BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany

[Dorset Boy]

Not sure these are great points. Do you expect the Tories campaign on the basis that political stability is the most important thing so Labour should stay in power? Plus every one since the dawn of time thinks they can simplify taxes - all the opposition parties will believe that. So that leaves Europe (something the UK is still part of), immigration which may not raise GDP/capita and higher education which seems to be negative light due to the glut of unemployed grads.

Agree, we need fewer graduates and more people with a trade, and also a population that have some form of financial education.

I do also think we could simplify aspects of the tax system Here's one stupid Reeves rule:
As of April, interest earned on cash held in a stocks & shares Isa will be taxed at 22%.
Interest earned in a cash Isa will remain tax free.

 

[Dorset Boy]

finance Minster Champagne - what a great name for someone in that position!

 

[AuroraSaab]

Clearly the age of making an annual payment and then watching whatever is on is only for dinosaurs like us. We've given up and are enjoying our books

None of my kids watch mainstream TV or buy cds. They just stream stuff. One buys vinyl albums occasionally though, and another reads lots of 'real' books. Only watching 5 channels is for the oldies I'm afraid.

 

[Psamathe]

https://www.newstatesman.com/business/economics/2026/09/kemi-badenochs-billionaire-baloney

I'd assume that if a billionaire is paying that much tax, they are doing something either really altruistic (unlikely), or missing most of the things that billionaires do to get that rich.

The question that isn't answered it how much tax has the individual been paying over the longer term. Most in such situation have very variable tax bills. Some years a lot of investments and low transfers to personal accounts, other years individual takes profits out and tax high.

I've no idea about the reported individual but I know of several people in such situations who have emigrated and the way it has happened is for years they've build-up their companies taking very little out, then the decide to emigrate so decide it's time to take the money out so a larget tax bill. We did similar, for years profits remained in company. I decided to emigrate to France at same time MD decided to emigrate to Australia so we declared a very significant dividend.

It's actually very very easy to avoid tax in such circumstances. eg "retire" to Belize (QRP). Great country and the retirement program for overseas citizens aged over 40 only requires you to be in the country for 30 days a year and all income from sources outside Belize is tax exempt, currency tied to US$, etc. (and you don't need to be massively wealthy (US$24,000/yr income)

 

[PurplePenguin]

Maybe because they can see a bigger advantage in a wider CAN-UK-EU arrangement than they could see in a CAN-UK one?

No. I think they're just looking for friends and have forgotten about when the UK was looking for friends. They could also push more for CANZUK.

 

[briantrumpet]

No. I think they're just looking for friends and have forgotten about when the UK was looking for friends.

Really? That doesn't credit Carney with much intelligence. You might think I'm an idiot (it's quite possible), but it's unlikely that Carney is so absent-minded and politically naïf are implying.

 

[icowden]

None of my kids watch mainstream TV or buy cds. They just stream stuff. One buys vinyl albums occasionally though, and another reads lots of 'real' books. Only watching 5 channels is for the oldies I'm afraid.

I'm 52, I stream most of my content. I mostly use iplayer, Disney, Prime and Netflix. Occasionally I subscribe to NowTV. We still watch terrestrial occasionally (e.g. Strictly) but I mostly watch stuff via my smart TV box.

I read e-books. My younger daughter and wife prefer physical books but they probably only read 10 or 20 books a year. I've read around 52 books in the last three months.

 

[Beebo]

I just bought some Euros at the post office.
I was always lead to believe their rate was good.
Today’s rate was €1.05. So basically almost 1-1. I remember when it was 1.5.

 

[icowden]

Today’s rate was €1.05. So basically almost 1-1. I remember when it was 1.5.

You were diddled. M&S would have given you E1.13.

The rate collapsed due to Brexit.

 

[Beebo]

You were diddled. M&S would have given you E1.13.

The rate collapsed due to Brexit.

The post office rate used to be good. When did that change?

 

[Dorset Boy]

I just bought some Euros at the post office.
I was always lead to believe their rate was good.
Today’s rate was €1.05. So basically almost 1-1. I remember when it was 1.5.

Use something like a Clarity card rather than cash and you'd have got between 1.16 and 1.17 to the pound.
Or take money out of the hole in the wall using your debit card when in the country and you'd get a far better rate than a bureau de change will ever give you.

 

[Dorset Boy]

The post office rate used to be good. When did that change?

It was never good in comparison to using your own cards, well not in the last 15-20 years.

 

[AuroraSaab]

I read e-books. My younger daughter and wife prefer physical books but they probably only read 10 or 20 books a year. I've read around 52 books in the last three months.

I have a Kindle but prefer physical books. I just use the Kindle for those 99p deal books. I pretty much just buy second hand books via ebay/Amazon now though as they're often 'as new' and very cheap.

 

[C R]

Our daughters are more and more buying CDs, because the streaming services sound quality is quite poor by comparison*. They rip the CDs to mp3**, and don't have to worry about having signal to listen to their music.

* I demonstrated this by playing Megadeth's Holy Wars intro from a streaming service, and then from my mp3 rip. They haven't been able to not notice the poor quality of the stream sound ever since.

** I know about the quality limitations of mp3s, but they are massively better than streaming.

 

[Ian H]

I'm 52, I stream most of my content. I mostly use iplayer, Disney, Prime and Netflix. Occasionally I subscribe to NowTV. We still watch terrestrial occasionally (e.g. Strictly) but I mostly watch stuff via my smart TV box.

I read e-books. My younger daughter and wife prefer physical books but they probably only read 10 or 20 books a year. I've read around 52 books in the last three months.

I'm puzzled by the word 'content'. I'll switch on the radio to listen to a programme, then switch it off again. I'll put a piece of music on (CD or download) and listen just to that. I don't watch TV. Most of the time I prefer silence.
Edit: I also read a lot - magazines and books.