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Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View Post@LaoLao - I think your arguments are great by the way. Was just a minor issue with the conclusion.
It's generally accepted that at about $10,000 per person that countries normally start converting to democracy. This The Atlantic article doesn't quite explain that, but it does make it specific to China.
Essentially at some point a population is smart enough that a de facto dictatorship (and China is quite a weak dictatorship - they have a lot of local representation and local rights) decides it is best to try to win the population's trust rather than use the fear of dictatorship. It tends to start off quite minorly (as China is now doing), but then they fully convert.
It's not a new idea - the exact same thing happened in South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, kinda in Myanmar. It's just not feasible to run a dictatorship when everyone is educated and wealthy. The original system still have rules to maintain control (like Singapore) , but those then gradually ease over time.
Did you miss the whole Rohingya genoicide thing? Or the fun tale of Anwar Ibrahim?"We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."
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Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View PostNo they're not model democracies - but they're moving that way. Indonesia and Malaysia are far along that track. Myanmar is going there. Things don't immediately become perfect in the real world. There is a graduality to the process."We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."
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Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View Post@LaoLao - I think your arguments are great by the way. Was just a minor issue with the conclusion.
It's generally accepted that at about $10,000 per person that countries normally start converting to democracy. This The Atlantic article doesn't quite explain that, but it does make it specific to China.
Essentially at some point a population is smart enough that a de facto dictatorship (and China is quite a weak dictatorship - they have a lot of local representation and local rights) decides it is best to try to win the population's trust rather than use the fear of dictatorship. It tends to start off quite minorly (as China is now doing), but then they fully convert.
It's not a new idea - the exact same thing happened in South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, kinda in Myanmar. It's just not feasible to run a dictatorship when everyone is educated and wealthy. The original system still have rules to maintain control (like Singapore) , but those then gradually ease over time.
Rather than being a gradual changeover to democracy due to better economic factors, they are saying that they expect it to be sudden & disruptive, i.e. revolution by the people as the ruling party are showing no signs to go down the democratic route.
The one thing that the CCP are doing is tackling corruption and they are doing quite a good job at it.
Also, the protests that they mention in the 2nd paragraph are ruthlessly dealt with by the ruling party to try stop further dissent.
Rowen's projections were a bit mechanical in assuming that economic growth would necessarily drive gradual political change toward democracy in China. Instead, it seems increasingly likely that political change in China will be sudden and disruptive. The Communist Party leadership still shows no sign of embarking on a path of serious political liberalization that might gradually lead to electoral democracy, as their counterparts in Taiwan's then-dominant Nationalist Party did several decades ago. Instead, the rulers in Beijing are gripped by a fear of ending up like the USSR's Mikhail Gorbachev, who launched a process of political opening in hopes of improving and refurbishing Soviet Communist rule only to see it crumble and the Soviet Union itself fall onto the ash heap of history. Torn by intense divisions within their own ranks and weakened by the draining away of power and energy from the center to the provinces and a congeries of increasingly divergent lower-level authorities, China's political leaders seem as frozen and feckless on the grand question of long-term political reform as they are brisk and decisive in making daily decisions on spending and investments.
As Francis Fukuyama notes in an essay in the Journal of Democracy, the one flaw in the otherwise impressive institutionalization of Chinese Communist rule is its lack of adaptability. For a regime whose specialty is producing rapid economic change, such rigidity is a potentially fatal defect. With every month or year that ticks by while corruption, routine abuses of power, and stifling constraints on expression go unchecked, citizens' frustration mounts. Already, protests erupt with ominous frequency across tens of thousands of Chinese localities every year, while subversive and democratic ideas, images, and allusions proliferate online, despite the best efforts of fifty-thousand Internet police to keep Chinese cyberspace free of "harmful content." As Minxin Pei has been arguing for some time and as he asserts again in his essay here, the strength of the authoritarian regime in China is increasingly an illusion, and its resilience may not last much longer. As frustration with corruption, collusion, criminality, and constraints on free expression rise, so do the possibilities for a sudden crisis to turn into a political catastrophe for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
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Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Postwow !
