Economic situation

EMM · Post by **EMM** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:11 pm

Sadly I doubt that anywhere will escape this recession, In this weeks Resident " Portugal on the Brink of Recession ".
We went out for dinner on Friday night in Albufeira to a place we know well which being on the seafront is in a prime position.

They are closing down this and another restaurant until the new year.

The first time they have ever had to do this due to lack of business, It is not just the Brits who are staying at home.( Irish, Dutch, Germans etc ).
In Continente ( guia ) yesterday virtually no queues at the checkouts on a SATURDAY !!!.
But the sun is shining it is warm and the forcast for Christmas is sunny 13-16degrees C.

martin · Post by **martin** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:59 pm

and similar story here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/de ... ies-expats

and here as well

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/l ... 295664.ece

martin · Post by **martin** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 3:19 pm

and as you may note one english newspaper in france serving expats has closed after 21 years in operation

see here

http://www.french-news.com/

cereza · Post by **cereza** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:30 pm

Shanagarry I also thought that Cameron was trying too much to be like Blair in his early days but in this crisis he has taken a non populist stance which is quite daring against Brown and Darlings attempts at vote catching borrow and spend philosophy. I am prepared to give him a chance but when he does get in the situation presented to him will be dire- it will be sink or swim!
Recovering the UK economy will take a long time whereas Portugal has the bulk of the EU to help it sustain its growth albeit at a reduced rate.
I too hope to move out to the Algarve as I can only see the economy and quality of life in the UK deteriorating for quite a while following the past 11 years of mis-managed government.

shanagarry · Post by **shanagarry** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:04 pm

Cereza

Who knows - we may meet up one day and compare 'war-stories'.

Kind regards and have a great Christmas.

cereza · Post by **cereza** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:19 am

Thanks Shanagarry - and the same to you.
ps I now understand your views on the General Carvoeiro forum having just read a reply from an anti-monarchist Trot who spouted the regulation diatribe against Margaret Thatcher blaming her for all the ills even though she has been out of power for 18 years! I think I will stick to this forum as you suggested. Cheers

Bruce Wallis · Post by **Bruce Wallis** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:50 am

Yeah....but where would life be without the regulation anti royalist Trot

HampshireRich · Post by **HampshireRich** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:56 am

Bruce - What are you doing on here at 11:50pm - don't you have a home to go to, or has Julia seen sense at last and booted you out?

Bruce Wallis · Post by **Bruce Wallis** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:55 pm

I was working overnight.......bringing the test match to an optimistic viewing public. (Well actually for the first 2 hours we brought them very artistically framed shots of ....FOG

)
So yes....Julia was able to hog the bed....and got woken up with a nice cup of tea when I got home.....I mean, loving, considerate husband...or what

HampshireRich · Post by **HampshireRich** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:09 pm

Bruce Wallis wrote:I mean, loving, considerate husband...or what

What, probably

martin · Post by **martin** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:21 pm

news from this weeks resident

http://www.portugalresident.com/portuga ... p?ID=30969

Ellie · Post by **Ellie** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:03 pm

cereza wrote:Thanks Shanagarry - and the same to you.
ps I now understand your views on the General Carvoeiro forum having just read a reply from an anti-monarchist Trot who spouted the regulation diatribe against Margaret Thatcher blaming her for all the ills even though she has been out of power for 18 years! I think I will stick to this forum as you suggested. Cheers

Feliz Natal e Boas Festas

p.s. What Trotsky said is coming true all around the world...quote' One day capitalism will eat itself'....
Im not a 'Trot' or communist, I just care about the ordinary woman/man in the street

shanagarry · Post by **shanagarry** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:26 pm

The writing was on the wall all along and it's going to get an awful lot uglier before there is even a glimpse of a recovery. I wonder if all those developments that have been busily clearing sites will now take on the same image as their UK counterparts - fenced off and overgrown and not a shovel to be seen.

In the perfect world we would all fast-forward to June/July and miss out the first 6 months of 2009, when there is going to be commercial slaughter in the high street and beyond. We are going to have to get used to a totally different world once this lot is sorted out - I just wish I had a 'crystal-ball' to help all of us prepare for the 'New-World'.

Apologies for being a 'misery' on Christmas Eve but having just got back from our local shops in Chichester in West Sussex and seen the carnage and long queues in both Woolworths and The Officer's Club - I couldn't help but feel a tinge of joy that this is just the beginning of the end for a lot of inefficient businesses that failed to heed the business anthem - turnover is vanity - profit is sanity and cash is king.

Happy Christmas one and all.

cereza · Post by **cereza** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 6:24 pm

Ellie said
p.s. What Trotsky said is coming true all around the world...quote' One day capitalism will eat itself'....
Im not a 'Trot' or communist, I just care about the ordinary woman/man in the street

Glad to hear you are not a Trot Ellie and I'm sorry if I offended you but I do get annoyed with the Labour inspired caricature of Margaret Thatcher. She inherited a position far worse than Cameron will inherit following the years of Labour mismanagement and she had to be tough to put things right just the same as Cameron will - it is the ONLY way that that the ecomomy will recover.
Capitalism is far from perfect but I think it far preferable and more realistic than any other system that I know of. We will eventually come out of this recession and hopefully will be stronger for it.
Gordon Brown basked in the glory of the boom days and could not see the pitfalls ahead - he tried to operate a socialist system within a capitalist world and he has failed miserably.
I agree that any party or PM should only have a maximum of 2 terms of 4 year as in the USA and that any PM must have a mandate from the electorate.
Anyway enough of this heavy stuff.
Happy Christmas and lets hope for a good 2009

Ellie · Post by **Ellie** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:02 pm

You haven't offended me Cereza

I voted for Margaret Thatcher in'79...and for Blair in'97 and they both disappointed me...

and I think Labour should have gone to the country when Blair stood down.

I don't really have any political persuasion at the moment. Think we could do with some new parties.

Merry Christmas to you & yours