General News Thread

[Torquay Gunner]

4 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

I don't know their specifics but what I can think of, say 2k after tax every month.

 

£300 board

£100 fuel (commuting costs)

£80 a month car insurance and tax

Random bills like car maintenance that crop up, MOT, service, call that £70 a month?

Phone and sim £50 a month

 

That's £600 before you've even done anything, no takeaways, no subscriptions, no eating out, no hobbies, no nights out, no LCFC, no holidays. 

 

For those that live at home it is possible, but those who pay rent, they'll very rarely make it onto the property ladder, they have to move back home to save a deposit. 

 

My neighbours house is rented at just over a grand a month, my mortgage is half that, it's madness. 

Sadly a lot of people for a variety of reasons ie estranged from their parents, or parents that have died simply won’t have that option. 

[Leicester_Loyal]

Just now, Torquay Gunner said:

Sadly a lot of people for a variety of reasons ie estranged from their parents, or parents that have died simply won’t have that option. 

Yep, so for them, unless they're earning well above average wage, they're gonna struggle to get onto the property ladder.

 

It shouldn't be like this, we can't have salary vs. house price being a 9x ratio.

[Tommy G]

41 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

I know you're a massive advisor of investing into pension schemes (as am I), and this is an option, but it just causes problems down the line and is one of the biggest reasons we're in this crisis, as it'll be the taxpayers who foot the bill when you're older. 

 

I genuinely don't know the answer, but taxing us even more is just gonna cause an even bigger black hole IMO. If they start increasing income tax etc. People will just do less hours, a 40% tax payer who already pays student loan and NI, why would they go to work for 8 hours to come out with 3 hours pay, minus your petrol/commuting costs, you'll be earning about 2/2.5 hours wage, for a 9+ hour day. So the Government loses out on even more tax ££.

I am against doing so - and agree it causes problems down the line - just thinking of ways people can free up immediate cash. 

[CosbehFox]

I don't know whether anyone has noticed but young people already are sacrificing to maintain various things. There is a reason why city centres are increasingly dead. The culture of Friday night and Saturday night drinks is now a quarterly event. Going out for a meal a lot less frequent. Takeaways are reporting lows after a post covid boom. 

 

The idea that a few coffees and a Netflix subscription make the difference is largely null. People are already quitting a lot. In the process you create an economy which is stagnant. No one is spending money. So that affects decisions BoE makes etc. We are at gridlock in many ways. 

Edited 7 August 2025 by CosbehFox

[CosbehFox]

2 hours ago, Torquay Gunner said:

Sadly a lot of people for a variety of reasons ie estranged from their parents, or parents that have died simply won’t have that option. 

There's no way my wife from middle Norfolk would have been able to, until approximately now at 32 looking at her friends. And that's in an incredibly fair to boring town. Parents all but gone, no money left behind. A huge demand on housing in a population which doesn't have the socio-pressures we do in larger cities. 

[BKLFox]

6 hours ago, leicsmac said:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czerd0zky10o

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c873z413r9lo

 

Only today. It's good to have validation, isn't it?

 

This problem isn't going away, and voting for a party that will do nothing about it won't make it go away either. 

but yes that was my original point, farmers found a way of earning from a bad crop by offloading bad grain or none fit to mill to the bioethanol industry & now that door has been shut to them with that particular deal, along with possible UK closures & investments which goes against the strapline.

 

the gif was just a little musing about how you might have mentioned once or twice that the earths going to rat5hit if we don't go green quicker anyway which we get.

[leicsmac]

23 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

but yes that was my original point, farmers found a way of earning from a bad crop by offloading bad grain or none fit to mill to the bioethanol industry & now that door has been shut to them with that particular deal, along with possible UK closures & investments which goes against the strapline.

 

the gif was just a little musing about how you might have mentioned once or twice that the earths going to rat5hit if we don't go green quicker anyway which we get.

Apparently not, seeing as there still seems to be a statistically significant amount of people willing to run full tilt into that particular fate because they don't consider it worthy of attention. 

 

Farmers need protecting in financial and whatever other ways that enable them to continue doing the essential work that they do, that's absolutely true, but if you're not including environmental measures in there, then not too far away nothing else you do for them will matter. 

Edited 7 August 2025 by leicsmac

[Wymsey]

Need some uplifting news..

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cev24d7y8pko

 

[Free Falling Foxes]

3 hours ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

Yep, so for them, unless they're earning well above average wage, they're gonna struggle to get onto the property ladder.

 

It shouldn't be like this, we can't have salary vs. house price being a 9x ratio.

Indeed.

Our first house, bought in 1980, would now cost £56 000 if average inflation over the intervening years was the only price pressure.

Instead, they are now selling at over £200 000

[Torquay Gunner]

24 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Indeed.

Our first house, bought in 1980, would now cost £56 000 if average inflation over the intervening years was the only price pressure.

Instead, they are now selling at over £200 000

I was fortunate enough to buy a starter home in Enfield in the mid 90’s for 42k (the builders paid the deposit) on a salary of £14,000. 

