2088 days ago
I return again to the issue of those who take payment from PLCs and fail to disclose it when providing commentary on those PLCs. This time it is not the whore blogger Malcolm Graham Wood but LSE ShareTalk - we had a twitter spat last night where it failed to answer a simple question five times. Then I look at the pay of Nationwide boss Joe Garner and why this makes me despise him and his ilk. I look at clueless chancellor Phil Hammond and his plans to tax online retailers more - the man really is a total git. I cover the stupidity of Trades Union Unite on House of Fraser and the plunging Turkish Lira and what it means for the rotten European banking system.
2604 days ago
I start with the tale of Concha (CHA) and Ve Interactive from earlier - see HERE. What does that tell us about bubbles, especially in tech. Watch out for similar catastrophes at companies such as Allied Minds (ALM) and FastForward (FFWD). I then move onto the Budget and Chancellor Hammond's betrayal of the self employed which gives a lie to the idea that this Government wants to reach out to those Just About Managing and to those who are prepared to risk all to do what this country needs and become an entrepreneur.
2966 days ago
In this bonus podcast I discuss all aspects of today's UK Budget from Chancellor George Osborne. It was an intensely political budget from Mr Osborne but not one I believe in very much. I failed to mention the lifetime ISA that lets help young people overpay for housing gimmick. It will not address the real issue that is asset inflation, instead it may fuel what is a bubble that bit longer.
2969 days ago
In this pre budget podcast I look at likely tax breaks for the North Sea and who to short after the Chancellor pisses taxpayer cash away on that, I look at the budget in general and why Osborne is a failure and then I discuss smoking and taxes on smokers which are wrong at all levels - why not a todger tax on gay bathhouses instead? I warn you that this podcast uses some colourful language. Please if you listen on itunes give it a 5* rating in response.
2998 days ago
MPs on the Treasury select committee want George Osborne to reverse changes in the tax treatment of Buy to Let. They lie about why they are bleating and they lie about the consequences. As a dyed in the wool capitalist, I explain in this podcast why, for the good of the economy, the Chancellor must stick to his guns
3694 days ago
The spin doctors of Chancellor George Osborne had leaked much of what he said so it is not as if anyone was waiting with baited breath. What he did serve up was a combination of political posturing and timidity. It is not a conservative budget and it does little for Britain.
Posturing? The Welfare cap of £119 billion. Hmmmm. I am capped in my size 34 trousers but will binge and booze and then buy a pair of 36 inch trousers. Parliament can vote to lift this inflation adjusted cap and will do so.’
£119 billion is a lot of money. A brave Conservative chancellor would be tackling a system where folks like the vile fat slob and, now patron Saint of scroungers, White Dee can pick up £200 a week tax free and regard welfare as a lifestyle option. Forget setting caps that can be lifted. Start tackling welfare abuse. Cut payments. That is what a country running an unsustainable budget deficit needs.
What about the poor? Osborne has lifted the personal tax allowance by a few hundred quid to £10,500. That is simply not enough. It means that folks earning less than £1000 a month are paying tax. The incentive for those living on welfare need to take a low paid job is not just a stick (which Osborne declines to use) but also a carrot – that is to say to lift the tax threshold to £20,000.
What about creating jobs?