Ignoring whatever the outcome of their policies turn out to be you would have to be extremely delusional not to recognise the difference between xi and Trump is one of intention.
xi does what he does with the intent of securing the position of the state and making life better for a billion plus Chinese people. Trumps intentions are limited to lining his pockets and massaging his infantile ego.
China has made it very clear as a stated policy they want peaceful engagement with the world and just about every action they've engaged in in recent decades suggests they adhere to that idea, even if their domestic politics is far from democratic (but politics tends to move towards democracy naturally as people get richer).
It's less about enriching it's citizens it's more about empowering the state. China has extremely powerful nationalistic aims that includes the substantial expansion of its territory. They out creating islands for military bases to expand their hegemony and they'd have invaded Taiwan by now if it weren't for the US.
For all your complaints about Trump, you're ignoring that China is like Nazi Germany in the 30s working to become a military and economic superpower at all costs, regain former glory, take their former territory while holding deep neighborly grudges.
If China was moving to democracy and opening up their markets, it would be a different story but Xi has been consolidating his power, disappeared rivals, removed term limits, and has created a massive online surveillance state (Even Winie the Pooh is banned). And most of their tech progress is via theft of IP and cheating at free trade. Want to do business it China? You have to hand over 50% of control, plus your IP, that's if they haven't already stolen it via cyberwarfare.
We're moving to a situation where nuclear weapons and carriers are completely obsolete, it's not really a time to be ignoring an actual expansionist, highly totalitarian dictatorship.Last edited by Denny Crane; 11-07-18, 11:14.
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Originally posted by luckforsome View Post...I'm kinda disappointed I haven't seen the Hitler video surface as a meme, the one with the map...Would be class!!...
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It's that time again When looking at maximum pension contributions I assume it's based on total earnings per year? That would include bonus'? How about investments?
I notice that while my employer matches a % of my salary (as far as I know their contributions don't matter for my max contribution), that is based just on my salary, not on my bonus', which are a large enough amount to matter, say 15-20% of earnings. I take it I could then be putting in more % than my age limit's amount per month to account for my bonus?! But the bonus is variable and annual so that makes no sense, as you can't predict earlier in the year what to contribute. I guess I could get them to put a lump amount in for me when I know the figures better each year?
Is there a limit to the € amount you can contribute per age bracket too? Does employer contribution affect that?
Edit this is stupid I can just ask them to put a percentage of my bonus in when I get it, which they don't match but I can do anywayLast edited by Tar.Aldarion; 11-07-18, 11:39.
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I opened one of those pension yokes a few months ago, 20 years after I should have but we are we are as they say.
So I have a direct debit set up which is taking a frightening sum of money each month and putting it into the pension fund with irish life - what do I need to do for the tax side. Do I contact the revenue every month with my PPS number and say what was put in on an ongoing basis, or do it once a year?
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Originally posted by Tar.Aldarion View PostIt's that time again When looking at maximum pension contributions I assume it's based on total earnings per year? That would include bonus'? How about investments?
I notice that while my employer matches a % of my salary (as far as I know their contributions don't matter for my max contribution), that is based just on my salary, not on my bonus', which are a large enough amount to matter, say 15-20% of earnings. I take it I could then be putting in more % than my age limit's amount per month to account for my bonus?! But the bonus is variable and annual so that makes no sense, as you can't predict earlier in the year what to contribute. I guess I could get them to put a lump amount in for me when I know the figures better each year?
Is there a limit to the € amount you can contribute per age bracket too? Does employer contribution affect that?
Edit this is stupid I can just ask them to put a percentage of my bonus in when I get it, which they don't match but I can do anyway
Can you not just put in a % of the bonus or try and smooth it out over the year with a reasonable guess?
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Originally posted by ArmaniJeans View PostI opened one of those pension yokes a few months ago, 20 years after I should have but we are we are as they say.
