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Padraic 
Special Collaborator 
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
 Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:18 |
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But apparently having regular chavs isn't enough - you now have "uber-chavs"!  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/4570234/Britain-has-produced-unteachable-uber-chavs.html |
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Raff
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 29 2005 Location: None Status: Offline Points: 24429 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:22 |
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Ever heard about the Metro  ? I don't drive anyway, and have no intention of getting a DL for the time being... I have much better uses for my hard-earned cash than spend it on a car ! |
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Jim Garten
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin & Razor Guru Joined: February 02 2004 Location: South England Status: Offline Points: 14693 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:23 |
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Excellent - follow the link & just hover your mouse pointer over the photo... the label "chav" then appears.
Maybe uber-chav is a phrase coined by that particular sub-genus of humanity themselves; thus, they may still be scum, but there are other scum they can look down on - the wonders of a class-ridden society, eh? |
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:30 |
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Yes, that does ring a bell... Metro is great for stuff in the city, but depending on where you need to go in some of the suburbs it could be a considerable walk from the station. When I was in graduate school I'd often park at a suburban station and take a train in to Foggy Bottom - it was a really nice way to go. |
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout Joined: May 13 2007 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 37575 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:45 |
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Foggy Bottom? ...
No, it's just the way I'm standing.
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What?
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:47 |
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A neighborhood in Washington that had my sister and I laughing non-stop when we visited the city as young children. |
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Jared
Forum Senior Member 
Joined: May 06 2005 Location: Hereford, UK Status: Offline Points: 20078 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:54 |
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hmmm... this is actually profoundly worrying...
 now, I have absolutely nothing against the Poles and other Eastern Europeans who have been arriving in increasing numbers, for the past 5 years; in fact I have found them to be very polite and industrious.
that said, it is no co-incidence that their presence has co-incided with the rapid rise in 'Neets' over the same period, as employers will always take on a hard working Pole over a semi-literate 17 year old with no qualifications or work ethic, leaving an ever increasing number of them, standing on street corners.
We have noticed that now the economic downturn has arrived, they have started to return home, and unfortunately for us, when the next boom comes along, the Polish economy will be considerably stronger than it has been... leaving us with a potentially dreadfully ill-equipped labour market.
It really doesn't bear thinking about, tbh...
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 11:59 |
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Question: what is the current pension system in Britain? At what age can one retire and start collecting state benefits?
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout Joined: May 13 2007 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 37575 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 12:03 |
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Men 65, women 60 ... but the state pension is peanuts - you need a private pension to live - and I opened my pension statement this morning to discover it was worth 25% less than last year...
... looks like any plans for early retirement have just flown out the window.
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What?
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Jared
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 06 2005 Location: Hereford, UK Status: Offline Points: 20078 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 12:05 |
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 oh, you are a tease, Patrick...
 the current system is at breaking point... the state pension is actually below subsistence level, and in all probability will not exist within 20 years, owing to demographic trends, meaning that most people will have to go working, well into their 70s...
as present, many people living off their share-linked private pensions have seen a drop in their values of up to 70 and 80%... to cap it all, our interest rates are currently at 1%, the lowest in over 40 years, and so many are having to dip into their savings themselves, just to eat/ keep warm...
....the overall situation couldn't really be any more depressing..
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 12:15 |
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Our two major entitlement programs, Social Secuirty (pension) and Medicare (government paid healthcare for senior citizens) will be consuming an ever growing percentage of the national budget and GDP - currently the Social Security age is 67 (no difference between men and women) for full benefits, which like Britain doesn't really pay that much...and private retirement accounts have obviously also taken a huge hit last year.
I think we're in for a combination of higher taxes and reduced benefits (and raising of the age to be in the 70s) in the near future....the "Baby Boomers" are already starting to collect on SS, adding huge numbers to the rolls... One wonders how either of our countries are going to afford all this  (how much longer will China/India/developing nations finance our lifestyle?) |
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Jared
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 06 2005 Location: Hereford, UK Status: Offline Points: 20078 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 12:28 |
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^^ you've got it... we generally define our 'babyboomers' as those born during the Attlee gvt; ie 1945-51, who will all be attempting to retire over the next 5 years... given that the age of the average 'professional woman' having her first child in the UK is now 32, and are averaging approx 1.8 each, you don't need a degree in Social or Human Geography to work out the problem...
