I really do hope that Vince was speaking for effect and knows that most of what he was spouting was tosh. I particularly liked the "make [the banks] safe and make them lend." thing, as if broadening lending criteria doesn't increase risk.
He's in a funny place, isn't he: moved to the Libdems when they were shifting leftward (as New Labour claimed the middle ground) then finds himself in a Tory-dominated government with a business brief.
I've just signed up to move my mortgage - a surprisingly painless project, facilitated by the taxpayer's very own (70+% at least) ank. No fee, no commission. How times have changed - not least in that my bank manager is now younger and less well-paid than me. Got more hair, too.
Did you know that car salesmen are now regulated by the FSA? Well, some at least. I just bought a second-hand car and had to undergo a series of (low-key, admittedly) pitches for ancillary insurance-based products, then sign a document confirming that they'd been explained to me and that I didn't actually want them. Makes me wonder if we're heading for a world where any financially significant decision, however slight, will be accompanied by a requirement for a similar confirmation. Like the Post Office needing you to confirm before they sell you a stamp that they've explained the risks associated with First Class delivery and that you still don't want to go Special/Registered (or whatever they call it these days). Maybe it'll all be streamlined and we'll be able to confirm using Bluetooth or something.
no subject
He's in a funny place, isn't he: moved to the Libdems when they were shifting leftward (as New Labour claimed the middle ground) then finds himself in a Tory-dominated government with a business brief.
I've just signed up to move my mortgage - a surprisingly painless project, facilitated by the taxpayer's very own (70+% at least) ank. No fee, no commission. How times have changed - not least in that my bank manager is now younger and less well-paid than me. Got more hair, too.
Did you know that car salesmen are now regulated by the FSA? Well, some at least. I just bought a second-hand car and had to undergo a series of (low-key, admittedly) pitches for ancillary insurance-based products, then sign a document confirming that they'd been explained to me and that I didn't actually want them. Makes me wonder if we're heading for a world where any financially significant decision, however slight, will be accompanied by a requirement for a similar confirmation. Like the Post Office needing you to confirm before they sell you a stamp that they've explained the risks associated with First Class delivery and that you still don't want to go Special/Registered (or whatever they call it these days). Maybe it'll all be streamlined and we'll be able to confirm using Bluetooth or something.