So I have a direct debit set up which is taking a frightening sum of money each month and putting it into the pension fund with irish life - what do I need to do for the tax side. Do I contact the revenue every month with my PPS number and say what was put in on an ongoing basis, or do it once a year?
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Originally posted by Denny Crane View Post20% in your 30s, up to 115k. Includes everything whether from you or employer, salary or bonus.
Can you not just put in a % of the bonus or try and smooth it out over the year with a reasonable guess?"We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."
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Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View PostThat 20% figure is for employee contributions. So if your employer kicks in too, that has no tax impact.
PRSAs
Employer PRSA contributions are:
deemed for tax relief purposes to be made by the employee
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Originally posted by luckforsome View Post...Thanks for the reminder TAR, I really gotta sort mine out...Currently my job stick in 11% of salary, and I'm sticking in 0%...31 now, reckon I really need to start thinking about future Liam...
It's also one of the very few breaks you get as a PAYE taxpayer. Not taking full advantage is seriously -EV."We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."
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I made the gut-wrenching decision last week to reduce my pension payments down to the min 4% to get the max employer contribution (8%) for a couple of months. I didn't really expect buying a house to eat so badly into my cash reserves, but need the extra wiggle room to get the old emergency fund back up to scratch.
It's sickening the paltry amount extra coming into the bank account compared to the previous payment into the pension fund. I mean it's half obviously, but it feels like a real kick in the goolies not to be maxing out them juicy tax breaks.
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Originally posted by Keane View PostI made the gut-wrenching decision last week to reduce my pension payments down to the min 4% to get the max employer contribution (8%) for a couple of months. I didn't really expect buying a house to eat so badly into my cash reserves, but need the extra wiggle room to get the old emergency fund back up to scratch.
It's sickening the paltry amount extra coming into the bank account compared to the previous payment into the pension fund. I mean it's half obviously, but it feels like a real kick in the goolies not to be maxing out them juicy tax breaks."We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."
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Originally posted by Keane View PostI made the gut-wrenching decision last week to reduce my pension payments down to the min 4% to get the max employer contribution (8%) for a couple of months. I didn't really expect buying a house to eat so badly into my cash reserves, but need the extra wiggle room to get the old emergency fund back up to scratch.
It's sickening the paltry amount extra coming into the bank account compared to the previous payment into the pension fund. I mean it's half obviously, but it feels like a real kick in the goolies not to be maxing out them juicy tax breaks.
Make sure you get any work done, which is performed by a Tax abiding tradesperson, recorded and logged as you can claim back the VAT via tax credits spread over two years. You can only claim back 13.5% on 30k as that’s the limit but it all helps. I’ve also gotten some grants on the smart home tech stuff as it’s improving the energy efficiency.‘IF YOU had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.” Genghis Khan
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Originally posted by eoghan104 View PostNot a lot you can do if you booked the normal rate and not flexi.
Why do you need to come home early? Just need to weigh up the cost vs necessity."you raise, i kill you" El Tren :{)
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Originally posted by V for Vendetta View PostYou can backdate a pension contribution up until November 2019 for the 2018 tax year so it’s not gone yet. at least that’s what I tell myself. This home purchasing crack is a black hole...
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Originally posted by ArmaniJeans View PostCan that be done with a new pension, i.e. can I make a 2017 contribution for one I opened this year?‘IF YOU had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.” Genghis Khan
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It's occupational so employer bit doesn't matter then. I need to figure out how much I want at the end of it in the pot.
Originally posted by luckforsome View Post...Thanks for the reminder TAR, I really gotta sort mine out...Currently my job stick in 11% of salary, and I'm sticking in 0%...31 now, reckon I really need to start thinking about future Liam...
Originally posted by Keane View PostI made the gut-wrenching decision last week to reduce my pension payments down to the min 4% to get the max employer contribution (8%) for a couple of months. I didn't really expect buying a house to eat so badly into my cash reserves, but need the extra wiggle room to get the old emergency fund back up to scratch.
