It's the economy stupid!

[cromwell]

I am a direct descendant of William the Conqueror    and it's us who built this country.

The chavs and chavettes are trying to bring it down.

What you mean is "it's us us who robbed this country" 

Well I do, but then I can trace my family history to a Norman knight who provided military advice to William of Normandy.

What I am particularly interested in is why we've had our inheritance slashed at the passing of every generation by inheritance thieves, yet the Duke of wherever the f**k who owned half of London managed to hand everything to his son the next Duke of wherever the f**k intact and untaxed.

How the f**k does he manage that and why can't we.

You're talking about the likes of the duke of Westminster,the last one wasn't a happy man apparently I remember seeing a documentary about one of the,wealthy dukedoms and some old bird explaining that by having all the servants they did they were

The social services of the day

I've had conversations with people who witter on about old money and show their distaste for the newly rich.
What is wrong with a meritocracy? With the ability to enjoy the fruits of your labour whilst appreciating there is a wider society?
Stands by for a lecture on the evil poor,isn't what's part of the problem this country has that somehow people still cling to a class system.

To answer an earlier question no history isn't evil it's factual and it contains a lot of people who did good and evil and things between.

However when claiming your family history back to 1066 you should appreciate they were invaders,robbers and thieves who carried on robbing and ruling for centuries

[srb7677]

Yeah and have traced family back to 1700 which was interesting

My brother has too, it is something of a hobby of his. We include amongst our ancestors a famous person about whom films have been made, but since he shares my surname it would damage my anonymity if I said more.

[srb7677]

Ok there is a massive difference of opinion in many quarters as to where the tax we pay into Government coffers should be spent.

Some say it should be used to a large extent on support for the needy, while others suggest that easy payouts gives them nothing but false dependency. Some say that top earners should cover the shortfall by paying more even though they already pay a much higher %age.

Should we take a long hard look at inefficiency in public services before we throw even more of our hard earned money at organisations that blatantly mismanage their funds?

Are we actually condoning bad management? What would you really change if suddenly you were catapulted into the hot seat in No10. You never know - your political career may actually start here and now! 

No one should be condoning bad management. And there is often an excess of managers in the public services to the detriment of frontline staff. But all this actually began when it all became about money with the internal market and all that rubbish. Successive governments of every stripe have just added layers of bureaucracy through reorganisation after reorganisation, even after promising no such reorganisation to get elected. And bad management is just as bad in large parts of the private sector too. Look at water and railways for example. And my privatised local busses in Plymouth are becoming the butt of jokes.

Insofar as payouts to the needy, often pejoratively referred to as "handouts", are concerned, I do think there is a tendency in some quarters to confuse cause and effect. Because in essence the need to support the poor on any large scale is a symptom of systemic economic failure and not a cause of it. Simply cutting that support without addressing some of the causes makes the symptoms worse with greater destitution, homelessness and poverty.

What we somehow need to do is address the cause of the need for widespread and growing state support for the poor, ie do something about low pay, high rents, excessively large bills. If all these can somehow be addressed the symptoms of economic failure would automatically start to diminish as less people need state support just to survive

[HallowedBrexit]

I am a direct descendant of William the Conqueror     and it's us who built this country.

The chavs and chavettes are trying to bring it down.

[Nick]

As the MIL of someone who does trace their family in a direct line to William the Conqueror perhaps you ask the right person. I don't see what the gripe is unless it is jealousy. You say it isn't earned on merit and yet my SIL works all hours and his father before him and one of his uncles in their 80s.  Another is in a vegetative state after a stroke no doubt caused by working to a similar age. Go back through the centuries and we find Sir Francis Bacon and his family and I really don't see why they should be begrudged their good and bad fortunes through the years anymore than yours or my ancestors. 

What would you prefer they do with any funds they might have? If I tell you that the family were great philanthropists building many parts of Liverpool and supporting charities during the past and even now they do the same only on a smaller scale. They give employment to about 400 people. If you think that life for them is a long round of silk slippers and smoking jackets think again. The house roof leaks and I won't tell you the size of the mortgage my SIL supports in an effort to keep properties going that otherwise would be ruins. They actually rent out great chunks with reasonable rents - not that I would expect you to believe that of course.

