(It actually was! Something about 'Poles abandon failing Britain')
― Matt DC, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:40 (sixteen years ago) link
looooooool
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Looks like recession here is going to move much quicker than it has been arriving in the US
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:44 (sixteen years ago) link
That "Poles leaving the UK story" was great, "Nowadays, the average British wage is only twice as high as the average Polish wage".
― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:45 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm still kind of amazed that thomas cook, woolworths and foxtons have staff
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:46 (sixteen years ago) link
It's a shame Kazakhstan isn't in the EU, we'll have to wait until World Cup qualifying for that 'Borats leave sinking ship' headline.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:46 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm still kind of amazed that thomas cook, woolworths and foxtons have shops (with staff in them)
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:47 (sixteen years ago) link
Foxtons have branches with fridges in them but I don't usually see much in the way of staff.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Aren't Foxtons Britain's most EVIL company? Although when I spoke to another estate agency dude, they were more critical of Foxtons for having 7:30am meetings, rather than the whole "ripping off innocent customers" thing.
― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Meanwhile in the real world where people aren't sitting around worrying about every dip and curve in the stock market...
Europe's second biggest holiday firm now says that bookings for both winter ski trips and summer beach breaks remain strong.
I'm not saying there's not going to be a recession, or a downturn, or whatever, I'm just saying it's not like we haven't been here before and, you know, we're still here. And things aren't so bad.
― Ned Trifle II, Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:56 (sixteen years ago) link
'Poles abandon failing Britain'
Fuck, that means the return of Australian barmaids and Sarf Ifrikan barmen :(
― Tom D., Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:01 (sixteen years ago) link
"Poles abandon failing Britain" - does that mean all our seaside piers will fall down? It's a disgrace.
Good article by Janice Turner in the Times about EVIL FOXTONS even if it does press the Our Children button a little too fervently.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:05 (sixteen years ago) link
im amazed they are still here when people can sort their own holidays out online
Liverpool fans say this year is their year
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:10 (sixteen years ago) link
I mean, who do you think that statement is actually intended for and what would you expect them to say? and even then, does it actually read that confidently to you? words like 'still' and 'remain' are pretty telling
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:11 (sixteen years ago) link
No, I'm just bored of your doom and gloom.
― Ned Trifle II, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:15 (sixteen years ago) link
Fair point. Though you maybe should expect a little of that on a thread called 'rolling UK economy into the shitbin thread'
the 'Rolling Street Style / Fashion Blog Thread' is quite cheery at the moment though, that is balancing things out somewhat
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Is Thomas Cook a public company? If so they have an obligation to say things are going tits-up if they are going tits-up.
It's something of a red herring anyway as people won't stop booking holidays until things begin to bite, and they haven't bitten yet. And even then, holidays aren't the first thing people tighten their belts on unless they're actually made unemployed. I see no reason why holiday bookings wouldn't be holding up at this point in time (especially as this statement is retrospective anyway).
― Matt DC, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:19 (sixteen years ago) link
This is true, its more that im interested that their model survives when people can book things separately
Is Thomas Cook a public company? If so they have an obligation to say things are going tits-up if they are going tits-up
working a treat for alliance & leicester!
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:24 (sixteen years ago) link
"england's second-largest widget retailer says customers abandoning its useless widgets in droves"
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:25 (sixteen years ago) link
I believe Glen Campbell had a song about that, "Widget Alingment"
― Tom D., Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:26 (sixteen years ago) link
"Widget Alignment" even
And even then, holidays aren't the first thing people tighten their belts on unless they're actually made unemployed
Really?
― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:27 (sixteen years ago) link
i haven't been on holiday since 2005. this isn't really a money thing, more a being mental thing.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:28 (sixteen years ago) link
I'd say so - people tend to to value holidays very highly in this day and age. Your average family, if tightening the purse strings, is more likely to tighten them elsewhere so they can still afford a holiday ("we can wait for that new furniture?", "do we really need another TV?").
