Recent posts

#41

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by The Brain - November 08, 2025, 04:56:12 PM

Things I didn't know I wanted to see today: WWII training film for bomber crews on how to avoid flak fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGVrWi-_GUI

One thing I never realized until fairly recently is the extent to which computers were already used in the field during WW2.  I knew about Alan Turing's bombes, but I never realized that even back then many types of guns were already firing somewhere because that's where a computer pointed them after doing some calculations.

Battleship era firing control computers are cool.

#42

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by The Brain - November 08, 2025, 04:50:56 PM

The Midnight Club, S1. I liked it, I think it's very well made.

Frankenstein. Not a good movie, I might finish it later but it wasn't interesting enough to finish in one sitting. Apart from severe general blandness, my biggest objection is that they make Frankenstein a simple Reanimator who assembles pre-owned body parts. The whole point of the book is that Frankenstein creates life, and that the Creature confronts his Creator. Book Frankenstein uses body parts in his R&D to understand how the body works, but he doesn't use them for production.

#43

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Sheilbh - November 08, 2025, 04:25:42 PM

We've just had a decade of incredibly low inflation - and low wage growth - when pensioners were getting a 2.5% increase every year.

But that hasn't always been the case and I think it was a mistake to break the wages link way back when and we should keep that. I could see the argument for a double lock of inflation or wage growth - but maybe just linking it to wages could build some pensioner-working age population solidarity.

It's also maybe worth remembering that as in those other countries there are other benefits available. Again I think this tends to be a big difference with the Bismarckian social insurance/income replacement model. So for example if you are a pensioner at state pension age and you don't own your own home, you'll be eligible for housing benefit which will cover a lot if not all of your rent. The benefit cap does not apply to pensioners so all the different non-work related benefits can come into play.

Although I don't think our entire system works on inflating away debt - though it might have helped individuals in the last few years. But I think that is actually an important part of the story and I think an underappreciated one in relation to New Labour and the nostalgia for that era. We had solidly growing productivity etc until about 2002 at that point productivity growth starts to slow down and what takes its place is an explosion of household debt - and households have been reducing their debt since the crash. It goes from about 100% of GDP in 2000 to above 150% in 2008 - and we're now back down to about 120%.

I think that is part of our problem economically that we don't manufacture or export goods, households are still reducing their debt which means consumption is still lower than it was in the 2000s. Add into that that we didn't really take advantage of the very low rates on government debt in the 2010s to invest in infrastructure or other investments that could help long-term growth and we're faced with borrowing costs back at pre-crash norms and needing to borrow just to pay for normal current spending. It's not great

#44

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Tamas - November 08, 2025, 03:34:47 PM

Fine, but my problem is when we say "oh no the triple lock ended up raising the state pension by 4%" is that what's the alternative? that does who struggle (relying on state pension) have 4% less real income to buy absolute necessities?

I appreciate the budgetary problems but I can't see how not following inflation is a workable societal solution when otherwise the whole economic system works on inflating away debt.

#45

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Josquius - November 08, 2025, 02:52:46 PM

Current mood.

#46

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by HVC - November 08, 2025, 02:51:59 PM

You don't often make good points, but when you finally do, you hit it right on the nose.

This post does not seem to live up to the standard of discourse you like to hold other posters to.

I mean, it was kind of funny but it was also the kind of personal attack you frame as bullying when directed at posters you agree with.

Languish is no place for that kind of self reflection

#47

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Sheilbh - November 08, 2025, 02:47:34 PM

The "it's average pension in Europe" statistic, is that relative to cost of living in the country? Because in most countries I think people except to live on state pension alone, which seems basically impossible in the UK.

It's not average in Europe - it's average for comparable systems (and societies).

So the state pension is similar to the Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands because we have a similarly structure pension system. All of those countries also have huge private pension assets - either through occupational pensions, private pensions, or (in Denmark) some form of private pension insurance system. So Denmark and the Netherlands have the highest pension asset to GDP ratio in Europe and the UK isn't far behind, Ireland is lagging. By comparison CEE states, Germany and France have some of the lowest.

That's precisely because these are different models - apples and oranges. This is also reflected in the income source for older people. So in the UK about 50% of pensioner income is the state pension, with 40% coming from occupational pensions and 10% from private pensions. That's basically the same as the Netherlands. In Denmark it's a little different with around 55% from state pension, 10% from occupational pensions and 35% from private pensions (those pension insurance schemes).

By contrast in Germany over 80% of pensioner income is the state pension - and that's the norm in countries with Bismarckian, social insurance systems - so I think it's 90% across most of CEE. Over 80% in Belgium and Austria. As I say this runs all the way through welfare comparisons between the UK and especially countries with Bismarckian systems - is they're doing different things.

The state pension is enough to live on, I have elderly relatives who do. But it is a fairly constrained lifestyle. That's because there is an assumption that you'll have occupational pensions to (which is why they're mandatory for employers - including in relation to agency workers). It is similar in those other countries I compared the UK to and was wider social impacts - all of them also (like the UK) have very high home ownership ratios especially among older people. Old people who don't own their own home are likely to be able to get housing benefit which would cover a private rent or be right at the top of the list for council housing.

It's also why a tax change that would discourage people saving into their pensions in order to help pay for the cost of current pensions is a really, really bad idea.

#48

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Jacob - November 08, 2025, 02:39:43 PM

You don't often make good points, but when you finally do, you hit it right on the nose.

This post does not seem to live up to the standard of discourse you like to hold other posters to.

I mean, it was kind of funny but it was also the kind of personal attack you frame as bullying when directed at posters you agree with.

#49

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Zoupa - November 08, 2025, 02:17:02 PM

I don't know what you're saying dude. How about we just say you win, I'm a terrible piece of shit and everyone's happy.

You don't often make good points, but when you finally do, you hit it right on the nose.

I hope you get annoyed by a homeless dude today on your way to your bullshit job.

#50

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Tamas - November 08, 2025, 02:12:25 PM

The "it's average pension in Europe" statistic, is that relative to cost of living in the country? Because in most countries I think people except to live on state pension alone, which seems basically impossible in the UK.