The recession

[stoofur]

I was watching Hard Talk on the BBC News this morning and they had somebody on there who said that some of the cause of the recession is due to the fact that 24 Hour News and Newspapers keep going on and on about. The interviewer was quite indignant saying that he was "shooting the messenger". I am inclned to agree at least in part that the media don't help the situation. What are your thoughts and how can we persuade the meda to be a bit more positive (although that does not sell newspapers)!!

[gilf]

It's exactly the reason we are in the situation in the first place. People taking on excessive debt egged on by the media.

Property Porn like Location, Location, Location convincing people taking on a massive mortgage for your dream home is a good idea, programs about flash cars and so on.

The reason we are in this mess has nothing to do with talking the market down, it's because the economy is in such a mess the government need to pump countless Billions in to the banks just so we don't have total and utter melt down.

If you feel the way to deal with it is sweep it under the carpet and continue to spend money on useless tat you go for it, I for one won't be.

[redcrx]

im also of the mind that if the media started reporting that the recession we are now in (no getting away from that) was likely tobe over in a matter of months then people would start spending again and it wont last as long.

the recession did seem to hit very suddenly following the warnings from the media. I realise that they did have grounds for reporting it was on the cards, but the way the economy suddenly took a down turn was dramatic.

[New Judge]

When I first heard that recession was about to blight the country I was excited.

�Great!� I thought. I�ll be able to walk into any restaurant at any time and get a table; all the pubs will be empty; I�ll get my pick of holidays at peak times and at knockdown prices; all the shopping centres will be quiet instead of akin to Old Trafford on match days; if I need any work done on my house I�ll have tradesmen falling over themselves to give me a decent quote and they�d be able to start immediately.

Dream on!

In practice none of the above is true. Hospitality outlets are still bursting. Holiday companies, it�s true, are offering discounts, but all the half-decent packages have long since been snapped up. Shopping centres are mobbed out. I wanted some work done on my bathroom � three of the five traders I contacted could not fit me in this side of June.

Then I had a little think. In reality, unless you are heavily dependent upon investments for your income, the only people worse off are those who have been unfortunate enough to lose their jobs. People with mortgages have seen the cost of them slashed. Shops are offering goods at huge discounts. With falling property prices people buying a house more expensive than the one they currently have are laughing as the difference they have to find is less.

Of course, savers outnumber borrowers by about eight to one and their income has been slashed to provide cheaper mortgages, so it could be that factor which is driving the �recession�. But I must say, I have not noticed any of the symptoms I was so looking forward to.

[kempie]

Of course, this is not an example of the Government (and it's agents) stifling a topic they do not wish to engage in with the electorate (i.e. their masters).

Immigration - "don't you dare speak of this - thats racism that is"

Recession - "don't you dare speak of this - that's talking the country down that is"

Indeed the current predicament of the UK is wholly due to the media and not in any part due to the actions (and inactions) of the current Prime Minister (aka the previous Chancellor of the Exchequer) and his minions.

{Sarcasm ends}

There's being positive and then there is addressing the problem. Widespread discussion of a problem and the ensuing exchange of ideas is more likely to lead to resolution than the blinkered view of those experts (ha ha!) esconced in the Westminster Village and The City, however the fewer occasions for discussion the fewer occasions the subject of apologising will be broached.

UK events prior to 1997 and global events have certainly played a part in the current economic situation but if Gordon Brown truly believes that nearly 12 years of his stewardship has not led us to where we are then why does he think he is an influential political character? He can't have it both ways. (Don't get me started on why he thinks he has a grasp of economics. Political history and political science certainly, but never economics).

Some of the cause = media
Some of the cause = unapologetic Government

I wonder which of the two is more of the cause?

[steven15]

All News is biased is what I always remember.
Everything is overtly sensationalized by the mainstream media today. Certainly it cannot be ignored as an influencing factor. I guess this is the very reason why media can and must be equally well employed as a tool for generating optimism and recovery.