Archive for April, 2008
I must admit that I have never liked politics much. I hated it at school and haven’t taken a huge amount of interest in it over the years, other then when there has been the odd dodgy photo - like when Cherie got snapped accepting a bouquet of flowers one morning looking rather worse for wear.
However, over the past couple of weeks I have been becoming increasingly more interested in who is going to be our next Mayor of London. Would I vote for someone who admitted that he ‘deliberately trapped the Government into bidding for the 2012 Olympics to attract fund for developing the city’s run down East End area’ as reported in The Telegraph or do I vote for someone who says that ‘If you vote for the Conservatives, your wife will get bigger breasts and your chances of driving a BMW M3 will increase.’ Mmmm a close call.
A few key policies are:
Ken’s policies are to improve London transport, reduce crime by adding more police to our streets and having dedicated teams in our neighbourhoods, affordable housing, more fines for gas guzzlers and rewards for green car drivers and also reintroducing youth centres (a £78million programme).
Boris’s policies are to reduce crime by working with police and communities, improve London transport both safety and regularity, improve air quality, keep our streets clean and have affordable housing.
So really there isn’t much in it and it may simply come down to the individual personalities and who you can trust to work in the best interests of our capital.
Other than the problem of finding a differentiating factor between the two main candidates, the other problem expected to hit voters is the voting system. The Telegraph is reporting that the system is far too complex and fear that there may be a lot of forms that are discounted due to them being filled in incorrectly.
So if you are voting, make sure you read the instructions and complete the forms really carefully to ensure that your vote counts.
April 29th, 2008
Swiftcover.com is offering a £25 discount on your car insurance and everyone is eligible.
With petrol prices, house prices and food prices all out of our control it is nice to be able to control one element of our spending. Car Insurance. It is one of those necessary legal purchases that we all hate to make but it is a God send to have if you have the misfortune of being involved in an accident.
At least with Swiftcover and a hefty £25 off your car insurance it helps make the blow a little less painful. All you have to do is get a Swiftcover car insurance quote (which can be done in less then 60 seconds - I’ve just done it for myself) and enter the special reference VMD25MY at the bottom of the quote details page. The £25 discount will be instant.
I just had a quote for £192 on a 5 year old Volkswagan Golf which is far cheaper then other quotes I tried.
Give it a try and let us know how competitive they are for you…
April 23rd, 2008
The Telegraph has reported that men behave like Cavemen when behind the wheel.
Personally I’m a bit fed up with drivers who think that they own the road. Speed limits are there for a reason, particularly in certain built up areas, and whilst I admit that I don’t stick exactly to the speed limit, I try not to exceed it too badly. It really annoys me when other drivers feel the need to drive within 2 inches of my rear bumper trying to either make me drive faster or move out of their way. People have absolutely no patience or manners on the roads.
In a report for the Commons transport committee, Professor Geoffrey Beattie of Manchester University puts this down to our men’s caveman routes. He concluded: “Our 21st-century skulls contain essentially ’stone-age’ brains and this can help to explain the differences between the sexes in terms of their risk-proneness while driving.” He said: “Stone-age man did not drive. But the legacy of his hunting, aggressive and risk-taking past - qualities that enabled him to survive and mate, thereby passing on his genes to future generations - are still evident in the way in which he typically drives his car.”
However, I am not sure that it is just men that drive like Cavemen. I am constantly shocked to see some women driving like complete maniacs on our roads and often being verbally abusive. And it is often the younger drivers that feel that they own the road and have more to prove. Unfortunately it is this behaviour that leads to many tragic accidents on our roads today.
April 22nd, 2008
I read an article on The London Stock Exchange website which identifies the rising cost of car insurance as a contributing factor to people not being able to afford to run a car any longer.
A poll carried out by MoneyExpert.com says that 25% of motorists who completed the poll are using their cars less as a result of increased costs. 8% of these people said increased car insurance premiums was the main reason. However, a substantial 76% said that it was the rising petrol prices that effected how much they use their car.
These people won’t be happy to hear that petrol prices could hit £1.50 per litre by late summer according to a report in The Guardian. The increase is due to the price of a barrel of crude oil hitting almost $114 and the sharp fall in the value of the dollar.
Gordon Brown in visiting the United States at the moment to discuss the Credit Crunch and has called on Opec to increase production in a bid to drive costs down. It looks like it is a simple supply and demand situation. However Opec appears to be standing firm.
So with all these costs rising it looks like we all need to tighten our belts a little. Spring is officially here so now would be a good time to Spring Cleaning your finances. Make sure you are getting the best deals for your loans, car insurance, mortgages and shop around for the cheapest petrol prices.
April 17th, 2008
The thought of ever having to take my driving test again would fill me with dread. Although I was actually very confident about my driving ability, the mere fact that I was sitting a test made me really nervous and I failed my first exam. Thankfully I passed second time so only had to go through to nightmare twice. But retaking it at 17 was bad enough so I would hate to think what state I would be in if I had to take it in my old age. And for that reason I hope that I never have to.
Having said that a 93 year old driver called Jack Higgs is swaying my decision somewhat. Mr Higgs lives next door to a Porshe showroom and he managed to somehow lose control of his Ford Fiesta and accidentally hit two Porshes causing £60,000 worth of damage.
He can’t explain how he lost control of his car (whilst reversing) with it somehow ending up on it’s roof with poor Mr Higgs handing upside down. Mr Higgs now says “But that’s it - the end of my driving career, I’m never driving again.”
So maybe there is a good reason to retest when we reach our old age after all our reactions and attention must be much slower.
Maybe when I am old our public transport will be the envy of the world and I won’t mind using public transport to get around, but then again maybe I can catch a ride on that flying pig!!!
