Where is the UK going?

Buy bread, a toaster, and a wind power generator :-)

I guess in the fictitious event of a real global economic meltdown, gold would fairly quickly again become the standard currency that it has been for millenia.

More likely sneak in a few weapons and a lot of ammunition.

"Miss L. Toe" wrote

Who do you think would give up those items for a bit of gold? Wouldn't they be wanting to use the bread/toaster/generator themselves?

They wouldn't be able to eat your gold, would they?! :-(

"Miss L. Toe" wrote

Why would you think that? It hasn't really got any more instrinsic value than dollar bills, has it?!

"Frank F. Matthews" wrote

Sounds much more useful than a bit of gold! [In the event of economic meltdown.]

No, but I could sell them some baked beans to get my gold back :-)

We are assuming that there has been total economic meltdown and dollar bills aren't worth the paper they are written on - In which case any metal that can be used for any purpose has more value than dollar bills.

"Miss L. Toe" wrote

Why would you want it back? :-( What could you *use* it for?

"Miss L. Toe" wrote

Well, the dollar bills could be used to keep the fire going. What could anyone use the gold for, apart from making jewellery?

What happens if I have excess baked beans today and someone wants them and yet I have enough bread for the rest of the week and wont need any until next week ?

"Miss L. Toe" wrote

You want to find something that people will accept later, and which doesn't deteriorate like food does.

But why should someone accept your *gold* later, rather than the dollar bills? Effectively, they are *both* just acting as an "IOU"...

You can't really use either for any [basic survival] purpose, can you?

Given the social disruption involved it would probably increase the chance of your getting the gold as well.

...

Unless you have melted down the gold into small 'coins' that others will _trust_, they are no use, unless there are many people able to trade things. Look back over the Middle and Dark Ages History about coins and what happened to them. Without a standard you cn forget it.

Most of todays society do not have survival skills (start with killing an animal), and are like the blind masses of Day of the Triffids.

After a while where are you going to get baked beans anyway as in UK the raw product is shipped in, with economic meltdown who is going to find a way to pay for that.

What you need is as many as possible of food stocks, tools, weapons/ammunition, clean water supply, energy supply. If living in a city most will not be able to exchange anything useful, as an Ipod is no use if you cannot guarantee any energy to drive it or its associated items.

Unless you have access to something like 3 acres per person, you will not be able to sustain crops/animals. A lot of our food and energy is IMPORTED. There are nowhere near enough trees and like to support fossil fuel burning without a guaranteed energy supply to gather it (oil/electricity).

You could be right. I certainly don't think young Dave could win an election. Little Tone, or his mate? Gordon might lose. That I believe is the current opinion poll slant, but it is not guaranteed.

A dollar bill is a piece of paper (based on debt), the intrinsic value of a piece of a paper is virtually nothing.

Gold *does* have intrinsic value. The supply is fixed (more gold may be mined but at a very slow rate).

If the situation was really bad, gold alone wouldn't be much comfort I agree. But imho, it is the best bet for preserving what wealth you have through the coming shit storm.

Food, weapons, and tools might be of more immediate value to you.

We are facing a serious problem.

No, gold and books on farming.

BB

A lot of good that will do, with this Government's ruthless determination to bury half of England under concrete to accommodate our burgeoning population.. our numbers have increased by more than nine million in my lifetime!.. and is set to increase by several millions more in the coming years.

Was it Prince Charles who said that the 'number one priority' of any country must be the ability to feed itself in a time of crisis?.. if so, that's at least one thing I have to agree with him on!

|| BB || -- || ||

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"Robert Dunstable" wrote

Go on, tell us - what use does it have for basic survival?

"Robert Dunstable" wrote

After a total economic meltdown, wouldn't you expect the supply of dollar bills to be fixed? ... Or even decreasing, as they are not very durable!

"Robert Dunstable" wrote

*Only* if you can convince someone (who has something which you want), to take the gold in exchange for it.

But why should they value it as highly as you do? What could they do with it, if other people decided that they wouldn't take it off them in exchange?

** Aren't you solely using it as an "IOU"? **

"Robert Dunstable" wrote