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You are quite right of course - another Conservative with a Chinese crystal ball (must have forgotten to recharge the battery's) - resigns over the plans for the third runway and loses the bye election to the people who did not vote for Brexit. Now the fun begins - the Supreme Court is required to give its ruling on Brexit, that Parliament should have the last word on the referendum. Will turkeys really vote for Christmas or will they set aside the will of the British people by frustrating their vote in the referendum. What does that tell us about the democratic process and the people who participate in it by voting when given the opportunity. Like it or not skullduggery will happen, because our "servants" in parliament wish to remain there for the perks availed of by the members who are not that well known in their constituencies because they live miles away. When Rupert Allison was the MP here he was like the Invisible Man, spending about three hours a month in the constituency, which was the time that it took him to take dinner with a few of the local members of the party in a local hotel before he vanished back to Buckinghamshire in his Porsche. The democratic deficit that exists in this country is ever more exposed by the lack of informed debate both before and since the referendum. It shows the people who represent their electorate in a far from favourable light, I have not heard one of them put any worthwhile thoughts together apart from Ken Clarke, who can always be relied on to demonstrate acumen and a sound assessment. They don't allow him on often enough, but I am sure that his voice is not silent within the party now after the Richmond result. Out of touch says it all I think. Good luck all.

Little barb did not go unnoticed due to so much time being devoted to Brexit and politics - but that is the nub of the problem - somehow this present crop of time servers must be persuaded to address the problem of the economy by pulling out their fingers. I am very much in favour of paying them on results instead of allowing them to pay themselves in boom or in austerity whether they have earned it or not. Until there is genuine growth in Europe and it resumes again around the world this is only a game of chance for small or no returns - unless you are prepared to buy shares by the million and who wants to take that risk??

The influx of French companies into the UK - you tell me in Kent - is very welcome I'm sure but how many jobs have they created for British people amongst a population of almost 70 million. How many will remain post Brexit when they rely on free access to Europe, which may not be as easy once St Theresa pulls the plug. Retail businesses here are trading well at the moment because of the increasing success of our local hospitality establishments who are mostly staffed with Europeans. Because a lot of them are encouraged to live in they tend to earn less than the minimum wage in their pay packet because they are charged for accommodation and food. The ones from Lithuania and Slovakia etc are still happy with the arrangement because even at three pounds an hour 80 hours a week puts them well ahead of what they can earn in their homeland - if they get paid. The best staff come from Poland who work hard and enjoy doing so, just as well because once this town gets moving these people have to work hard and for quite long hours. Quite a number of the hotel owners sought to exploit them but failed - they are excellent people mostly and well able to look after themselves - which is why their numbers in this town have dwindled from 6,000 to less than 700. They follow their social network and opportunities to earn money and good luck to them. So far as Monday is concerned - a good day might see a rise to .23 which will probably induce a bout of profit taking. Good luck all not on form this evening because it is - 2 C here and we are not used to it.

"Ideally leaders should not be too clever and not do very much" that is exactly what I have been talking about because I do want them to do something SHOW LEADERSHIP by giving expression to some form of ambition for the country. Where do you think all the jobs with Intel - Apple - Hewlett Packard and Dell came from in Ireland not to mention the Pharma companies like Shearing Plough etc. They would not have come to Ireland because of its isolation from the European mainland and distance from America, unless somebody had gone out and banged the drum for Ireland and its Graduate Standard work force. Once the ball was rolling the rest became history thanks the combined efforts of Irish politicians and an energetic workforce. It is precisely because of the lack of initiative in this country and a willingness to support invention and enterprise that this country has fallen so far. The politicians talk about all the employment that has been created by the private sector and yes they have presided over the creation of thousands of jobs in the so called service sector but they don't lead anywhere and can end any time. The increasing cost of living makes it next to impossible to gain enough traction so far as saving is concerned to enable young people to buy a home and then raise their children if the mother is not able to work whilst bringing up her family. When they have made the sacrifice of pursuing a degree, the Student Loan at the end of some £30,000 does not work in their favour either. The country loses as well as potential graduates if they elect not to pursue the Blair Mantra of Education Education. Our girls were lucky because we were able to support them whilst they studied one for her Phd and the other MA Both are in their own homes one with two young sons and the other who gets married this year has set up her own business and so far is making a success of it - they are two of the lucky ones - but there are now so many whose futures have been blighted by this wretched Globalisation where everything is made in sweat shops in the Far East and Marks etc sell it. Where products are made in this country it is usually on behalf of foreign owners who export the profits that used to accrue to the nation. Now before somebody accuses me of being that deep depression that spreads from the south west I'll go and book my tee for the morning. Good luck all

