Andrew

Is that a permanent thing though, I thought it was a temporary thing?

It's also in the worst possible place for creating atmosphere.

There is no fractional reserve (required reserve) in the UK. In the EU, 3% doesn't include money loaned to governments (e.g. Argentina) either, so banks in theory can have up to  1000 times as much cash on loan as they do reserves. Although it's irrelevant, as I'm talking GBP. That fractional reserve isn't new doesn't make it right. It's safe to say most people aren't aware of how it works. Banking crashes aren't new either, and they're entirely related to the issue of too much currency by banks. It's a flawed system.

 

There's nothing inherent about crypto currency that makes it complicated to use. Simply that those crypto currencies are set up badly. A properly created system would make currency exchange simple. Far more simple than currently exists. And far, far less expensive. Banks are getting paid for having a software system. Usually a shiite one. Mt Gox. was the failure of a private company (like a bank) holding people's bitcoins for them. There would be no private company holding your money, it would just be a free system that exists. Crypto currencies by nature are entirely transparent. However, the crypto currency piece isn't essential (just the quickest and easiest way to create a new currency, which can prevent the issue of new currency by anyone other than the state), the fact is that we have to remove the power of banks to create new money. You may be happy with your money in a bank, but that has to be weighed up with the fact that the majority of the people in this country have more debt than savings and every tax payer in this country will be charged again when the next banking crash happens. We will never, and can never pay down the debts of our country without changing the system. It's ludicrous that we've chosen a small group of financial institutions to be entirely free from responsibility in their investments by allowing them to print currency and have that currency backed by the tax payer.

But then if there is no central company holding the bitcoins on their server then everyone would have to have their bitcoins saved on computers, usb sticks etc. which would then have even higher risks then storing money as cash, no? And in the free system why do people still hold bitcoins in centrally controlled companies? I am not all that clued up on bitcoins but I like the idea of them from a libertarian stand point but not sure how practical they are outside niche markets.

One of the biggest issues I had with the independence campaign, was the lack of discussion on currency (believe it or not). Currency was used as a battering ram by both sides, but never fully debated. The role of banks in our society is a far deeper issue than just a Libor or Exchange fraud too. They control the entire direction of our economy and - subsequently - us.

 

The key is the power to create money. If you control that, then you control the economy. And you control democracy (i.e. we're not a democracy). Over 97% of the money in our system was created by the banks, and there is no required reserve ratio in the UK banking system at present. When you go to get a loan, the bank just creates the money at that point, and gives it to you - contrary to what the economics text books say, which is that banks use savings to fund loans (a blatant lie). What this results in is socialism. For the rich. Our entire banking industry, despite its free market mantra, is a big socialist experiment where the tax payer socialises the risks of the banking industry through bailout and QE. The only thing that can be absolutely certain is that it's not possible to avoid another banking crash. When it'll happen is anyone's guess. Fiat currency is a pyramid scheme, essentially, where regulation is essentially irrelevant.

 

The thing is, do we even need banks? I don't believe so. One of the "radical" ideas that was hugely ignored in the independence debate was the creation of a new currency. It was just dismissed as ridiculous by an ignorant media and repeated by the hordes (a bit like the immigration "issue") without investigation. There was (and is) an opportunity to work in a dual currency system, with an electronic currency (think state bitcoin) created by an independent (from government) Scottish Monetary Committee and only issuable by this committee. As long as taxes are collected in this currency, then it will hold value. Traditional banks for this currency are replaced by servers, as there is no physical item, just a number. Peer to peer and bank lending can continue as normal and banks can choose whether they provide that service or not (i.e. a free market). With no creation of money by banks, then there will never need to be a bailout of that currency (the bailout wasn't a banking bailout per se, more a GBP bailout - we were saving the currency, because the banks created too much of it). Banks would be optional, as they should be. Money exchange would be free - as it should be.

