Friday 19 December 2008

My 'Bloggers Cabinet (2)

The Treasury

Chancellor of The Exchequer - PragueTory
Banking And Financial Services - Lola
Pension Simplification - FormerTory (in the comments here)
Welfare Reform - Mark's Any
Small Print - Mrs Smallprint

Tomorrow: The Environment

11 comments:

Mrs Smallprint said...

Can I claim an allowance for scissors and sticky tape, as I may have quite a lot of cut and pasting to do?

Large chunks could be cut from the Lisbon treaty and recycled by being pasted over the mouths of Gordy and chums to shut them up.

Mrs S.

Mark Wadsworth said...

I dunno - check the small print!

Lola said...

May I just add a teensy little bit of help to the pensions simplification minister from my experience? ( have read his comments on your September post)

Funded pensions for all are the future. Public sector employees must have as much riding on the success, that is wealth creation abilities, of UK plc as everyone else.

Next it is entirely possible to provide really well run funded pensions for a lot less than 1% per annum in charges and leave it up to the saver as to whether they want to pay for advice on top, which in my experience they would be very wise so do.

Furthermore the funds into which they need to invest need to be high risk in the early years and changing as to their own feelngs over time until they decide to draw the benefits. Th risk from using 'safe' funds is that you do not get enough return and have a low pension as a consequence. Invest in equities, you know it makes sense. Plus it is very sociable and actually Marxist. Oh yes it is. The workers will then own the means of production and will be very interested indeed in making sure that the State ensures that the right conditions for wealth creation are maintained.

marksany said...

Thanks for the post. Do I have to think the unthinkable? I might get a headache.

Praguetory said...

Very flattered, Mark. Have a nice Xmas.

Anton Howes said...

May I please have a post in the Housing department?
Perhaps as a junior minister?

Lola said...

Apologies for my less than gracious earlier post. (Having a bad day).

Very flattered actually.

Oh please let it happen and let me at the banks. They wouldn't know what's hit them.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Anton, I'd do it for the comedy value alone (House = Howes) but first you have to promise to drop this lunatic proposal that smokers should pay more National Insurance, they already pay enough tobacco duty & VAT, thank you very much, and apart from that it would be unenforceable.

marksany said...

No housing department necessary. Sell off all council houses at market prices, let the market determine rents and new builds. LVT of course to make it work.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the appointment, Mark; I'd be enjoying myself. Can I just assure Lola that whilst I'm always glad of guidance / opinion / input from those who know what they're talking about, when I said:

Everyone "knows" pensions investment should be cautious, safe, proof against fluctuation, right? So bonds, gilts, "with profits" funds where returns are low and reasonably assured. And for little-to-no fund management in a large proportion of all pensions funds invested, the industry can take massive rewards as "charges". Up front, too.

I was employing irony, if not sarcasm - hence the inverted commas. I suppose I might have made my point better, though. Panic ye not.

Mark Wadsworth said...

MA, now that's what I call thinking the unthinkable! Go for it.