If you are saying what you really believe then none of us deserve to have any success. Surely you don't believe that. I have traced most branches of my family back to about 1600, they are a mixed bag but one line is very successful except my relative married the wrong person and lost the riches. Your past could be exactly the same who is to know? Suddenly in this country history has become a dirty word. Well it's there, it won't go away we might as well try to rise above it. Believe me it's a curse as much as a gift and the tradition of being simply the trustee for their generation is not necessarily any kind of gift. For most it is a huge worry but they honour their ancestors and family by doing their best for those who follow. I dread my daughter having to take on the mantle I am frightened it will kill her.

I too can trace my family back to Willian the Conqueror, even mentioned in the Doomsday Book as his right hand man. Why shouldn't you be able to pass stuff to your children? I can assure you the tax is paid, and it won't be taxed again. 

[johnofgwent]

Do you think it ok families who boast "I can trace my family back to William the conqueror " should still be enjoying the fruits of their thievery?

As people no problem but they aren't where they are by merit are they?

Well I do, but then I can trace my family history to a Norman knight who provided military advice to William of Normandy.

What I am particularly interested in is why we've had our inheritance slashed at the passing of every generation by inheritance thieves, yet the Duke of wherever the F@@@ who owned half of London managed to hand everything to his son the next Duke of wherever the F@@@ intact and untaxed.

How the F@@@ does he manage that and why can't we.

[cromwell]

As the MIL of someone who does trace their family in a direct line to William the Conqueror perhaps you ask the right person. I don't see what the gripe is unless it is jealousy. You say it isn't earned on merit and yet my SIL works all hours and his father before him and one of his uncles in their 80s.  Another is in a vegetative state after a stroke no doubt caused by working to a similar age. Go back through the centuries and we find Sir Francis Bacon and his family and I really don't see why they should be begrudged their good and bad fortunes through the years anymore than yours or my ancestors. 

What would you prefer they do with any funds they might have? If I tell you that the family were great philanthropists building many parts of Liverpool and supporting charities during the past and even now they do the same only on a smaller scale. They give employment to about 400 people. If you think that life for them is a long round of silk slippers and smoking jackets think again. The house roof leaks and I won't tell you the size of the mortgage my SIL supports in an effort to keep properties going that otherwise would be ruins. They actually rent out great chunks with reasonable rents - not that I would expect you to believe that of course.

If you are saying what you really believe then none of us deserve to have any success. Surely you don't believe that. I have traced most branches of my family back to about 1600, they are a mixed bag but one line is very successful except my relative married the wrong person and lost the riches. Your past could be exactly the same who is to know? Suddenly in this country history has become a dirty word. Well it's there, it won't go away we might as well try to rise above it. Believe me it's a curse as much as a gift and the tradition of being simply the trustee for their generation is not necessarily any kind of gift. For most it is a huge worry but they honour their ancestors and family by doing their best for those who follow. I dread my daughter having to take on the mantle I am frightened it will kill her.

I wasn't talking of people you describe but you must know there are incredibly wealthy people who have earned nothing.

As a person you come in to this world with nowt and should leave that way.

There are people with massive houses and gardens that open just a handful of days a year but are registered charities with massive tax breaks,that can't be right.

I read the bloke who set up AOL told his kids he pays to bring them up but when they're adults pay your way because you're getting nowt......I rather admire his stance.

Yeah and have traced family back to 1700 which was interesting,I have a great grandfather who made his money on the cotton exchange had servants lived well in fact outlived his kids and certainly his wife who ended her days in the workhouse after he buggered off with another woman.

Family stories were made up I found to erase that history but I found it all and considered him an old scrote.

Just on personal belief I consider inheritance cobblers a very small amount of our worth will go to family the rest to those who served their country but suffer mentally.

We ain't wealthy other than property and tbh I consider the property market ridiculous,I'm rambling now but I'd far rather see sensible house prices so young people can buy and a decent pension than the madness of the property market.

What we have is earned and not particularly easy but I expect that applies to so many others too.

[T00ts]

Do you think it ok families who boast "I can trace my family back to William the conqueror " should still be enjoying the fruits of their thievery?

As people no problem but they aren't where they are by merit are they?

As the MIL of someone who does trace their family in a direct line to William the Conqueror perhaps you ask the right person. I don't see what the gripe is unless it is jealousy. You say it isn't earned on merit and yet my SIL works all hours and his father before him and one of his uncles in their 80s.  Another is in a vegetative state after a stroke no doubt caused by working to a similar age. Go back through the centuries and we find Sir Francis Bacon and his family and I really don't see why they should be begrudged their good and bad fortunes through the years anymore than yours or my ancestors.  