April 17th, 2008
As a member of the public, I was really pleased to read that The RSPCA has announced that at their Society summer conference they will be examining the challenge of managing dogs within our communities.
There have been many reports over the past couple of years where children have been unexpectedly and uncharacteristically attacked by family pets in their own homes, some leading to them sadly dying. It is certainly something that I am more aware of nowadays and more nervous about when I see a stray dog in the street.
Miranda Luck, RSPCA Strategic Campaigner said : “There is a concern amongst the public at the moment about dogs, whether it be high-profile attacks on children, organised dog fighting, or young people with tough-looking dogs on street corners. The RSPCA wants to bring people together to discuss these issues, and hopefully we’ll come up with effective solutions.”
Speakers at the one day conference will include Richard Brunstrom, North Wales Chief Constable and Neil Davies, the head of the Dog Unit for Merseyside Police. Following the death of Ellie Lawrenson in 2007, Neil Davies introduced the ‘pitbull amnesty’.
The RSPCA have also launched a new scheme in Brixton to try and address the problem of anti-social behaviour and the intimidation of dogs on London’s streets. The scheme brings together Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, The Blue Cross and the RSPCA and has the backing of the Mayor of London.
An educational pack was put together with a video exploring issues of dog ownership. It addresses topics like irresponsible dog breeding, inappropriate exercise areas and organized dog fighting.
With so many high profile attacks it brings to the fore the need to have some level of pet insurance. Make sure that you are covered if your pet injures or kills someone or damages someone’s property. It can happen so easily and can cost you thousands of pounds. Also, with pet’s rating so highly in our affections it is good to know that your pet will also be looked after if they are ever hurt or attacked by another animal.
April 10th, 2008
Like many home owners I am in the position that in a few months time my current mortgage deal ends and I will be looking for a better deal. Unfortunately, even with the announcement today that The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee is to cut interest rates to 5% from 5.25%, it looks like I will be lucky if I manage to get a similar deal never mind a better one.
But I am a lot better placed then people looking for their first mortgage. Many mortgage companies have started to pull some of their products from the market. First Direct, owned by HSBC, were the first to withdraw their entire mortgage range from new customers, followed by the Co-operative Bank pulling all its two year deals and others followed suit. Bristol and West Mortgages, a subsidiary of the Bank of Ireland, has become the latest bank to take action withdrawing about 60 percent of its products.
HSBC has decided to try and cash in on the situation announcing that it will match the interest rate of any borrower who is coming to the end of their fixed rate deals. What’s the catch? Well apparently it is in the arrangement fee which can be as high as £4,999, although HSBC are quick to reassure us that they estimate that three quarters of people will pay £999 or less.
The effect has already been felt in the housing market with prices falling by 2.5% in March, the biggest monthly decline since September 1992 according to The Halifax. And who knows how much further prices will fall. Anatole Kaletsky reports for The Times Online that prices could fall by as much as 30% if we follow the United States.
At times like these it is a great opportunity to review all your finances. Make sure that you are getting the best deals from your banks and building societies, check your insurance to make sure you aren’t paying above the odds and reduce weekly shopping bills by trying more own branded products. You can find more great tips on Money Saving Expert.
April 10th, 2008
The government plans to build 10 Eco-Towns across the UK and have announced the 15 towns in the running.
The Prime minister announced his plan for the first new towns to be built since the 1960s. He would like to see 5 new sustainable eco-towns by 2016 and a further 5 by 2020. Planners have been told that there should be an acre of parkland to every 100 houses, schools and shops within walking distance so that people don’t have to use cars to do school and shopping runs and good public transport links. I have read that the plan is to use cutting edge green technologies and brownfield land, like former MOD sites and disused industrial sites, rather than Green belt areas. Such schemes could do away with the need for car insurance but I’m not sure what the affect would be on home insurance prices.
From what I have read there are very mixed views on creating these eco-towns. Many people think that the mere fact that building work is going to take place is not good for the environment, not to mention the damage to existing communities and wildlife. Others feel that the idea of eco-towns is good in principle but can’t see how they can be 100% eco-friendly due to the location of the sites and the modern day need to use cars due to expensive and inefficient public transport.
Some celebrities have started to speak up about their concerns. Dame Jude Dench is concerned that the planned construction of an eco-town near to Shakespear’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon will put too much strain on the town. She says “I should stress that I am not against eco-towns per se – far from it. It is the location of the proposed site – so close to historic Stratford – that gives me cause for concern. The Better Accessible and Responsible Development campaign’s message is very clear: yes to eco towns, but not in a location that will devastate a town of such historical and cultural importance.”
Personally I think that they are a great idea but I’m not convinced that they will be sustainable. I think that we all need to think more about what we do and if we can do more to help the environment but I’m not sure if we are ready for eco-towns yet. Are you?
April 8th, 2008
Richard Branson and the Virgin Group have announced on their Virgin blog that they have joined forces with Google to launch a new ambitious business venture called Virgle.
Virgle’s aim is to set up a human settlement on Mars. Apparently, over the coming years, spaceships will leave earth to carry all sorts of supplies and tools to Mars and they are now looking for intrepid explorers with world-class skills to join them.
There is a quick questionnaire that needs to be completed by all those interested where you will be asked very intense and thought provoking questions about how you would deal with life on Mars. For example, how would you respond if you were ‘unexpectedly confronted with the emergence of a bewildering alien and frighteningly advanced Martian life form?’.
A question that we must all ask ourselves quite often!
Ok, so it is the 1st April but how many of us would try to escape earth for a new life on Mars. Would you?
April 1st, 2008
