Looking at life

Why?
Buying physical or ‘put in your pocket’ gold shows you don’t trust the government and so, if you have a revolutionary inclination, buying a bit of gold will tell the government you don’t trust them. Also, looking at the financial difficulty the government is in, it might be advantageous to invest a portion of your money in gold.

What should you buy?
Gold coins are much more tradable than gold ingots and as they both usually cost the same, gold coins such as sovereigns, krugerrands, maple leaves and Britannias may well prove to be a better buy.

How much should you pay?
Normally when buying gold coins or ingots you pay the spot price plus a dealer percentage. To find the spot price you can go to kitco.com and on the bottom of the home page you will see the current price of gold in several currencies, including British pounds. That is a per ounce price and if you are buying a one ounce coin or ingot you should expect to pay that price plus a premium of about six percent. Seven percent is possible but don’t pay any more and if you hunt around you may be able to find a dealer who is over-stocked and wants to sell off some of their gold and you will then be charged a lower than normal premium. To find the cost of a gold sovereign you simply take the spot price for an ounce and multiply it by .2354. (Point two three five four.) That will give you the gold content of the coin and then you can just add six percent to get an idea of what you should pay. (Note: the gold sovereigns are reputed to be the world’s most forged coin, so stick to a reputable dealer when buying them. Also remember that most gold sovereigns are bullion coins so don’t be fooled by people who tell you that you are buying a rare date. All most all the rare sovereigns are already in the hands of collectors so you are very unlikely to find one that is worth more than its gold content. Ebay dealers are always offering ‘rare’ sovereigns but that’s just hype which is safely ignored. It’s also wise to ignore all those glossy brochures from The Royal Mint and other gold companies which advertise extensively in the media because they usually charge much, much more than any of the regular dealers for what is essentially the same product.)

How should you pay for your gold?
Many people like to use electronic payments for their purchases but remembering that one of the first things F. D. Roosevelt did when he was elected in 1933 was to confiscate all the gold bullion held by private individuals. I think, seeing as I don’t trust this government, that paying in cash may be the wisest way to go.

When the time comes, how should you sell your gold?
Recently a large number of people have advertised ‘cash for gold’ and it is important to be careful when selling gold. For gold coins and ingots you can expect to get spot or slightly less from any reputable dealer but jewellery and other gold bits and pieces can be difficult to sell for a fair price. If you have an amount of it you will find it advantageous to take it to Hatton Garden in London as the smelters there pay 97% of spot and they also pay cash. But if you can’t travel to London, don’t be tempted to sell your old jewellery to anyone for less than 80% of spot. (A previous article in this blog explains how to work out the worth of your gold jewellery.) (You may notice that the Royal Mint may be keen to sell you gold coins, but they are not interested in buying them back from you. Reputable dealers will always offer to buy your coins back at a price relative to the price of gold at the time you want to sell. They may for example say they'll buy them back at spot or spot minus one percent. However never accept spot minus four or more percent because you can always get spot minus three percent from the smelters in Hatton Garden.)

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Westminster scumbags,
Cheating airbags,
With noses in expense nosebags,
Can as well be called ratbags,
And/or sleazebags.

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Who wants high speed broadband?

That is apart from the geeks and nerds in the IT industry?

If high speed internet is as good as everyone in the industry says it is, why isn’t the industry investing the money to install it?

This is almost certainly a case of the rich in the IT industry, with the judicious use of political donations and the right invites to private boxes at Ascot or Wimbledon making sure that they don’t have to invest any money in the project. It’s making sure the taxpayer is forced, by law, to pay them to install the system regardless of whether the taxpayer wants it or not.

This system is also to be paid for by those on lower salaries because by far the majority of land lines in this country are held by people on lower incomes.

The rich will make a much smaller contribution to the installation of super fast broadband and not only that, whereas the poorer person is not in a position to claim back the VAT they have to pay on the levy, a large number of the rich will be able to do so.

Worst is the fact that the Westminster Scumbags won’t contribute a penny to this system because they’ll be able to claim it all back on expenses. The taxpayer will have to pay for their contribution to high speed broadband.

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It’s only going to get worse.
With CCTV and the government’s
Financial difficulties,
Soon every little misdemeanour
Will be photographed,
And followed,
By a letter though your door,
Demanding payment.

But to scare you,
They’ll offer you,
A pay now and save half,
Or dispute,
And pay the lot.
As that makes sure,
Most will pay
Without a quibble.

But those who
Refuse to pay,
Can expect
A visit from the bailiffs
Who to their property,
Will help themselves,
Saying ‘It’s the law,
You dirty rat.
You didn’t pay,
And so we’ll take.
Whatever we want.’

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I'll be getting my bus pass this year and can confidently tell you that over the years my friends and I have had nothing but trouble with insurance companies doing their utmost to avoid paying a claim.

You might be interested in reading this article in the Daily Mail. Pay particular attention to what the met office spokesperson said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192858/Insurance-firm-refuses-pay-storm-damage-winds-11mph-slow.html

(I believe a person should only take insurance when they can't afford to carry their own risk.)

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Here the poet roar,
As she into politics does bore,
Reaching for its core,
So she its putrid heart can gore.

You in the Guardian can this poem read,
And it your mind with thoughts might seed,
And make you think we in this realm don't need,
Politicians who on lies would feed.

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'No child poverty'
Is an interesting political slogan.
Particularly when you remember that
During the eighties,
In Australia
The great political slogan was
'No Child poverty by 1990.'

It won a lot of votes
For the Labour Party,
But twenty years later
There's still
Plenty of child poverty
In Australia.

---
Sensible people try to reduce child poverty,
And don't set targets,
Because although targets sound good,
They are but
Stalinistic Sloganeering.

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In the sixties,
Seventies and Eighties,
It was my view,
That the BBC,
Sat on the right hand of God.

In those days of yore,
Anything the BBC said,
To me,
Was gospel,
As I thought the truth the BBC would never flout,
So I said no one it need ever doubt.

But now it is my view,
The BBC,
Is just full of,
A, R and something E holes,
And I’d not give tuppence,
For a view of the BBC.

But is this just a rage,
Of age,
Or did the BBC change,
And its values rearrange?
But still to say I’ll dare,
I for the BBC no longer care.

(The gradual change of opinion
Was an extraordinarily painful
Experience.)
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Westminster,
Is sinister,
The House of dirty tricks,
And slimy gimmicks,

Where’s the referendum ,
Which gave all a chance to Europe shun?
New Labour did one on the treaty guarantee,
So all could vote for them carefree.

But as many feared,
That referendum disappeared,
Because politicians on the sly,
Think it’s fine to lie.

So those who in government would trust,
Will for sure go bust,
It’s why in the sixties it was said a lot,
All politicians should be shot.

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Upon my face, the gentle breeze,
Does my spirit please,
And birds twittering in the trees,
My heart do please,
While on a playground
laughing children at their ease,
My future visions tease.

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