Why I'll be glad to see the back of 2009

Originally Posted by Fizzy Fish

I think it might just be time for a revolution!

Yup, and via the ballot-box next May/June. I just hope that all those who moan about the present govt make the effort to get out and vote. If you don't vote then you ain't got the right to whinge

Hey Ed, you're a good, decent man that it's my pleasure to know. Thank you for the pointers/assistance you gave (and I mean gave) in September. In the circumstances you should have charged me for it fella.

I'll be glad to see the back of 2009 too:

1. Work is ****e (too much to do and no time to think about it or do it to a professional standard).
2. Family berevement in August that we're still, as a family, trying to sort out.
3. I haven't riden my beloved Hornet all year and will be giving up biking when I finally have the time to get around to selling it.
4. Hovis' passing was a tough one to take.

Having said that, I'm better off than most in many ways. In truth, I don't have anything to worry about. Job seems to be safe, family is fit and well, fridge is full and house is warm and dry, I have friends that I like and respect and hobbies/pastimes that are fun and keep me active. Contrary to the opinion of many, I still have all my faculties.

I wish everyone on here a very happy and peaceful Christmas and trust that 2010 will be better than 2009 for everyone. Except bankers and anyone that makes Ed's life a misery

i agree with the state of the country and everything that has been said to be honest, I agree with Jabba the Hovis death was really tough to take.

but other than that this year has seen the birth of my son and nothing can take away how happy he makes me and i love spending time with both Ryan and Falc he has made me alot less selfish.

have a lovely Christmas everyone and heres to a better 2010.

Originally Posted by embee

The "system" is just stacked against small enterprise. HMRC are just like the other state organisations, they'll go for the easy target every time, folks they can bully.

Both right and wrong. The system isn't stacked, but SME are easy targets as large corporations often have more man hours spent on their tax "management" than HMRC has to try and catch them.

Self employed too, and struggling. Roll on 2010

2009 -
2 big deaths
2 fantastic weddings
and i have made some great friends out of both
getting up on stage and doing my thing!
5 babies being born - not including yours T
loss of a pet!
but on the upside the health is getting better and i can buy that
i will welcome 2010with open arms but with will keep at arms length
I'm not out of the woods yet and I fear that 2010 is going to be a diffcult one
(tho i will be celebrating 10 years with IP)

Good Sentiments Ed,

Its been a very mixed year, with our Marriage finally happening, deaths in the familly and moving twice...

roll on a more settled profitable year for all

[timwilky]

I too will be glad to see the back of this year and soon the back of this government. My son is self employed and there is little/ no work for those in the building related industries. My builder brother sold his business last year and the new owner made him redundant as soon as the hand over period finished despite promises to keep him on as his projects director. Again no work for that sort of person. My daughter has been trying to get a pupillage for the past 2 years. Wrong university, not the right school. she is close to just jacking the lot in. Masters in contract law and she works as a hospital receptionist.

[Biker Biggles]

Given that the money men actually run the country via the civil service and whoever happens to be the government at the time,I fear that the election coming in May will alter nothing at all apart from the names on the office doors.

Others have made some really good points on here - I don't have any life-threatening disease, I have a supportive family, there is food and drink, and we have a home (wish we could sell it though). There are plenty worse off than me, it's true.

Sorry for a self-indulgent whine

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by Ed

Others have made some really good points on here - I don't have any life-threatening disease, I have a supportive family, there is food and drink, and we have a home (wish we could sell it though). There are plenty worse off than me, it's true.

Sorry for a self-indulgent whine

No, it's ok to voice your feelings. I think we all agree with what you're saying.

I agree with the others, that neither party is better than the other. I can see a return to the Thatcher days with Lettwin in charge of the purse strings. Slash & burn, reduced public services. Ok for the millionaire tories.

Trouble is these days there are too many career politicians, who've never done a solid days work in their lives. The ones who have don't make it to the higher ranks, as usually they're working on our behalf, like they were elected to do.

I've raised this before, but this loathsome irk is trying to get elected as the MP for Ipswich. His dad is John Gummer, who has been a lifelong MP. He's the one who fed his daughter a burger during the middle of the BSE crisis.

But dear old Ben has never done a days hard graft in his life

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Which is not hard when you're only 13

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...D8ec_AaEv6H5CA

MP's need to have real work life experience before they're allowed to apply. Plus they need to have lived and worked in thier constituencies too.

Sorry rant over

Originally Posted by maviczap

I can see a return to the Thatcher days with Lettwin in charge of the purse strings. Slash & burn, reduced public services. Ok for the millionaire tories.

Yeah this worries me as well - and not just cos I work in the public sector. I totally agree with cutting back on wastage/inefficiency, but put another 500K people out of work in a period of relatively high unemployment, and the fragile recovery will be straight down the pan again. And you don't save that much because you end up paying those same people on benefits, and don't get any income tax from them either.

And when even Labour are talking about dramatic spending cuts, I hate to think what the Tories have in mind...

It's a tough call to make, and a very unpopular one, but a slight raise in taxes across the board in the short term, then public sector cuts in the longer term would IMO be the lesser of the two evils. At least more people stay in work and it keeps the economy going.


From a personal perspective though, 2009 has not been a bad one overall.

Was almost bullied out of my job at the start of the year, but some good friends and support from the trade union saw me through it, and the situation has now totally turned around.

And I've had some fab times with some great friends (including from this site ), a few pretty cool holidays, been out on the bike a fair bit, survived a redundancy cull, even had on OK summer for Blighty....

Hope the luck keeps going, and spreads around to everyone else for next year!