The SEC's action is a perfect moment for us to look at the bigger picture of how the American people were sold on the promise of never-ending prosperity while Wall Street was overseeing a massive transfer of wealth from the middle class to the richest Americans.

matthew fox: I was only taking the piss.... 1%.. you can say what you please.. I don't give a fuck..

"When will he learn" ...... learn!! what matthew? .... learn fucking what? Depend on no one.. stand on your own feet.. honer your mother and father and put your family first... I think i have learnt the most important lessons in life..

Ian: 45%. That's the percentage of your council tax that goes into pension provision for our privileged public sector.

Fraziel1: If the appalling inequality in pension provision is not addressed.. millions will retire into "grinding poverty" .... As we can no longer borrow and spent our way out of this injustice, the money we do have must be spent fairly, now what's wrong with fairness and equality, or are some more equal than others.

matthew fox: You'd like it around here we have lots of ducks!!
1%.. I'm not a conservative, i don't even vote... but i do pay tax lots of tax... I don't even hate the public-sector, but what i do want is 'value for money' and my taxes well spent and invested wisely.. is that a lot to ask..

Scotty: Agree with everything you said. But i will also add. The greatest economic crime committed by the previous discredited Labour government was it's destruction of vocational eduction, particularly in regard to engineering. No one was allowed to be an engineer, all had to be social workers and psychotherapies...etc etc etc... you know the type of jobs.. they are always found in the public-sector...

Hi Guys,

Remember New Labour is about Education, Education Education! If you are going to agree with Nick deliver it correctly.

These 'sons of Brown' have no idea and will fall apart before the next general election.

Like my band, New Labour is trying to reform.

Hello 1%... "I know you don't vote Luddite, you find the whole process very complicated". And pointless.. Matthew.... Your a government worker aren't you 1%, and i do use the team 'worker' loosely.. What's the matter son? frightened you may have to start working for a living, welcome to the real world.. By the way.... good morning....

@ Awake: You're hilarios. That post was a joke right? Its the most incomprehensible rubbish ive ever had the misfortune of reading.

@matt

Foxy, we all know where you put your paw print on the ballot paper - next to the picture you like most.

Even thought of thinking for yourself sometime you might like it? Ah, you dont think so you dont realise.

The problem you have is that Luddite is on the money.

Gog foxy go, play the stuck record about Legarde and cutting state pensions because you cant figure out what people have told you.

On a different note - UK exports of motor vehicles are at a high since the start of the recession. Its a pitty Labour biggots shut down Dagenham Fiesta as it would now be making a substantial contribution to the economy.

matthew fox: look here 1%.. The simple truth is, and i know you like it simple!! our wonderful previous Labour government's tax system was a complete shambles. The truth is it was virtually impossible for people claiming tax credits to work out how much they were entitled to, most just ended up with a headache and offend out of pocket. Instead of removing the working poor from tax and national insurance altogether. Labour brought in a tax system so complicated with forms looking more like telephone directories. Millions didn't receive their entitlement and ten's of thousands ended up paying millions back, and the government writing of billions more, just another labour party cock-up

"The £7bn-£8bn spent on higher rate pension tax relief"

It is hard to express how obnoxious that phrasing it, isn't it? One of the few ways we are permitted to keep our wages - by saving them for the future - and this is "government spending" - and implicitly, it is wasteful spending, at that?

It is shameful, wasteful behaviour of us worker drones, to want to save for retirement. All money is the states, and they will graciously allow us to keep some. Perhaps. So long as we spend it wisely, though.

Shut-up and go to bed..

"Net immigration 250,000"

That's the figure for net migration, you dimbo. Not the same as immigration.

- talk about avoiding the real point.

luddite, if you are not a conservative and you do not hate public sector workers , as well as wanting your taxes spent wisely then you should fully support a decent public sector pension for all public sector workers and you should be supporting their industrial action.

Fraziel1. For many in the private sector the last few year's have being extremely difficult, most have lost their final salary pensions.. most under 52 now expect to work until 66.... many beyond... So what makes the public-sector 'different' a special case... You've said is the past you earn £21.000. think yourself lucky, many skilled engineers.. men that can still cut-metal earn a lot less.. but you are right about tax avoidance. I've always paid tax, and have i paid tax...

Luddite is the only one making any sense in here. I don't know why he bothers. You people never fail. If all else fails call your opponent names followed by childish supposed insults.

I very sincerely hope some of you develop enough character in getting your priorities worked out. Luddite's lessons that he alluded to would be an excellent start.

Luddite isnt a conservative, he is a National Socialist.

Net immigration 250,000, youth unemployment at 1 million. Something has got to give. The loonie left cannot have it both ways.

@ Charlie
do uknow how pemsions work? Do u have any idea of the cuts those with private pensions are having to take- it is multiples, yes multiples of what the public sectoer is being offered.
U don't know how a pension works. Here's a brief and rough explanation so that when u opine it's at least on the basis of some knowledge and not what the team u like have told u.
U save into a pot- because you're saving for retirement, the state most graciously allows u some tax deducted from the earnings because in truth, the state dosen't give a shite about the worker bee (only their vote) , it only allows u the tax deduction so that ure not a hindrance on the state later on in life. When u get to retirement age that pension pot has to be invested into an annuity-this is a financial product that pays a set amount of money based on
1) the size of the pot, and
2) current interest rates and potential stock market returns going forward.
If u were invested as u went along in the market, guess what? you're pot is way smaller than u were counting on.
So each time a solution gets put forward that raids a pension pot, u might first like to consider the effect that this has on those who made plans and got shafted because essentially, as correctly pointed out above, the economy was so mismanaged. It is difficult to imagine a worse job, yet we still have to hear ideas from those who ruined us , not by virtue of their past insight, but by virtue of their title and position. How many serious jobs do u think Balls or Brown would be offered in a privately run enterprise?
Meanwhile, state pensions are paid out of national income- that's tax to u and me. So Balls pension will be fine, rest assured.

'The £7bn-£8bn spent on higher rate pension tax relief? Or stopping affluent pensioners receiving winter fuel allowance?'
It's all so fucking predictable.
the answer is to hit thse who want to save more- yeas that's going to get the left re-elected. First it wataes every last penny it can possibly borrow, then it targets richer savers on 'principled ' grounds.
It will be impossible to vote labour soon. Fucking deserves what it has coming. The OBVIOUS gets ignored (the quote above)- not a word on the fact that 2.2 million came to settle here- not a word on the border farce we're learning that we operate after all those 'years' of expensive investment. No. Not a word. just more scorn on the people trying to fix it without money or the proverbial paddle, yet the perpetrators watch from the sidelines booing 'not like this, not like that'
yes, let's fuck some more savers. FUCK them with their pensions that have collpsed in value- fuck them for having saved all their lives to find that in the space of 3 years bonds yield nothing and equities have collpased. Fuck them for having had the temerity to try and make life more comfortable for themselves, they were clearly all over-privileged cigar smoking country estate owners.
Keep the shite coming though, it's all there for people to read and make their judgement.

"Luddite isnt a conservative, he is a National Socialist" Careful 1%.. I can afford a lawyer... can you?

What happened to " Making Work Pay"

Good old Clegg, making more rope for his own neck.

Luddite is a special case, sorry, I meant nut case.

Luddite, like the rest of the conservative movement, hates Public Sector workers, with a passion.

1% "Making Work Pay" How's about asking many in the public sector to start working for their pay....

mcquade: Justify mass-immigration at a time of mass-youth unemployment.