Percentages

[Quizmonster]

On one of yesterday evening's news broadcasts, George Osborne made a comment...I believe it was about the departing Louise Mensch's contribution to Parliament and her constituents...involving the phrase, "110 percent."
It occurs to me that such a failure to grasp even the simplest of arithmetical concepts might explain why virtually everything he has touched at the Treasury has fallen apart.
(To placate those who claim one must present a question here rather than a statement, I add, "Do you agree?")

[McMouse]

When I was working I enjoyed a performance related bonus over and above salary. If my performance met target (100%) then I got the full amount. Some years I exceeded target and was awarded 110% or whatever. Simple really.

[Quizmonster]

McMouse, no sane person would query the fact that one can speak of 110% of a sum of money...that just means 10% more than the basic figure concerned.
What we are discussing here is the fact that no one person can give more than 100% of the amount of effort they are capable of giving. 100% is an "absolute", just like virginity and uniqueness are.
Simple really.

[pilotlight]

Our maths teacher told us, in no uncertain terms, that you CANNOT have more than 100% of anything.
One of the few facts that has stuck with me, even though Maths and Arithmetic were my three worst subjects at school.

[bazwillrun]

A figure of speech to describe a lot of effort and the OP manages to make a big deal of it and bring in politics, by slagging off GO, which.

Just remind us of Gordon Browns record in office as Chancellor.....actually no dont, most of the problems have now are because of him and the labour government folly.

[Quizmonster]

Actually, "most of the problems we have now" were created not by Labour but by the Tories' paymasters, the casino bankers. Virtually daily, we now see scandal after scandal worldwide created by these very people and still they walk away after pocketing millions. You couldn't make it up!

[Quizmonster]

"And bring in politics"...how the heck can one draw attention to a comment by the Chancellor about another Tory MP without bringing in politics? What should I have "brought in"? Cricket, fly-fishing, internet porn...what?

[bazwillrun]

GO was merely stating in his view her contribution to her time in office, yet you turned it into a political slagging match, by saying his use of the common useage phrase to indicate a lot of effort 110% is an indication of his grasp of his arithmetic and ability to be chancellor.

i know people like yourself and some of the others on here are masters in the art at twisting and distorting things, but this is really quite pathetic

[Quizmonster]

I just love your name for the Chancellor..."GO". How dearly all we rational people wish that he would!

[zebo]

Pilotlight, your Maths teacher was very wrong. If a price increases by 10%, it now costs 110% of what it did before, hence to calculate new prices it's x 1.10.
It's a more efficient was of calculating after a percentage increase, an increase by 17% would be x1.17 etc.

[dinki]

A tory chancellor that cannot do percentages - The country must feel so safe in his hands!

[andy-hughes]

Any MP who can hit the backstage bar with Metallica and The Foos whenever she feels like it, gets my vote!

[mike11111]

I never knew that virginity was an absolute. Years ago I tried to persuade girls that they would not be losing it absolutely, just giving me a little bit. Didn't work, though, had to find a better chat up line.

[Quizmonster]

Clearly, Mike, the girls understood exactly what 100% really meant!
(Ah, the good old days, when sex wasn't a near-certainty in a budding relationship and the quest for it was a challenge!)