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31169 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 12:36 |
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Our "baby boomer" period is technically 1946-1964, though the real boom is much the same as in Britain, in the immediate post-war period.
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VanderGraafKommandöh
Prog Reviewer 
Joined: July 04 2005 Location: Malaria Status: Offline Points: 89372 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 13:26 |
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My mother is 60 this year, so she retires this year. My father is 65 next year and so retires next year. So sort of within the next 5 years. Of course, my mother is likely to do some part-time work to supplement her pension. My father really never wants to work again. |
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Raff
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 29 2005 Location: None Status: Offline Points: 24429 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 13:53 |
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I will resign from my job before the end of the year, and won't be eligible to get my pension (peanuts) until I reach retirement age, which in my case won't be for another 18 years or so. Even if the economy here recovers, I don't think I'll be able to work ever again - I'm too old for most job markets, in spite of my experience and qualifications. Luckily, I have some substantial savings, which have been spared by the crisis so far - Italy has got lots of flaws, but its bank system has weathered the storm better than others.
And Jared... I see your point, but remember I am an immigrant too ... |
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Jared
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 06 2005 Location: Hereford, UK Status: Offline Points: 20078 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 14:13 |
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Raff, please let me clarify... I'm NOT anti-immigration... as you know, within the EU, any worker is allowed to travel to find work, throughout the EU zone, and that's fine. Furthermore, I have said that up until now, our economy has benefitted tremendously from such workers, who have contributed by paying taxes, but claimed relatively little back in terms of healthcare, benefits etc.
The only downside to having over half a million Poles in the UK over the past 3/4 years however, is the fact that we have a considerably higher number of 16-22 year olds than usual, who have never worked, because they couldn't compete with them in the open job market, through poor academic qualifications, social skills and general poverty of aspiration...
I have not said at any stage that this is the fault of the immigrant work force, so please don't mis-read me..
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Raff
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 29 2005 Location: None Status: Offline Points: 24429 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 14:20 |
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You haven't indeed. It's just that I am very sensitive to the issue, since for the time being I have practically no rights here - I could even be prevented from living in my own home, which I bought with money earned in the most honest of ways. For someone like me, it is not very easy to accept, though it was something I knew about beforehand, and something I chose freely.
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Man Erg
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 26 2004 Location: Isle of Lucy Status: Offline Points: 7456 |
Posted: February 12 2009 at 23:11 |
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I'll be seeing Ralph today (I work for ATL) as he will be popping in for a meeting.I shall have a word with him and then buy him a drink or two. Edited by Man Erg - February 12 2009 at 23:14 |
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Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb. |
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mystic fred
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 13 2006 Location: Londinium Status: Offline Points: 4252 |
Posted: February 13 2009 at 00:48 |
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correct - i am one of the "baby boom" generation.
Very soon, and for the next 20 years, the country will be overloaded with grumpy old men and women, made even more grumpy because they still have to hang on to their jobs because their savings and pensions are worth virtually nothing due to the recent recession, and unlikely to recover for some years - the old warhorses will work till they drop.this baby boomer period will be followed by the aforementioned "uber chavs" who will have never worked in their lives - so who will be paying into the national insurance / pension schemes then..?
MELTDOWN!
 Edited by mystic fred - February 13 2009 at 00:49 |
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Jim Garten
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin & Razor Guru Joined: February 02 2004 Location: South England Status: Offline Points: 14693 |
Posted: February 13 2009 at 06:30 |
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Dean mentioned earlier about putting to one side any plans for early retirement; these days, early retirement means 65 years old, as very few people have sufficient monies behind them or sufficient pension provision, so have no option but to continue working.
I've been working since 1979 & whenever I could, I've had pension schemes through various companies (I believe it's 5 at the moment); whenever I get the pension statements though, it becomes increasingly obvious that I should be paying more to my current pension or start a serious private policy of my own... never quite get round to it though, probably because even though my 65th is only 19 years away, it all seems so far in the future & it's one of those things "I'll get round to". |
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
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