Member Info for Dorfan

ASI

We are all being hit hard in different ways. I can only see things getting worse. I feel sorry for all the families who have booked holidays in July and August and potentially seeing them being cancelled.

We were going to book a week in Italy in July plus a river cruise in Portugal a bit later but we have put all that on hold now, if things improve we will look at going in September for Italy and may just scrap the river cruise.

In fact we have booked a few five day breaks here in the UK, or shall I say ‘management’ has, most unlike her.

We started with one in Tenby, where we are now.

Certainly a different year for holidays compared to last year.

88

Have a good time in Tenerife, we are off to Crete. Went to same place last year. Pool for the select few with own bar with free beer etc. We don’t normally go back to the same place twice but we liked it so much we decided to do it again. A nice chill out start to the holiday season, but that may change.

Oil touching $100 again nearly, Lloyds sub 100p again, what a wonderful world.

I was worrying that I might get delayed coming back from my holiday mid May, now I am thinking will I get there.

To burst Trouble and STP bubble.

In the three-month period ending in February 2026, the number of people who left the workforce completely (becoming "economically inactive") increased by 169,000.

This surge in people no longer seeking work is a primary reason the headline unemployment rate fell so sharply—when people stop looking for jobs, they are no longer counted as "unemployed"

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provided a breakdown of who these individuals are:

Students - Rising numbers of students who are not looking for work accounted for more than three-quarters (roughly 127,000) of this shift into inactivity.

Retirees - While retirement is a major long-term factor, recent trends show that roughly 29.2% of inactive people aged 50–64 cite retirement as their main reason for being out of the workforce.

Long-term Ill Health - This remains a critical driver, with 2.8 million people now economically inactive due to health conditions, an increase of 800,000 since 2019.

Current Workforce Status (As of April 2026)

Category. Latest figure. Change last three months

Unemployed. 4.9%. Down 0.3%

Economic inactivity 21%. Up from 20.7%

Job vacancies. 711,000. Down 29,000

Harley

“ no rain but it is raining boats.”

The Belgiums are rounding up migrants, packing them into boats, sending them into French waters and the French then escort them to us and our border forces are picking them up.

What a pathetic situation we are in, unemployment rising and tens of thousands of migrants to fund, where is the money going to for the French to stop these boats?

It isn’t, just taking us for a ride as usual and stitching us up on any deals we try to make.

The conflict is now on track to see the jobless rise from 1.87 million to over 2.1 million next year. Just before the conflict it was running at 5.2%, this will now increase to 5.8%

A recession is now looking more realistic.

Trouble

I put the bait out and I thought it won’t be long before an old boy whipping fish would take it, wasn’t wrong was I?

STP

“ my attention is fixed on what represents the largest threat to my investments at this time”

Ah, he means Starmer and all his cronies, hundreds of them.

88

“ who's going to be in charge of this government ...country needs a complete reset“

The lunatic is in the hall, The lunatics are in my hall, The paper holds their folded faces to the floor And every day the paper boy brings more.

How true of today and our politicians.

Harley

“ those sickening speeches pre last GE about the "buck stops with the PM”

Ah, you mean his new image, ‘Teflon Starmer’, nothing sticks to him any more

Gray1

“ I just hope there is still some jet fuel left for the middle of May when I fly on holiday”

Snap! As long as I get there I think I can put up with some hardship if I get delayed coming back, as long as they leave us where we are or in another hotel.

88

“ Starmer is either a fool(again)or a liar”

I thought he was both. He can never give a truthful response to anything, isn’t that what sticky lawyers are famed for, deflection and lies.

88

“ back slapping in Paris yesterday embarrassing”

Starmer was being slapped on the back to unblock his vocal cords to announce his resignation, sadly it remained blocked.

88

Interesting looking at a post by Trouble using the word “scum” in regards to Bojo etc.

Here is the double standards appearing that no one can call Labour ‘scum’, which they are but Trouble etc can, laughable.

So, is scummy Starmer going to survive the week, or will scummy Starmer limp on to the end of the month and what scum will replace him.

I think I have addressed the balance now for Trouble’s little rant.

Trouble

“ BTW Trump couldn't even remember its name today and called it the Straits of Iran ”

And the numpty Starmer has also made some gaffes in the past.

While calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, he said "sausages" instead of "hostages". I bet the sausages felt safer where they were than trying to be rescued by Starmer.

Shortly after becoming Prime Minister, he repeatedly referred to the Leader of the Opposition, Rishi Sunak, as "the Prime Minister". He was probably right, as he isn’t doing a very good job, even now.

And then the foot in mouth comment when last year Starmer used the phrase "island of strangers" to describe the UK in a speech about immigration.

Shall we mention the times when Starmer is in a fix and he blames someone else and either sacks them or gets them to resign. I believe about 12 people or more have been set up in this way.

His days are numbered, god help what we get in his place, it can only go from bad to worse.

ASI - you need to think outside of the box.

ASI

“ Iran doesn’t even have an ICBM or a bomber that can make that distance, so even if it developed a nuclear weapon, it couldn’t reach the U.S., which means Iran isn’t really a direct nuclear threat to the country.”

Well, does Iran need such high tech means to attack the USA with a nuclear weapon? There is a low tech possibility which would work, I will let you sit and work it out.

The IMF expects spending to slide in response to higher energy costs, causing the UK economy to suffer a sharper downturn relative to its peers.

Growth is forecast to be 0.8 per cent, 0.5 percentage points slower than the fund’s January prediction of 1.3 per cent growth and the largest downgrade of any G7 nation.

The IMF expects growth of 1.3 per cent in 2027, down from 1.5 per cent previously. The UK economy grew by 1.4 per cent last year after being recently revised higher by the Office for National Statistics.

Inflation is on track to average 3.2 per cent in 2026 and head towards 4 per cent, the joint-highest rate of price growth with the United States in the G7.

The IMF does not expect inflation to return to the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target until the end of next year, signalling that interest rates are unlikely to be lowered and may even be increased to tame rising prices, dealing a blow to millions of homeowners across the country.

The last time the UK faced stagflation — low growth and rising inflation — was in 2022 and 2023 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Looking good for the state pension again with the triple lock.

Of all solar panels fitted in the UK, 99% are imported and 98% are from China.

For wind turbines themselves, only 6% are made in the UK.

Doing well for UK jobs and growth, not. Nothing changes

Trouble

“ You always appear to want to start a Civil War on here”

And you of course never start a war here with your baiting and needling just to get a reaction.

You need to grow up and behave like an adult, oh, btw, can you pass this message onto to your other playground bully the other side of the table.