What would you prefer they do with any funds they might have? If I tell you that the family were great philanthropists building many parts of Liverpool and supporting charities during the past and even now they do the same only on a smaller scale. They give employment to about 400 people. If you think that life for them is a long round of silk slippers and smoking jackets think again. The house roof leaks and I won't tell you the size of the mortgage my SIL supports in an effort to keep properties going that otherwise would be ruins. They actually rent out great chunks with reasonable rents - not that I would expect you to believe that of course.

If you are saying what you really believe then none of us deserve to have any success. Surely you don't believe that. I have traced most branches of my family back to about 1600, they are a mixed bag but one line is very successful except my relative married the wrong person and lost the riches. Your past could be exactly the same who is to know? Suddenly in this country history has become a dirty word. Well it's there, it won't go away we might as well try to rise above it. Believe me it's a curse as much as a gift and the tradition of being simply the trustee for their generation is not necessarily any kind of gift. For most it is a huge worry but they honour their ancestors and family by doing their best for those who follow. I dread my daughter having to take on the mantle I am frightened it will kill her.

[cromwell]

What on earth have you got against inheritance?

Do you think it ok families who boast "I can trace my family back to William the conqueror " should still be enjoying the fruits of their thievery?

As people no problem but they aren't where they are by merit are they?

[T00ts]

There's a lot to look at,like not paying farmers money to do nowt or  go along with the charade of mega wealthy by inheritance and the crap they're mere custodians of whatever.

The false charities and scams attached to them and a determination to put utilities back into public ownership.

What on earth have you got against inheritance?

[cromwell]

There's a lot to look at,like not paying farmers money to do nowt or  go along with the charade of mega wealthy by inheritance and the crap they're mere custodians of whatever.

The false charities and scams attached to them and a determination to put utilities back into public ownership.

[Borchester]

We need to pay off our debt or we could end up like a banana republic, or Zimbabwe.

No we don't.

The UK spends a penny in every pound of tax receipts on servicing the national debt.

It is washers.

[Barry]

Ok there is a massive difference of opinion in many quarters as to where the tax we pay into Government coffers should be spent.

We need to pay off our debt or we could end up like a banana republic, or Zimbabwe.

[T00ts]

There is a sense of irony that a Liz Truss supporter whose first act in office will be to cut taxes for the wealthy is asking where we should be spending our taxes.

But to answer the question more directly on what I would do in number Ten, well the first thing I would do is explain to people why gas prices are going through the roof. The West cannot get it out of the ground quick enough and demand cannot keep up with supply. I would spell out in very simple terms that everyone needs to cut there gas usage now and start rationing because that is simply the only way (without buying Russian gas) that you can cut the wholesale price of gas. Otherwise it will continue to go out of control given that is what happens with any commodity that is of high demand and low supply. The next thing I would is put a cap on North Sea Oil profits. Profits will be capped at what they had in 2020. I would then bring forward labours 2017 manifesto which clearly was indeed affordable and start the process of nationalising key areas of the economy such as energy, water, transport and housing. I would also be pushing for a peace deal in Ukraine and pull out of supplying weapons to them if they continue their uncompromising position on that. The rich of course will have their income taxed raised in the higher tax threshold and taxes will be targeted on tackling the wealth divide.

Not true.

[B0ycey]

There is a sense of irony that a Liz Truss supporter whose first act in office will be to cut taxes for the wealthy is asking where we should be spending our taxes.

But to answer the question more directly on what I would do in number Ten, well the first thing I would do is explain to people why gas prices are going through the roof. The West cannot get it out of the ground quick enough and demand cannot keep up with supply. I would spell out in very simple terms that everyone needs to cut there gas usage now and start rationing because that is simply the only way (without buying Russian gas) that you can cut the wholesale price of gas. Otherwise it will continue to go out of control given that is what happens with any commodity that is of high demand and low supply. The next thing I would is put a cap on North Sea Oil profits. Profits will be capped at what they had in 2020. I would then bring forward labours 2017 manifesto which clearly was indeed affordable and start the process of nationalising key areas of the economy such as energy, water, transport and housing. I would also be pushing for a peace deal in Ukraine and pull out of supplying weapons to them if they continue their uncompromising position on that. The rich of course will have their income taxed raised in the higher tax threshold and taxes will be targeted on tackling the wealth divide.