Exactly right - the present predicament facing the UK can be blamed entirely on our previous crop of Brylcremed youths masquerading as politicians. There was nothing to choose between any of them when it came to a convincing vision of the future - the last twenty years have delivered the fruits of their collective vision obliging us to live with the consequences. When you think back to Margaret's "reign" and her adventures with Monetarism financed with the proceeds of scrapping the manufacturing base and harvesting the pension funds from those not wary enough to protect them it is a wonder that we can still turn on the lights. This country is long past the time when it could afford to engage in TRIBALISM so far as its politics are concerned. We now need some real politicians - IN ANY PARTY - who have done more than work in the public service or studied politics and economics at university and then joined a party. Politics has become a career opportunity and a well paid one at that - for what it now costs the population however I am not surprised that Bruce lives in Italy because without changes it will become increasingly hard to live in this country quite apart from global warming. Good luck all and stay away from R B S. There'll never be a dividend there.

But this evenings Newsnight featured the Richmond Bye Election following Zak Goldsmith's resignation as the Conservative candidate. The item seemed to me to be developing the arguement for remaining in the E U, which was supported by three Americans two of whom seem to be resident in this country. Not quite sure what is meant by Theresa's get out clause, but am quite sure that after all the bluff and bravado, behind closed doors the talk is increasingly about HOW THIS COUNTRY STAYS IN, because once it has left and it still might, it could take twenty years to get back in because the E U does not need Britain as much as Britain needs the E U. They will be able to get on with the project of uniting Europe and creating a better economy without the constant noise from the sidelines every time some politician here wants some cheap headlines. As the deadline draws near, it will be good to watch the Conservatives as the panic associated with re-election sets in. Good luck all.

My wife had a chartered F A who seemed a nice enough fellow with the manner of a recycled accountant - her funds did not do any better than mine. Her best return was with the old Anglo Irish before it ran into the wall fortunately after paying her out. Legal & General wrote recently to advise that they had changed their name but not like Arthur Anderson or they had revised their investment strategy in any event they are of little interest to me since the bulk of my funds are now invested in property - which at the moment is on the rise around here with values up about 20% on last year. This may be a flash in the pan which hopefully will last until the spring when we plan to unload at least one property. Europe seems to be coming in for some criticism which it deserves, reform of the way that it oporates is necessary and in the current political climate it is becoming increasingly urgent. Amongst its current crop of politicians there does not seem to be the desire to build Europe and create opportunities for employment based on good research and development. The Social Economic model is being allowed to fester whilst the politicians complacently breeze around having meetings and clocking up their expenses in good restaurants and Bistro's. Whilst to a certain extent I can understand the caution of the Germans, who dislike inflation even more than they hate losing the money invested on behalf of the nations savers. There is no excuse for the profligate members and Ireland was one of those, who took the money on offer and burned it on pork barrel politics in the days of Ray Burke and Charley Haughey until wiser councils prevailed. They really must work on their economic model by introducing controls and properly maintained accounts, heaven knows Europe faces enough problems on the financial front before we even talk about the ethnic cleansing going on in the Middle East and the problems that come with all those poor refugee's which Turkey is proposing to make worse by exporting even more of them unless they are taken into the union. Boy if we are in trouble now that would put the tin hat on it....

Ran out of space - the last line reads that you should not believe all that you receive via your satellite - the soap that they are offering is for consumption only by those that voted for Brexit. The Glory days are over - ask David Davies how he went on last week when he visited Europe. Finally you must have had a good reason for deciding to live in Italy - perhaps if you had rented a property for a couple of years first.

You really should spend time over here again and get a feel for the performance of the real economy OUTSIDE THE CITY. You don't have to travel that far really, when I first moved over here I lived in Golders Green with my sister in law for about five months and was amazed at the apparent wealth of all the people who lived close to their synagogue. In addition to their other cars, nearly every house in the nieghbourhood had a Rolls in the drive and a Sinclair C5 in the flower bed. She has since moved to Hendon in order to downsize and it is much changed from the days of Margaret Thatcher, the Rolls cars are gone and the concreted gardens which used to hold four or five cars, three of them flashy, now only have two - unless the houses have been converted into flats or HMO's. Sitting over their in Italy does not seem to be agreeing with you in spite of their good wines but also earthquakes. Have you ever given thought to moving again to somewhere like Denmark - half in and half out of the EU - which has some lovely beers, magnificent scenery and wonderful public services. The other points that you raise with regard to gambling both on slots and Unit Trusts, along with our other wonderful financial services such as Insurance having little appeal in Europe is quite understandable given that most of our insurance companies are now owned by banks and no longer exist it seems to cover risk. We are in the process of redeeming a property which unwisely we let whilst we were waiting for the market to improve here. Post tenants we are now in the process of replacing both the bathroom shower and the kitchen both of which were broken as the the tenants departed. So far we have spent in excess of five thousand and are still awaiting the return of our tradesman to put it all together at a further cost. The deposit lodged by the tenant was of no use to us, because they would not admit liability, the fifteen hundred pound deposit was returned to them by the letting agent who told us that if we went to arbitration we would probably be awarded £200. So far as our wonderful Insurance services are concerned it's good luck, because they claim that we must expect some wear and tear when a property is let. I raised funds from one of my investment funds, which I had left to brew since 2014, selling invested units in order to finance the work we have now undertaken. When I requested a current valuation of my fund I was told that it was now worth £2,000 less than in 2014. My sister in law suffered damage to her car whilst shopping at Brent Cross and was told by her insurers that it was not worth repairing - they sent her a cheque for £800 and told her that they ha written her car off. Never would have happened in the days of real insurance companies like General Accident - WHO NEVER LET ME DOWN but are now no more. You really must not believe all that you receive via your satellite - the soap that is being sold is for consumption on