 

In the above system, new money is no longer created as debt, but is spent into the economy. The various political parties present a picture of how they would spend tax receipts, as well as how they would approach the money issuer to request funds to be spent into the economy (created). The people vote for that plan. That would be democracy. Instead we get bluster and lies about "growing the economy" and various other balls that our government - Tory, SNP or Labour - have absolutely fuck all control over.

Fractional reserve banking isn't exactly a new thing and I am pretty sure the EU rules mean that banks have to have 3% of total lending in reserves.

Also online cryptocurrency is not the future. It's far too complicated to use, far too easy to be scammed and far too easy to lose your funds when they are stored exclusively electronically. The only reason for bitcoins atm is to be anonymous for illegal activities. For everything else normal currency is just so much easier and better to use. And in the end if you have to store the currency in a central system, like a lot of people do atm, will we not just end up with more instances like Mt. Gox? I'd rather have my money in the bank than some dodgy bitcoin company that could steal all my money tomorrow.

I Hope Hibs beat the Glasgow Raisins in the play off final.

Are you drunk?

Out of interest how many voted in the 2011 referendum and if so did you vote yes or no?

 

My blame for this current situation lies firmly with those who voted no back in 2011 plus those in the yes campaign who fucked it up.

 

But of course I've learned to let it go 

The referendum in 2011 was a huge set up. Blame the lack of ruthlessness of the lib dems and their agreement to possibly the worst representation of pr.

If you want someone to blame for the Tory majority it's clearly the no voters in September. If Scotland can't do it alone we gave to accept who England votes to rules us.

Snp and Tories head to head atm!

Given the amount of seats Labour look likely to lose in Scotland, I'm not surprised to see the Tories being predicted as the largest party in the exit polls. However, the size of the gap being shown between Labour and Tories is rather surprising!

 

Also can't see SNP winning 58 seats.

Just wait till the morning 

People believing the sheer arrogance of the SNP is what is going to deliver a Tory government.  It's been clear from the start that Labour do not want a deal with the SNP but the SNP have continued to pursue the same rhetoric, and the Tories are having a field day.

 

What a mess.

 

The SNP have more to gain in the long term from a Tory government than a Labour one.

The arrogance of the SNP? They are going to single handly wipe out Labour in Scotland for possibly a generation. They could win every seat in Scotland. They deserve to be arrogant.

But I think a lot of people are under estimating the pragmatism of the SNP. There whole raison-d'etre is independence. They will be looking at different outcomes after the election and trying to game it so it works out the best in regards to the result of a second indy ref. They would be delighted at a Tory majority and an out vote at an EU referendum in two years time.

Should Sturgeon really be in these debates seeing as she's not standing in the election?

It's the leaders debate. None of them are standing in my seat so she is just as relevant than the rest of them.

Surely it's a bit of both?

 

1. We used to die very young, so cancer which is generally a disease that comes with age, would be much less prevalent?

 

2. Would anyone have known what it was centuries ago? Did we just "die" and that was it. Did physicians, for what they were, really know that much back then?

Historically we didn't't young there was just infant mortality which skewed the statistics. If you reached adult age you could to easily live to mid sixties.

Excellent. I guess that's there because we had a spate of bots signing up and posting nonsense.

 

Still made more sense than Andrew though. 

That's not very nice. I never criticise your posts I thought I was a long standing member of this forum.

John Stewart... holy crap forgot about him. My only real memory of him was his superb last minute goal against Celtic at Porkhead. I think we won it 3-1 if i remember correctly.

Pretty sure it was 3-2 and on a Wednesday.

Aye that Mixu Heikkinen was a fair player in his day 

Markus Paatelainen was one hell of a player. Him ten years ago would walk into our squad.

You ignorant loser cunts on low wages and sad lives.

 

It was an awesome debate.

 

Not only did Wales, Scotland and Green come out well, the four Englishmen were proven mad.

 

It was a women superiority v. men happening.

 

Something your stupid feeble little minds were incapable of observing.

 

Maybe you're all Muslim cunts?

