O/T Prince Charles Tests Positive

[swaledale]

Wasn’t a political comment, GP. I meant what I said...that those at the sharp end of all this shouldn’t be forgotten when it is eventually over...eg shopworkers.

I imagine all the supermarkets have made huge profits in the last fortnight or so...maybe those frontline workers who have put up with abuse and risk of infection should be rewarded appropriately for the crucial part they have played in achieving such profits.

Oh RA always the idealist! There is much talk of this pandemic changing politics, attitudes to life as there as after the second world war, unfortunately the innate human traits will win through so I'm not holding my breath.

[MadAmster]

Oh RA always the idealist! There is much talk of this pandemic changing politics, attitudes to life as there as after the second world war, unfortunately the innate human traits will win through so I'm not holding my breath.

People in general may change a little Swale but I'm 100% sure the politicians won't.

Look at all those currently deemed oh so important to us. What do they have in common? Many are in so-called low skilled areas. Almosst all are low paid. Once the crisis is over they will be "put back in their kennels". They should be put on a pedestal and given very good pay rises.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Erm no MA. There is already too much inflationary pressure being heaped on the global economy by heavy government spending, so let's not add wage based inflation to the pot as well.

Has anyone wondered who all these countries are borrowing the money from, since most are going through the same needs? Or is the magic money tree being shaken harder and pound notes, euros, dollars etc being printed willy nilly.?

Our children and grandchildren's generations are going to have to service this debt and/or deal with the aftermath of the quantitative easing going on. Let's not make that any tougher than it will be anyway, by tossing around more and more "promises".

[ramAnag]

Not really an ‘idealist’, Swale...much too hard bitten and cynical for that.

What I’m advocating maybe ‘idealistic’...unfortunately it’s not matched by my expectation.

MA is right I fear...those shop workers, lorry drivers, cleaners etc who are suddenly ‘oh so important to us’ will doubtless be ‘put back in their kennels’...but while NHS workers are - rightly - receiving acknowledgement the situation with shop workers is more tangible.

They are largely unskilled, they are never going to be very well paid, but they are doing massively important work, they are particularly exposed to the virus and they are absolutely crucial to the enormous profits being made by supermarkets at the moment. With that in mind they deserve more acknowledgement and, imo, a share of the increased profit or maybe just an opportunity for a free shop - a kind of GP’s ‘Supermarket Sweep’ thing - at some point in the future.

Just a thought...and I have absolutely no vested interest in this, but like you, I won’t be holding my breath.

[AdiSalisbury]

I heard that one of the supermarkets will be giving their staff an extra weeks pay as a thanks, and I believe that Waitrose have some sort of profit sharing scheme, so their staff should be rewarded too. Some sort of non-consolidated award from these supermarkets / delivery firms etc that are cashing in on the situation would be the right thing to do without increasing wage inflation as GP refers. Unfortunately, the other side of it will be them letting go all the extra staff they've taken on during the surge, so it won't be a happy story for everyone.

[swaledale]

People in general may change a little Swale but I'm 100% sure the politicians won't.

Look at all those currently deemed oh so important to us. What do they have in common? Many are in so-called low skilled areas. Almosst all are low paid. Once the crisis is over they will be "put back in their kennels". They should be put on a pedestal and given very good pay rises.

What makes you think Politicians are a breed apart? Ok some are narcissists, driven by the allure of power and greed but on the whole they are much the same as you and me. I've met a fair few and whilst some I loath thats true of the rest of the human race as well.

By and large the electorate gets the politicians they deserve, time and time again unless its some emergency like war, the voting masses do not vote for people who tell the truth or are "authentic", they vote for people who tell them what they want to believe.

How else do you explain people like our friend Tricky who claims to be working class but puts his faith in right wing ideology driven by rich people who couldn't give a stuff about the working class. Why did the germans vote Hitler into power? Why did working class Americans vote for Trump?

[MadAmster]

It's just the cynic in me Swale. They get their freebies (holdidays, meals, tickets for various events, cash etc) from lobbyists representing interest groups and industry and vote accordingly in order to keep on getting those perks. Once on the gravy train they don't want to get off.

[MadAmster]

Erm no MA. There is already too much inflationary pressure being heaped on the global economy by heavy government spending, so let's not add wage based inflation to the pot as well.

Has anyone wondered who all these countries are borrowing the money from, since most are going through the same needs? Or is the magic money tree being shaken harder and pound notes, euros, dollars etc being printed willy nilly.?

Our children and grandchildren's generations are going to have to service this debt and/or deal with the aftermath of the quantitative easing going on. Let's not make that any tougher than it will be anyway, by tossing around more and more "promises".

That's an easy one. Central institutions like the Federal Reserve and the ECB will add a few 00s to a computer and "lend" governments money that doesn't exist. Governments (read taxpayers) will have to pay back real cash plus interest.

[swaledale]

It's just the cynic in me Swale. They get their freebies (holdidays, meals, tickets for various events, cash etc) from lobbyists representing interest groups and industry and vote accordingly in order to keep on getting those perks. Once on the gravy train they don't want to get off.

Well ours are supposed to declare all theirs and direct lobbying is more controlled these days. More subtle lobbying is harder to control. I would say there are more principled Mp's than those whoa re in it for the gravy train and being a constituency MP is hard work and life consuming.

Don't we all like Freebies?

[Geoff Parkstone]

That's an easy one. Central institutions like the Federal Reserve and the ECB will add a few 00s to a computer and "lend" governments money that doesn't exist. Governments (read taxpayers) will have to pay back real cash plus interest.

Id say its far from easy myself, magical zeroes on a computer doesnt pay people grants, loans etc: they want hard cash. It doesnt pay for the VAT and income tax deferral schemes which had been, for example, destined to pay nurses wages etc. It might finance them on paper, but paper doesn't buy bogroll - oh, hang on, yes it does. Paper doesn't buy hand sanitiser.

Its curious, but try adding up the overall global sovereign debt, then tell me who is the lender. The Chinese and Saudis have a lot to answer for!