The debate rages on with the Brexiteers and THE MEEJA throwing sugar on the fire - I am amazed that seemingly rational people support this unfortunate outcome. Four of the people that I played golf with last week all support it and cannot wait until this country "has broken free" and can avail itself of all those global opportunities. There was nothing stopping it before the - last time I looked you could buy a Jaguar anywhere in the world - British manufactured drugs are sold almost all over the world along with the products of BAT and of course Scotch Whisky. Soon they will be able to sell world beating wines to anybody that wants to buy them. Have I missed anything apart from our Service Industries which are probably not that popular anywhere including here. Their optimism does them credit, what a pity it is based on so many foreign owned companies which used to be British. The more that I think about Brexit, the more I wonder about the products sold in Head Shops and the effects of smoking Cannabis on the brain. We call it Whacky Backy here, because its pungent aroma is something that we have come to recognise all too frequently as being present amongst some of our "permanent visitors". Good luck all

Had a superb day in the wind today - "four birdies" and my second best score ever on the course - I come home to an excellent meal and nice half bottle Rioja "Gran Roja" opened yesterday, now only a memory. Turned on the news to hear the propaganda being peddled by the city - "TEN YEARS OF NO GROWTH" either in the economy or wages whilst we are supposed to endure the ravages of inflation caused by the vote. No end to the horror stories as public opinion is manipulated which must be the prelude to THINK AGAIN and we'll help you by holding a second referendum, so that the English can get it right this time. Together with the other news of the day piled on the top, almost opened another bottle,settled instead for totting up my score card to see what my Stableford score was and was not too disappointed. The new referendum when it takes place will most probably be followed by a new General Election, which might at least allow the air to clear and get rid of some of the dead wood at the top of the tree. I am thinking particularly of the one with the blond thatch who although lucky is long past his sell by date. Who will replace them is another days work but there has to be a few individuals who could apply themselves to the task of at least getting the wheels out of the ditch. The end of the Union is out of the question whatever about this country - currency wars are very damaging and are the main reason that the Euro was introduced in the first place - Helmut and Francois were not perhaps the brightest of men but in introducing the single currency they were hoping to put an end to the speculators game. A stable currency is good for business but there have to be some rules or the mess that is Greece,Italy and Hungary will spread. It is the best tool available but the EU urgently needs to pull its finger out and address the very serious situation that it faces - if this means some fresh faces so be it - to many of them spend too much time polishing the seat of trousers whilst they are filling their pockets. The European idea is too important to simply abandon. Lesson ends Good luck all, am of to watch Man U on the telly.

(Martin) Thank you for your comments, much appreciated - have been keeping in touch for the last few days with the postings but have not really felt able to contribute, because nothing is happening POLITICALLY that is positive or offers any assurance that the government knows where it's going. Now today both Corbyn and St Theresa have addressed the C B I - the mist should be clearing but it isn't - Corbyn made a very good speach and set out a very persuasive vision of the way forward BASED ON ALL that was going to be borrowed and invested to GROW the economy which presumably includes exports. Theresa is going to preside over an increasingly prosperous nation that is going to create HS2 - invest in our infrastructure - build a new Atomic Power Station in the West Country and AND SAVE THE N H S and all this can be done because we can print our own bank notes and call it money - so can Zimbabwe. Have to admit that I am not encouraged by either vision any more than it is possible to feel good about our so called knowledge based "SERVICE INDUSTRIES" which seem to exist only to annoy you, with offers that can only be made whilst you are having your dinner or making tea. I was recently phoned by an Indian sounding person who said his name was David, could I spare two minutes to answer a few questions. The questions asked had obviously been prepared for this poor lad in order to perform some sort of market research where the answers could be sold or were asked on behalf of Insurance companies and The Sunday Times - which I buy anyway. That anything useful could be gleaned from my answers is very doubtful because of the very limited amount of meaningful information gathered. Oh! and I loved the comment that because this country is rich it "DESERVES" to be looked after - NO IT DOESN'T. Whilst it is quite true that there are people in this country that have MUCH more money than they need - Fred The Shred and SIR Phillip Green come to mind -there are a great many more who are living on the borderline of poverty, who have been failed by the educational system or their employers or have simply been abandoned like the steel and mining communities in the north. Before this country can strut around the world blowing its trumpet - the problems of the disadvantaged and deliberately failed should be addressed, because in this age of international travel visitors to this country can see for themselves just how proud this nation should be of the lives that an increasing number of its citizens are obliged to live. Rich indeed - how are ya....