It's sickening the paltry amount extra coming into the bank account compared to the previous payment into the pension fund. I mean it's half obviously, but it feels like a real kick in the goolies not to be maxing out them juicy tax breaks.
I can only imagine there is much more stuff to a house that I well, imagine. Don't want to think about it yet. Once you are done with yours I'll get ETF and house lessons off ya.
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Originally posted by V for Vendetta View PostYes. Did anyone advise you on this when you were getting it setup?
Though she said No when I asked if I could make a payment in respect of last year - she said I could go back to the start of this year but not last year.
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Originally posted by ArmaniJeans View PostYes, I spent an afternoon with someone from Irish Life putting some money into a 5 year plan thing, and setting up the pension.
Though she said No when I asked if I could make a payment in respect of last year - she said I could go back to the start of this year but not last year.
Is this pension in respect of a new employment in 2018? If it’s an occupational scheme related to a new 2018 employment than its true that you can’t contribute to that particular scheme in relation to a previous tax year.
However, you could still do a prsa now for 2017. However if you setup a prsa with Irish life, which I suspect you did, and she said no to 2017 pension contributions that’s just wrong and terrible advice. It’s costing them money and giving you wrong info. Terrible stuff.
I’m intrigued as to what the 5 year plan thing is. Is this just a savings plan?‘IF YOU had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.” Genghis Khan
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Originally posted by V for Vendetta View Post
Is this pension in respect of a new employment in 2018? If it’s an occupational scheme related to a new 2018 employment than its true that you can’t contribute to that particular scheme in relation to a previous tax year.
Originally posted by V for Vendetta View PostHowever, you could still do a prsa now for 2017. However if you setup a prsa with Irish life, which I suspect you did, and she said no to 2017 pension contributions that’s just wrong and terrible advice. It’s costing them money and giving you wrong info. Terrible stuff.
I just went into my local Ulster Bank to meet the Irish Life person, they seem to have a partnership.
This is the blurb.
Can you maybe give it a 60 second scan to see if I've made a big mis-step and should go for something else. I suppose the main thing being if it should actually allow me to contribute for last year.
Originally posted by V for Vendetta View PostI’m intrigued as to what the 5 year plan thing is. Is this just a savings plan?
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Originally posted by ArmaniJeans View PostNope not new employment. Its not to do with employer anyway, they don't contribute anything.
I just logged in there now, it's called a 'Navigator Personal' Pension Plan.
I just went into my local Ulster Bank to meet the Irish Life person, they seem to have a partnership.
This is the blurb.
Can you maybe give it a 60 second scan to see if I've made a big mis-step and should go for something else. I suppose the main thing being if it should actually allow me to contribute for last year.
Aye, its a 5 year investment bond thing with them, they turned 60K into 75K in a previous 5 year bond so I just rolled it over.
How much allocation are you getting on the pension and what charges are you paying on the savings plan? Any particular reason why you didn’t go seek independent advice. It would already have paid for itself.‘IF YOU had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.” Genghis Khan
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Originally posted by V for Vendetta View PostMan you’re the reason a bank branch network still exists. I see no reason why you can’t backdate the payment for the 2017 tax year. Ask the adviser to confirm in writing that you can t make a contribution for 2017.
How much allocation are you getting on the pension and what charges are you paying on the savings plan? Any particular reason why you didn’t go seek independent advice. It would already have paid for itself.
I'll read the paperwork over the weekend to find out the allocation rate, and will report back for general lolling.
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Originally posted by ArmaniJeans View PostCheers, 'I don't know' is probably the answer to pretty much everything.
I'll read the paperwork over the weekend to find out the allocation rate, and will report back for general lolling.
Just read a big pdf file there, great fun.
Allocation seems to be 99%, is that good. It seems a nice high figure.
% of contribution invested 99%
Yearly Fund Charge .90%. Yearly Plan Charge .25%.
A plan fee will be deducted from your fund on a monthly basis. The fee is currently €4.69 a month and increases in line with the CPI.
What Intermediary Sales/Renumeration is payable?
Year 1. €6116.
Year 2. €512.
