiddled/massaged the jobless figures to a greater or lesser extent, the current lot certainly no worse than the last, or the next, I'm sure.
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DLA can be paid with Incapacity Benefit so there will be a significant overlap between the 2.7m getting IB and the 2m on DLA. It's not means tested and can be paid to those in work. The qualifying tests relate to one's mobility or care needs.
Edited by Bromptonaut on 31/08/2008 at 16:59
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This was last year and things have got much worse since then
>>>>>The real unemployment figure in Britain today - 5.29 million claiming 'out of work' benefits
957,000 people claiming jobseekers' allowance
2.7m people on incapacity benefit
777,000 lone parents deemed not to be in "the field of work".
368,000 people were judged not to be in paid work but instead caring for relatives and hence eligible for a special benefit.
314,000 people are in a special disability category, separate to Incapacity Benefit. <<<<
The construction and automotive industries have crashed since then aswell most of the retail trade
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Worse since last year but still better than what the Tories left in 97 when New Labour took over
1,619,600 people claiming jobseekers' allowance
2,616,300 people on incapacity benefit claiming £7bn
1,014,200 lone parents deemed not to be in "the field of work"
Of course this was one of those points when the economy was in relatively decent shape under the Tories. If we look back over the preceding decade then the figures are diabolical and it would be interesting and salutary if someone had some national figures on car sales particularly from the late 80s and early 90s. I was lucky to have had a relatively secure and decent job but I don't recall it being much fun for most folk.
Edited by Martin Sweeney on 31/08/2008 at 20:21
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And there's always the hidden PFI stuff that someone will have to pay for.
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>>>>>The real unemployment figure in Britain today - 5.29 million claiming 'out of work' benefits
But surely the unemployed are the total of (a) those available for and seeking work but unable to find it and (b) those who are potentially available for work but not seeking /finding because of surmountable disability.
Those who are so disabled physically or mentally that they will never find work (and the 312,000 "tail" on former SDA and other benefits probably all fall in this category) together with the abandoned wives and "baby mother" lone parents to primary school age kiddies and those caring for aged parents or disabled offspring are always, in any civilised state, going to be dependant on welfare
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>>>And there's always the hidden PFI stuff that someone will have to pay for. <<<
Plus the £1 trillion+ public pension liabilities that the government also exclude from their figures......completely unsustainable
Difference with 97 is that labour took over an economy in good shape
The tories due to labours usual tax and spend policy will be taking over a bankrupt treasury with an annual budget deficit of £50 billion, rising unemployment falling tax revenues and in the middle of the 'biggest economic downturn for 60 years' !!!
It will be a good election to lose IMHO
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although the issues of public pensions etc are important, far more devastating is the fact that post WW2 baby boomers are retiring. In 10 years time 20% of the populatio will will be retired.
Add it all up and our current way of living is unsustainable...
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Just who is this Will Darling?
Didn't he have an affair with Diana?
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A good time to be debt free, no mortgage no car loan no credit card!
I did it by chance having sold the house early last year and moving into rented accomodation, not because I can see the future, its just that I thought I would get a better deal on a house of I was a cash buyer, which I did bigtime as the housing market went t up soon after
Iv downsized carwise too buying from auction, another bargain too!
The price that cars are going at is simply staggering and that was at Blackbushe not known as one of the cheaper auction sites
Edited by malden blue on 31/08/2008 at 23:32
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Out of interest, what car did you buy at auction and how much did you pay for it? Just curious.
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3.7 auto jeep cherokee, full leather mint condition only 36k on the clock registered 11.04 £3k plus £200 odd auction fees
a bargain
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> 3.7 auto jeep cherokee,
That's downsizing?
I doff my hat to you MB -- that's impressive.
Good luck with the Jeep.
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