Quote:
Originally Posted by 320touring
Lets not get all party politic on this 
Are there cultural or social shifts that have affected:
a- Demand for goods?
b- Available work choices (subsistance vs consumer)?
Re the traffic- same volumes, same speeds, but smaller cars- lots of "Bluemotion this" "Hybrid that" getting hoored up the motorway at 80+mph.. |
Apologies - not trying to be party biased one way or the other. Politicians seem to be in a bubble on their own and oblivious to it all, so a pox on all of them
a- Figures from retailers make you think people are spending less, banks and CC companies say people are reducing debt. But for the contrast go to the places of consumer worship and you know thats not the case - full carparks, crowded shops, beeping tills, everyone still craving the latest iPhone or Android number and willing to sign up to years of contract to get it, still the full package of pay TV. Maybe this is where some of the petrol money is going ?
b- Job availability depends a lot of skills. I'm still getting the same 20-30 jobs per day via email from the job sites I signed up to. The pay is about the same as it was in 2007 but they are there. Jobs for the unskilled or those without experience are harder to come by, the only openings there, apart from general labour type work, seem to be retail and not manufacturing.
Traffic/Cars - The SMMT say that sales are down in 2011 compared to a small rise in 2010 (scrappage scheme ?). Fleet sales are higher, but this could also be the increase in courtesy cars from accidents as anything else.
I haven't found a breakdown by size or type. SUVs seem to have taken a hammering, more and more non-X5 BMWs with "X5" on the number plate, perhaps an ex X-5 owner downsizing ? And far fewer Range Rover Sports. EDIT - The crew cabs beloved of the thick of neck and short of hair are still around though, probably bought as company vehicles for tax reasons.
As I tapped earlier I have noticed more people sitting in the left (slow) lane where I normally have it to myself and the trucks. Not on the bypass much but on the M8 and M9 over the past few days. All the others boing along at PSL + 10-15, max brakes and max acceleration, traffic light GPs are still normal too.
Maybe insurance costs or insurance companies have tightened up controls on modified cars, but the number of boy racers (aka Ricers) has dropped a lot - the baked bean can exhaust industry must be in decline.