Or maybe you enjoy dull politik speak? This sort of debate ties peoples to one party or one leader. Why should you listen to leaders who will never be made accountable to their actions? Why should you listen to anyway of them as your vote, which is all they are after, is totally inconsequential anyway?

The USA health system is awful but that isn't true for all insurance based health care countries. Just look at Germany or Switzerland systems instead for what a future UK without the NHS could look like.

had to laugh tonight when i got home as my dad went off on a bender because i will not vote Labour. Claims if we all vote SNP up here the tories will win the general election.

 

Yet just 6 months ago he was the FIRST one voting for the tories through Labour. All i will say not matter what happens in a few months time, the 55% of the country had a chance a slim one to be RID of the Tories for good.

 

Wait and see the death of the army, death of the nhs, death of Christianity in this country when the tories along with the UKIP get into power.

That sounds fantastic.

To be fair, we've had chances to beat them and failed. Think we should be looking at ourselves tbh.

Or we should appreciate this season for what it is and realise we will have been beaten to the title by a team that has 10x our budget.

I really should have picked a better alias than my name. I am always worried somebody I know will one day see all my posts on here.

What a surprise. This is exactly what everyone who opposed Team GB said would happen but the the apologists said would not. As Olympic qualifying for Europe uses the results of U21 teams this will hopefully be killed of swiftly or could see the end of national team.

National football teams should be the preservation of sovereign nations. It's embarrassing and a sham that provinces like Scotland and Wales are allowed to compete on the national stage.

The thing is, what is being done about it?

 

Nothing as far as I can see, other than pointing a finger at a deid sick cunt.

 

Why isn't anyone following up with questions like:

 

Who were the arresting officers?

 

Who let all these accusations slide?

 

Who swept all these assaults and rapes under the carpet?

 

Who kept him in the clear to continue fucking kids, corpses and disabled folk?

 

Someone had to be pulling the strings to have him get away with it for so long.  Someone must have been watching his back.  Just seems like they've gone "Ah well, he's dead now, case closed".

 

Surely some of the rest of the people responsible must still be kicking about that can be outed for this scandal?

 

The buck surely doesn't stop at Saville but what's being done?

That's what the inquest is for that is starting in a couple of months time.

Mine's was Pittodrie in 1981 or may have been slightly later - we got beat by Dundee Utd - I nearly fainted when I saw Neale Cooper in the flesh 

 

I started supporting Aberdeen on the evening of 14th April 1980 - jings 35 years ago 

I didn't even think you would have been alive in 1980 never mind making it to the football!

My first match was against united in 1997 or 1998. After the 3-1 defeat folk were outside the mainstand shouting for Miller out.

Nah, if we're at the stage that one of our defenders can't pass the ball back in that situation then we're as well giving up altogether.  Amateur hour again from an Aberdeen goalkeeper in a big game.

 

Didn't think our shout was a pen - would have been thoroughly aggrieved had that been given against us, Reynolds let their striker get on the blindside of him and never recovered. Very poor defending from our captain.

 

We got ragged and gun-ho after the second and were left too short too many times at the back. Poor discipline or desperation, it wasn't what we needed when we still had plenty of time to get back in the game.

 

Flood was poor second half but that's what will happen when your poorest ball player is left isolated so much.

 

Shame that the run has come to an end in such circumstances but 3 games v them this season 3 defeats. 3 games against them and 3 goals against from inside our six yard box from set pieces.  Quite simply, champions do not lose big matches in such a soft manner on a regular basis.  Hopefully we learn from our mistakes and get ready to take it to them next season...preferably with a new No.1 and back-up in position.

In years to come this season will be looked back upon as a massive missed opportunity. Really weak league and good manager and squad. 3 games have lost us the league.

Is it still two dine for £10 ?

Had that a couple of times, although as you allude to, the portion sizes are better suited to one person consuming it on their own 

Yea it's really good value. I was going to get a ready meal and a bottle of wine anyway so it's cheaper doing it through m&s. Still a wee bit depressing though.

ot sure if the money saved makes any less depressing though ?