Of course, they may book cheaper holidays as well but Thomas Cook can still spin that as 'number of bookings remains high'.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:33 (sixteen years ago) link
(This is only true up to a point of course, but I don't think we've got to that point yet)
― Matt DC, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Unfortunately most families can't wait to pay those steeply escalating electricity, gas and council tax bills.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:35 (sixteen years ago) link
I aim for at least four holidays a year.
― ledge, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:35 (sixteen years ago) link
Thomas Cook can still spin that as 'number of bookings remains high'.
EXACTLY
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:38 (sixteen years ago) link
though 'spin' isn't really working for Bradford & Bingley right now
We go on The Sun holidays - £38 for 4 nights! It is the ONLY thing The Sun is good for. Laxalt - you're right - why do I look at this thread? The same reason I pick up the Express sometimes - just so I can tut tut I suppose.
― Ned Trifle II, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Your average family, if tightening the purse strings, is more likely to tighten them elsewhere so they can still afford a holiday ("we can wait for that new furniture?", "do we really need another TV?").
these are all things that have been increasingly paid for with credit. those lines of credit are being withdrawn quicker than harry kewell on a match day right now
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Bradford & Bingley evidently didn't take hedge ineffectiveness into account(s).
― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Laxalt - you're right
No he isn't! He did the same "We're all doomed" routine, on the Rolling US Economy Into The Shitbin Thread! And they weren't all doomed!
― Tom D., Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:41 (sixteen years ago) link
Look no one's saying everyone in the UK is going to be sacked and we're about to enter a Great Depression where we have to huddle together for warmth and eat rats, they're just saying lots of people may be laid off, the economy might slow or perhaps shrink and we'll be through it after three years. Jesus.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:44 (sixteen years ago) link
that is exactly right
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:45 (sixteen years ago) link
even the head of the bank of england is saying it. depends on your definition of 'shitbin' i suppose.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:46 (sixteen years ago) link
I meant he was right about the title being indicative of its content.
I think also that 'shitbin' offends me. It reminds me of all the HYS posts that start "This country has now officially gone to the dogs".
― Ned Trifle II, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:46 (sixteen years ago) link
would you prefer "the dumper"?
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:48 (sixteen years ago) link
dunno about 3 years, most other times its really been more like 5 (though the periods of 'technical recession' are often around 2 if you don't count below inflation growth, which is still pretty poor). i think it will be worse this time as the credit expansion period has been longer and fuller, but whether this means a heavy short(ish) recession, or a longer less immediately sharp one, only time will tell
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:48 (sixteen years ago) link
No, what's going to happen is that everyone in the UK is going to be starved in order to subsidise the lifestyles of hedge fund managers and shareholder pension fund subscribers and then made to eat rats in the workhouse. Jehovah.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:49 (sixteen years ago) link
I think also that 'shitbin' offends me.
merely copying the US title. i wouldn't have chosen that word either, otherwise
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:49 (sixteen years ago) link
Will they be eating these rats on their holidays?
― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:50 (sixteen years ago) link
'Rats abandon failing Britain'
― Tom D., Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Quipped Geldof at Gatwick: "Too much f***ing tax!"
― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:51 (sixteen years ago) link
but if anyone doesn't like it, i think maybe we should start a list of things that are good about the uk economy
1. Whiskey Distilleries
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:51 (sixteen years ago) link
i'm going to need your help for the others:/
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:52 (sixteen years ago) link
or, if we can't manage good things...how about 'things that are more promising here than in the USA'? i'm stumped
― laxalt, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Where do they distill whiskey in the UK? Norn Ireland?
― Tom D., Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Biosciences and shit will probably be okay.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:54 (sixteen years ago) link
i think we kind of are in the shitbin; HYS talks about symptoms mostly, but it's a country with a now very wide gap between rich and poor, a middle-class living on credit based on their overvalued houses, and with a public sector now insanely in hock (enron style, off the books) to its private-sector 'partners' and consultants.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:54 (sixteen years ago) link