[The Doctor]

5 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

It's been astonishing to watch her descent into hateful madness. The biggest squandering of the biggest amount of goodwill I've ever seen. 

honestly i don't think it should be surprising. there's that old 4chan screenshot which is an absolute eviceration of the potter books as works of literature, the core premise of which is that her worldview is completely hollow and insubstantial, a belief that all systems are good and it's just the people in charge of them that cause problems. You're naturally disposed towards opposing minorities with that worldview because minorities are saying the systems are deeply flawed and cannot be reformed by putting good people in charge, and having no core moral beliefs leaves you very vulnerable to propaganda, even more so if you're richer than god and not used to people saying no to you. the only question really was whether it'd be refugees/immigrants, Jews or trans people that she'd end up hating.

 

There's also the reanalysis of her books and the low level bigotry in them but I'm reticent to say she was always incredibly hateful and more just a lot of the general views of the 80s/90s and a combination of a desire to be liked but not much knowledge (the werewolves are problematic if taken as a HIV allegory given one of them preys on and deliberately infects kids, which was a homophobic trope of the 80s, but it never seemed written as such, more just her fishing for cred after the series ended, like with Dumbledore being gay)

[Jattdogg]

3 hours ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Indeed.

Our first house, bought in 1980, would now cost £56 000 if average inflation over the intervening years was the only price pressure.

Instead, they are now selling at over £200 000

Over here in the Greater Toronto Area my detached house has increased about $500,000 Canadian in 7 years. It's insane and not something the next generation will be able to afford. So, when I retire either rich peoples adult children buy them or doctors/lawyers etc...... or i lose any gain (which i am fine with) given it's way over priced for what you get.

 

Given that I live next to a city with lots of money, I am hoping the rich bastards buy it lol. If not, the kids can sell it and split the cash.

 

 

[Wymsey]

 

 

[Lionator]

Trump man 

 

Q: is the ceasefire deadline still for tomorrow?

Trump: that’s gonna be up to Putin 

 

🤣🥲

[Jon the Hat]

1 hour ago, Wymsey said:

 

 

EX Homelessness minister.  Some people are too stupid to be politicians, aren't they?  Probably so routine for some of these landlords they didn't even think about it.  

[bovril]

12 hours ago, Wymsey said:

 

 

I'm not sure I've seen a better metaphor for the current state of the UK than 'homelessness minster makes people homeless'

[Foxdiamond]

15 minutes ago, bovril said:

I'm not sure I've seen a better metaphor for the current state of the UK than 'homelessness minster makes people homeless'

For it to be a Labour minister somehow makes it worse

[The Doctor]

1 hour ago, Foxdiamond said:

For it to be a Labour minister somehow makes it worse

does it? Like, labour have not been a left wing party since 2020, honestly you could very much argue that 2015-2019 aside, they haven't been in over 30 years.

[Foxdiamond]

16 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

does it? Like, labour have not been a left wing party since 2020, honestly you could very much argue that 2015-2019 aside, they haven't been in over 30 years.

I see what you mean but as an old Labour voter this example still shocks perhaps more than it should 

[Leicesterpool]

Charles to address the next week -

 

Two ways this going, 1) hes announcing he's cancer free... thanking everyone for the warm support blah blah blah basically normal service resumes.

 

2) His condition is worser than expected and he is going to step aside for william. Maybe highlighting his days are numbered.

[Jattdogg]

3 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Charles to address the next week -

 

Two ways this going, 1) hes announcing he's cancer free... thanking everyone for the warm support blah blah blah basically normal service resumes.

 

2) His condition is worser than expected and he is going to step aside for william. Maybe highlighting his days are numbered.

3) ending the monarchy, telling William to do one and then giving Harry everything.

 

Side note, I don't care much for the royals but hope the guy is OK. Cancer is a cvnt.

 

 

[Leicesterpool]

5 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

3) ending the monarchy, telling William to do one and then giving Harry everything.

 

Side note, I don't care much for the royals but hope the guy is OK. Cancer is a cvnt.

 

 

If only.

 

4) Finally evicted the predator from the house and we are jailing him in the tower!!

[Sampson]

Funny I used to be anti-royal when I was younger but the institution of it has grown on me more and more over the decades now and now I’m a fairly big fan of the monarchy as an institution, and I think constitutional monarchies are holding up against the rise of populism and democratic backsliding better than the republics are right now.

Edited 8 August 2025 by Sampson

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 07/08/2025 at 07:13, CornwallFox said:

Just let them work as other countries do while claims are being processed. Get them doing useful tasks to help the country and earn their keep. 

I agree in principle but the problem there is you would then get people saying they were stealing jobs. The fact is that with increasing young people's learning and aspirations, wrongly or rightly, has led to a situation were people want to be pro sports people, film stars, doctors, lawyers etc.

 

There again, should you deliberately leave people with lower expectations to be cleaners, gardeners, call centre workers, delivery people, etc. That would be getting into Brave New World territory, but then much of what that book said is true today.

[Greg2607]

On 07/08/2025 at 11:33, Leicester_Loyal said:

Yep, so for them, unless they're earning well above average wage, they're gonna struggle to get onto the property ladder.

 

It shouldn't be like this, we can't have salary vs. house price being a 9x ratio.

these are the salaries required as a single person, assuming a 10% deposit, for house prices ranging from £150,000 - £250,000....

 

Average UK wage is around £38,000..........  

 

it's a massive mountain to climb for alot of people who aren't professionally qualified or in a career with increasing salaries....

 

it's not insurmountable obviously... but it's a struggle.