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Regulate yourselves.

The number of people running into debt through so-called payday loans has quadrupled in two years, according to one debt advisory service

And whose fault is that? Do people need to be more responsible with their borrowing or do we need to regulate the loan companies?

The Citizens Advice Bureau says it is too easy to obtain such credit and is calling for tighter regulation.

Of course. We regulate.
I would have thought the mandate of the citizens advice bureau would be to advise citizens. Something like, "Don't borrow what you can't afford to repay". Or even, "No you don't need the latest ipod, you can't afford it".

But no. In our modern culture of no responsibility, we don't blame people for getting themselves into debt, we blame the lenders.

I've been there myself in my younger years, borrowing money I didn't need and couldn't afford to repay. Fortunately, even though I didn't have the nouse to not do it in the first place, I could see where it was going and I put a stop to it and repayed all the money. It was very easy to get credit back then but I never blamed the lenders for my folly because they didn't force me to get credit cards. It was all my own doing. I still get the odd letter through the post telling me I have been approved for this, that and t'other. They make good kindling.

These days, the only debt I have is my mortgage. If I can't afford to pay cash for something then I don't buy it.

Unlike this chap:

Steve Perry, who took out 64 loans from 12 different companies over 18 months, leaving him with a debt of £22,000, told the BBC it was the "roll over loan process" that needed to be tackled.

No. It. Isn't.
What needs to be tackled is your belief that you can spend £22,000 pounds of borrowed money in only 18 months and claim it's not your fault.

Peter Tutton, from the Citizens Advice Bureau, said ministers need to take action.

The only regulation we need here is peoples ability to regulate themselves. If you borrow it, you pay it back.

10 Comments:

The Filthy Engineer said...

The "Blame anyone else syndrome" that seems to be the mantra these days. My daughter caught herself in the debt trap, but she always new that it was her fault. However a lot was caused by the penalties that credit card companies were charging for even a minor default.For just one missed payment £38. These charges could make the debt acrue at an alarming rate.

However she is now debt free and vows never to get in debt again.

Anonymous said...

Stupidity should hurt. That would solve many of life's problems.

Bucko said...

Filthy Engineer - Yes the charges can be quite stupid. We do know this when we get involved though, we can't blame anyone else. But like you say, it's blame everyone else these days.

Bucko said...

Anon - It would indeed.

Anonymous said...

bucko the old codex of borrowing a score off of your m8s was plain and simple "GIVE ME IT BACK WHEN YOU GOT IT"and it was given back with a pint
and if you did not see em you´d give em bell and not dodge because the word would go around and you´d get your face punched in !
if i could go and spunk 22 big cats up against the wall i would but i know SOUP KITCHEN CITY(with looners) AND SLEEPING ROUGH and thats from only being honestLOL
the old saying was "I HAD A PET BUDGIE CALLED SPARKY AND WE MOVED FROM JOB TO JOB TO JOB "sadly he died from hunger
STEVE JOBS IS DEAD
JONNY CASH IS DEAD
BOB HOPE IS DEAD
NO JOBS
NO CASH
NO HOPE
BRICKBAT

Twenty_Rothmans said...

When I was a young man, I asked my father to assist me to buy a car.

He plainly pointed out to me that I was spending 30% APR and bought me a car, for which I paid him directly.

I miss him.

Twenty_Rothmans said...

Sorry, meant to mention - apart from mortgages, I have never been in debt since.

Anonymous said...

as kid me and my brothers ran errands for a lonley and broken old burma veteran he´d give us his shopping list and the money about 4 bob(mega bucks)when we came back and gave him his sundries we would give the old fella back THE EXACT CHANGE and he´d give us a tanner and opened my world to the buster the victor and lucky bags and how to work for a living and rely on no cunt but yourself!
TWO BOB MILLIONARES i´ve shit em
y-tube tommy trinder champaigne charley lol
RIP ALBERT JAMES a very humble man
BRICKBAT

Anonymous said...

The irony is that they want us to spend more to prop up a failed economy.

Bucko said...

Brickbat - no jobs, cash , hope. Like it

Twenty Rothmans - The mortgate is the only really unavoidable one. It's not like you can save up 100k

Anon - Prop up the banks more like :-)