Friday 31 December 2010

'AUSTERITY Brits plan to slash nearly £9bn from personal spending' - someone's got to pay the bankers & it's you!

25 October 2010

Freeview research reveals Brits planning to slash nearly £9bn from personal spending in next six months

Nearly three quarters of Brits (71%) are preparing a lifestyle change as age of austerity approaches

  • Brits plan cutbacks of nearly £200 each on average over next six months
  • 81% of people value best free things in life over money and possessions, with love (21%), laughter (15%) and friendship (15%) the most important amongst them
  • More than 6 out of 10 respondents (61%) are planning to cut back on Christmas costs with 40 per cent set to slash spending on presents
  • Out of all the regions in Britain, Londoners get most pleasure from earning money (20%) while Scots get least satisfaction from spending it (1%)

Freeview, the UK’s biggest digital TV provider, in conjunction with YouGov, today reveals that £8.68 billion (See note1) worth of personal cutbacks are being planned in the next six months alone, as the nation braces itself for tough financial times ahead.

The findings, part of Freeview’s study of over 2,000 people into the projected impact on the British public of the Government’s recent spending cut announcements, reveal that the average Brit will be looking to cut expenditure each by £183(See note 2) over the next six months. The comparative figure for Wales is £255(2), whilst for Scotland it is a whopping £319(2).

The research also shows that almost 3 out of 4 people (71 per cent) are preparing to make money saving lifestyle changes.

The most popular ways to save money selected are:

  1. Cook instead of eating out or getting a takeaway (47%)
  2. Make lunch instead of buying it (46%)
  3. Cut down on socialising by staying at home (32%)
  4. Watch free TV channels instead of paying for subscription TV (22%)
  5. Walk / cycle / instead of using public transport / driving (22%)

According to the research, Christmas will not escape the population’s own budget cuts. Nearly two thirds of the nation (61 per cent) plan to spend less on Christmas this year with nearly 40 per cent planning to spend less on Christmas presents this year compared to 2009. Men should brace themselves for disappointment since 47 per cent of women say they plan to spend less on presents, compared to only 32 per cent of men.

The good news is that eight out of ten Brits (84 per cent) believe that time spent with family is the most important ingredient for a perfect Christmas, with one in six people (17 per cent) saying Christmas telly will play a key part.

The research also demonstrates the importance of the things in life that are free. The research explored what people valued the most from a list of ten items – five of which were free (love, friends, compliments, free time, peace and quiet), the remainder have material value (holidays, clothes, money, eating out and mobile phone). From the list, over eight out of ten (81 per cent) of respondents chose the free items as being the most important.

As Brits prepare to tough it out through challenging times, nearly half the nation (45 per cent) believes that the best things in life are free, while more than half the nation say that money can’t buy you happiness (53 per cent). Love, laughter and friendship are the nation’s favourite free things in life, as Brits overwhelmingly look to simple pleasures and each other instead of materialistic distractions.

The nation’s favourite free things in life are listed below:

  1. Love (21%)
  2. Laughter (15%)
  3. Friendship (15%)
  4. Sex (9%)
  5. Peace and quiet (8%)
  6. Sunshine (7%)
  7. Fresh air (4%)
  8. Free time (4%)
  9. Hugs (4%)
  10. Sleep (4%)

While the nation is in agreement as a whole on life’s priorities, the sexes still display huge differences, with one in six men (16 per cent) claiming sex is the most important free thing in life to them, compared to only one in 50 women (2 per cent). Seven times as many women (7 per cent) compared to men (1 per cent) rank hugs as their favourite free thing, with a third more men (10 per cent) valuing simple peace and quiet than woman (7 per cent). Nearly twice as many women (19 per cent) enjoy laughter more than men (11 per cent) with twice as many men (6 per cent) to women (3 per cent) finding most contentment in sleep.