That Martin1 is based somewhere around London or its vicinity when talking about Brexit and the continuing investment that he sees from a European car maker most likely Mercedes. That is all well and good and most probably the decision to invest in a new facility was made long before the Brexit decision. Audi were established here in Torquay when I first landed with a neighboring branch in Newton Abbot as well as a large presence in Exeter. Now we only have Exeter or Plymouth to call on when you really need help that is beyond local resources. People in this part of the world look at London as no longer belonging to the United Kingdom - taxi fares are five times at least what you would be charged here and golf club membership on any course worth playing is a joke much like many of the Irish courses which I used to play on a regular basis where you are now expected to buy a share in Waterville for instance is 170 euro's a round I was informed last year. No wonder they are looking for business. Mr Mac's contribution with regard to Italy should not really surprise anyone - I read the article with great interest because I really do enjoy reading The Independent because of the freedom which they express in their prose. With regard to Italy what has changed? There has always been corruption of public officials and political instability and then there is the Mafia, which is a problem that Europe should have addressed or started collectively to tackle long ago. From my recollection, Italy has the largest black economy in Europe and thanks to the complacency of the officials in Brussels no attempt has ever been made on a continuing basis to address a lot of these problems which really do impact on peoples lives. They are far too busy deciding what the real shape of a banana should be and only in their spare time do they address the problems of the people who elect them to their sinecures - usually when they are seeking re-election. I am not at all surprised that people are voting in protest against these people who do not hesitate to reward themselves whilst claiming generous expenses - a cold breeze on their necks is long overdue when you look at the employment figures across Europe - a shake up or even a mild tremor would do them a world of good. Good luck all.

Has risen nicely over the last couple of weeks.

You have made a very useful and informative contribution which I found a rather dense stream of consciousness for this hour of the evening but something that is probably worth reading again. When St Theresa said that "change is in the air" at The Lord Mayor's banquet last night, she was really hitting the nail on the head in light of published results by some of our recently established Bell Weather's. She must be referring to the fact that it is going to be necessary to put up interest rates because inflation is rearing its ugly head also that the patience of "savers" is being maintained by a not very strong thread. The glory boys are going to have to add the cost of money soon to their financial plans, the appetite for new funds is still there but lenders require an incentive to lend like higher interest rates now that the banks have enough people at the end of their hook. (Loan Book) Change most assuredly is in the air, it is going to be fascinating to watch the policy makers responses between now and Cheltenham. Good luck all...

Very much enjoyed Mr Mac's contribution and assessment of the Trump effect on Ireland and have to agree with every word of it. However I seem to remember the shout of YES WE CAN and Margarets recitation of Saint Anthony's prayer. Washington has been described as a swamp - it defeated Obama because the Crocodiles in the swamp are well dug in and know how to induce paralysis.

Very much enjoyed Mr Mac's contribution and assessment of the Trump effect on Ireland and have to agree with every word of it. However I seem to remember the shout of YES WE CAN and Margarets recitation of Saint Anthony's prayer. Washington has been described as a swamp - it defeated Obama because the Crocodiles in the swamp are well dug in and know how to induce paralysis.

But had an excellent round on the course - reminded me of playing in Sligo at Rosses Point - when the wind blows there. Came home and guess what, our share has risen in spite of everything and somebody is talking about the Zoo, bad memory, lost my clubs there when somebody stole them out of my boot. Noticed that we are still experiencing interference on the forum - what a pity that we can't do what I do with my T V when we suffer interference - re-tune manually. Much as I am loath to do it I have decided to investigate FILTERING. Good luck all....

Well said Radar - spoken like an Irish Man... Now I really am off or my swing will burst my Gallases

going now to give my ball a good thrashing - and I read my posting through I thought.