Year 3. €517.
...
Year 10. €927.
...
Year 15. €994.
That seems, well, wrong.
Apols for boring everyone.Last edited by ArmaniJeans; 11-07-18, 16:26.
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Beyond the public sector pension I just lump the spare loot into blue chip stock. Costs fook all, easy to understand, and element of gamble.
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Originally posted by Lao Lao View PostOn China's sea power, the miliatry spend is nothing compared to what they are doing in trade. State owned Chinese companies are slowly becoming the largest players in their field. In the last 5 years, for example, the state owned shipping line has gone from number 6 in the world to soon to be the number 3 spot through a series of acquistions worth billions that come from bottomless government coffers. They are also hoovering up ports and terminals all over the world, all designed to create a seemless route to market for the goods they produce.
Cosco Shipping Holdings is an investment holding company principally engaged in container shipping and related businesses. It's a state owned Chinese entitiy. They own a shipping line called COSCO and terminals all over the world.
COSCO is the 4th biggest shipping line in the world.
Last week, Cosco Shipping Holdings got the final regulatory approval (5 from different bodies around the globle were required) to purchase OOCL in conjunction with SIPG (Shanghai Intl Port Group) (OOCL is the 8th biggest shipping line in the world) The combined shipping entity will be the 3rd biggest shipping line in the world.
Shanghai Intl Port Group is the exclusive operator of all the public terminals in the Port of Shanghai and is owned by the Chinese government.
The deal was that Cosco Shipping Holdings would own 90.1% and SIPG would own 9.9% however, they wanted to keep OOCL's listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange so in order to do so, they had to meet the 25% public shareholding threshold.
So, they agreed to sell shares to the following groups in the below percentages. They also agreed to sell the shares to each party for the same price they bought them for
Cosco Shipping Holdings - 75%
Shanghai Intl Port Group - 9.9%
Silk Road Fund 7.7%
CK Hutchison - 5.0%
SDIC 2.4%
Silk Road Fund is a state owned investment fund of the Chinese government
CK Hutchison is a Cayman Islands–registered multinational conglomerate headquartered in Hong Kong. The company was formed in March 2015 through the merger of Cheung Kong Holdings and its main associate company Hutchison Whampoa. (Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, was a multinational conglomerate, based in Hong Kong - Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL) was an investment holding company based in Hong Kong)
SDIC is a Chinese state owned investment compnay controlled by the State Council of China
Last edited by Lao Lao; 11-07-18, 16:45.
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Originally posted by The Aul Switcharoo View PostAn Englishman and Frenchman are chatting in a bar. Englishman says " we're playing Croatia on Wednesday" the Frenchman says " what a coincidence, we're playing them Sunday".
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Originally posted by MrsFlushdraw View PostIf any of you lot BBV Croatia I will hunt you down and kill you. I may not follow football, but I can't stand the arrogance of the fkrs and I don't want to listen to the commentators till the day I die bang on about 1966 AND 2018
On another note, heard some sports shops in Scotland sold out of Croatia jerseys and couldn't keep up with demand lol
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How do you raise money for a massive balloon that portrays Trump as a baby and manage to get the direction of his hair part wrong. Quite tilting.
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Originally posted by dobby View PostIf you don't follow football you won't hear the commentators so problem solved now run along and make some tea and sandwiches like a good woman
On another note, heard some sports shops in Scotland sold out of Croatia jerseys and couldn't keep up with demand lol
I am sitting in East Midlands airport in the Croatia colours
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Originally posted by MrsFlushdraw View PostHaha My hubby has it on and can't get away from it lol. It used to bug me as a kid/teen when I was right into football. Just got fed up as I got older.
I am sitting in East Midlands airport in the Croatia colours
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Originally posted by MrsFlushdraw View PostIf any of you lot BBV Croatia I will hunt you down and kill you. I may not follow football, but I can't stand the arrogance of the fkrs and I don't want to listen to the commentators till the day I die bang on about 1966 AND 2018
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uh ohPeople say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner!
https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21
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