Across Britain Londoners (20 per cent) get more joy out of earning money than people in any other part of the country, while Scots get the least amount of satisfaction from spending it (1 per cent). And retired people (12 per cent) get more joy out of giving money than people in full time employment (3 per cent).

Ilse Howling, MD of Freeview, commented: “It’s encouraging to see that as personal finances come under pressure the nation believes that money isn’t everything and that the best things in life come without a price tag attached. With love, laughter and friendship key to people’s happiness, Freeview believes that everyone has the right to good times and good TV for free, without adding to your monthly bills.”

Notes:

  • All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2106 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 15th - 18th October 2010. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+)
  1. Freeview calculations based on 47.4 million adults (18+) and percentage of people planning to save over a six month period. Monetary value taken as mid-point in specified range
    a. 13 % x £12.50 per month = £77.02 million
    b. 10% x £38 per month = £180.12 million
    c. 5% x £63 per month = £149.31 million
    d. 5 % x £88 per month = £291.98 million
    e. 4% x £125 per month = £237.95 million
    f. 2% x £175.50 per month = £166.37 million
    g. 2% x £225.50 per month = £213.77 million
    h. 1 % x £275.50 per month = £130.59 million
    i. Total = 1.44 billion
    j. X 6 months = 8.68 billion
  2. Average cutback per adult in Britain = 8.68bn / 47.4m = £183

Calculations of total amount to be saved for Scotland based on 4.1 million adults 18+ and percentage of those planning to save varying amounts over a six month period, following the above format.

Calculations of total amount to be saved for Wales based on 2.4 million adults 18+ and percentage of those planning to save varying amounts over a six month period, following the above format.

Click on link for full report

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Top 10 Women Photographers - do you agree with the list?

Monday 27 December 2010

'Blessed are the cheese-makers' as N Ireland's Dr P so aptly said.

Are the glory of our cheeses - my Stilton Blue from Sainsbury's this years was magnificent.

To see the 100s of cheeses we produce see here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_cheeses

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Thursday 2 December 2010

| False Economy - arguing why the current cuts are wrong

About us

False Economy is for everyone concerned about the impact of the government’s spending cuts on their community, their family or their job.

It is brought to you by local campaigners, those who rely on or support good public services and those who work to supply them.

False Economy’s supporters want to build the broadest possible movement that can get the government to change direction.

Of course the country has been damaged by the recession, but there are alternatives to these deep, rapid cuts.

The government’s cuts are unfair, risk the fragile economic recovery and fail to make those who caused the crash pay a proper contribution through the tax system to clearing up the mess they made.

False Economy is not a top-down national organisation.

We recognise that there will be many campaigns against cuts, with some based locally, others that link up people in particular sectors, and others that bring together national organisations. Not all will agree on every aspect or share the same priorities.

But while we welcome and respect this diversity, we believe that we will be more effective when we work together, share information and pool resources.

False Economy will grow and develop as the campaign develops, but we launch with these initial objectives:

  • To gather and map information and personal testimony about the cuts and their effects
  • To show that there are alternative economic approaches
  • To provide resources and tools for campaigners and campaign groups

False Economy is for everyone who thinks the coalition is cutting too much, too fast and wants to do something about it.

How we are run

False Economy came about through discussions between on-line activists, campaigners and trade unions. Out of this a small working group was formed to guide the creation of False Economy. The site was built by Clifford Singer, who developed MyDavidCameron and runs The Other TaxPayers’ Alliance. We are grateful to pre-launch financial support from the TUC, Unison, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Fire Brigades Union. We are now seeking further funding, and will soon be able to accept donations online.

False Economy working group
Supporters

Here are some of our initial supporters. We welcome further supporting organisations – both nationally and locally – other than political party groups. Please get in touch if you are interested.

Thank you

Hilary Aked, Captain Ska, Deborah Allwright, Julia Bard, Chris Coltrane, Jim Cranshaw, Lucian Evans, Josie Long, Alex Stobart, Sam West and John Wood.


Contact us

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Robin Hood Tax - but will Putin support it?

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