Indiana Jones & The Last Raiders of The Crystal Temple

Is Boris Johnson stupid or devious?

Asked by Andrew Marr whether he would run for a second term as London Mayor, Boris 'Bansturbator' Johnson said that he would be judged on many things - crime, transport etc (fair enough) and whether we had had "a successful Olympics".

Somebody buy this man a calendar! The next Mayoral elections will be in May 2012, a month or two before the London Olympics (or possibly a year-and-a-bit).

Twat, frankly.

While we're on the subject, can I report this poster:to the Advertising Standards Authority? The ban has made my journey home marginally less pleasant, so the slogan clearly fails the test of "truthfulness".

"Do parents want to go private?"

"The latest Ipsos Mori poll for the Independent Schools Council* shows that 57% of parents would leave the state system if they could afford to do so. That is the highest figure since these polls began in 1997 [51%]".

Vindico, quite rightly, takes the opportunity to call for vouchers, as do I, and most people with more than one brain cell.

To be fair to the BBC, though, they did end the article with this ..."Meanwhile, this is probably best news for those running the "no-frills" chains of independent schools and for advocates of Swedish-style voucher schemes offering subsidised places in the private sector".

* So the results probably overstate enthusiasm for private education, but so what?

"ID cards could threaten privacy"

Isn't that the whole point?

"Tory chairman defends nanny pay"

I have long loathed Horseface Spelman (Con, Meriden) with a passion, as she is the Patron Saint of NIMBYs and sworn enemy of the Land Value Tax movement. As well as being singularly ugly and whiney-voiced.

It turns out that she's had her hand in the till as well.

Shameless f***ing bitch. I tell you, hanging's too good for them.

Economic illiterate of the day (6)

They just keep on coming!

We moved last week because we found an equally nice house which costs £600 p.c.m. less to rent than our old one. Our previous landlady refused to budge on the rent so that was that, AFAIAC.

I spoke to the letting agent for the previous place yesterday, and she told me that the best offer that any prospective tenant had made so far was £300 p.c.m. less than what we were paying, which the landlady had turned down. Apparently, the landlady is now holding out for £300 more than what we were paying on the basis that 'she needs to cover her mortgage'.

She needs an urgent lesson on the difference between 'cost' and 'value', and a brief introduction to the concept of 'notional costs', methinks.

Yippee! Hurray! (3)

The cable guys have been and I'm up and bloggin' again!

Economic illiterates of the day (5)

Worried about losing their coveted title to one of the entrants at the heat arranged by the TUC, the Conservatives cover the 'house prices falling' story under the headling "House price fall adds to cost of living fears".

Wot?

Rents are largely unaffected by house prices, so tenants won't be bothered. Those with mortgages care primarily about interest rates, and those who own outright probably do care about prices (but whatever happens, price falls don't affect their cost of living).

But of course, for potential FTB's, price falls reduce their cost of living; they don't have to save up such a large deposit (on top of paying rent); and their mortgage repayments will be correspondingly lower when they do buy, in a couple of years' time.

So, to conflate 'house price falls' with 'cost of living' is f***wittery of the highest ordure. They are opposites, if anything.

Update - re CU's comment: ARLA: Average rent down 9%.

"House prices fall fastest for 15yrs"

This article in today's Metro* has made my day!

The misery is set to continue for some time, with house prices set to fall 12 per cent both this year and next year, predicted Mr Archer [of analysts Global Insight] ... The rate of decline is accelerating, with 'significant further falls' expected, said Ed Stansfield at Capital Economics.

"Self-fulfilling prophecy" springs to mind.

* Strictly speaking, I am supposed to be shifting stuff from old house to new house today (both rented, of course!) but I had to take the train (hence why I picked up The Metro) to go to the nearest charity shop to arrange for some surplus furniture to be picked up (the house is full of manky 80s style built in wardrobes and even mankier 70s style 'planks on either side of the chimney breast') and have a hair cut. Which, of course, gave me a golden opportunity to pop into the library for a bit of swift 'blogging without Her Indoors noticing.

Moving again today!

Her Indoors will not take kindly to me wasting time a-bloggin', so I have left you a nice long essay on the Indian Bicycle Market and its relevance to today's posture politics, for you to mull over.