The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[roydo]

ED Millaband won v David Millaband

More MPs voted for David Than Ed.

 

[Joey66]

More MPs voted for David Than Ed.

Yes old Blairites! I hate TB more than Thatcher, and that's a hard choice!

 

[Clint Planet]

Yes old Blairites! I hate TB more than Thatcher, and that's a hard choice!

Michael Gove on C4 news right now. He might be worse than both. Makes my skin crawl.

 

[roydo]

Yes old Blairites! I hate TB more than Thatcher, and that's a hard choice!

Haha! I am a lot less tribal than a lot on here, (not an insult btw, perhaps less passionate is better), but the points I am trying to make is that the political and economic situation 35 years ago was a million miles away from what it is today, and using the knowledge and the experience of the last 35 years to blast what happened back then is pointless. Especially if you were not there.

It is also why I weep when I see all of them today banging on about what they will do next year or 18 months, whilst the structural challenges facing the country continue to flounder on short term thinking.

Energy security? Nope.
Serious renewable energy? Nope. Just crap lightbulbs and windmills.
Housing? Ha flaming Ha on that one.
Constructive benefit reform? Nope. Bedroom tax ffs.

And you can lob that at pretty much every party in power for years and years and years.

If a problem took a generation to become a problem, it will take a generation to fix it.

 

[The Mighty Quint]

Michael Gove on C4 news right now. He might be worse than both. Makes my skin crawl.

There is not an honest Tory face amongst the entire lot of them, they were all lined up for the manifesto today and it looked like a Crimewatch rogues gallery.

Piss down your leg and tell you it's raining every frigging one of them.

 

[hullefc]

They absolutely screwed the country forever more, you can not fail to turn a profit selling necessary services to the general public.

They just done the same with Royal Mail, Royal mail was fine, I spend upto £200 a week with them, I know the state of their services, they were fine, best value, great reliable delivery services.

But the Tory's told us they needed massive investment to compete with other couriers and had to be sold, utter utter bullshit and they got away with it again.

When it was sold it was turning a profit of nearly half a billion a year.

That is the crux of the matter and at great expense to the taxpayer.

Cut benefits? Yes, let's start with our £85bn corporate ...

Large swathes of the 'private sector' couldn't survive without the public purse milk cow.

 

[roydo]

honest

I would level that pretty much every front line MP mate. Tories do not hold a monopoly on that.

I would except Andy Burnham from that list though. And John Smith when he was around.

 

[The Mighty Quint]

I would level that pretty much every front line MP mate. Tories do not hold a monopoly on that.

I would except Andy Burnham from that list though. And John Smith when he was around.

I just think Labour and the Lib Dems will always come from a fairer place for the majority.

As Osborne said to Alexander when he was against the tax cut for the millionares "You look after the workers, and we'll look after the bosses" was Osbornes stereotypical Tory standpoint.

 

[roydo]

Oh dear.

Natalie Bennett has admitted the Greens 60% tax band will cost the country money, but they will persuade potential payers to stay in the UK for the lifestyle.

Yeah, tax the rich more.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Are you really for it, @Bruce Wayne?

I'm neither for nor against it. As far as I can tell, the policy is largely based upon some intellectual belief. It hasn't been tested out anywhere, there isn't any evidence to underpin it.

That's a serious flaw, and is thus in most policy making unfortunately.

 

[roydo]

I just think Labour and the Lib Dems will always come from a fairer place for the majority.

As Osborne said to Alexander when he was against the tax cut for the millionares "You look after the workers, and we'll look after the bosses" was Osbornes stereotypical Tory standpoint.

I wouldnt disagree mate. I would guess, in the absence of any poll, that both Labour and Liberal politicians are more driven by an ideology, intially at least, than most Tories, whose default position maybe a frustration that neither ideologies, whilst fine and dandy in theory, do not actually work in practice.

And in the same vein, I would respectfully suggest, that the charge of rank hypocrisy can be leveled at maybe more Labour politicians once the trappings of power have been tasted maybe. Harriet Harmen, Dianne Abbot and John Prescott spring immediately to mind.

Pro or Anti Tory, you know what you will get.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

On the subject of evidence, this American study suggests there is little evidence (unfortunately in the authors opinion) that welfare subsidises cheap labour.

https://www.economy.com/dismal/analysis/datapoints/253947/Government-Assistance-and-Work/

"…many of these programs, including Medicaid and food stamps, are means-tested. That means as you earn more the programs become less generous, and as a result can generate extremely high marginal tax rates for low-income workers. This will reduce labor supply and create the exact opposite effect that “corporate subsidy” critics claim.

Unfortunately, there is little basis to claim that most public assistance programs benefit employers. This is unfortunate because such subsidies would incentivize firms to hire more low-income workers."

 

[chewee]

Just been reading about the proposed 5 year freeze on rail fares, on the surface it sounds great but economically it doesn't stack up. Price freezes you can get away with for 2 years tops but not for 5 years.

Ultimately it will mean those working in the rail industry will face pay freezes, cutbacks and probably job losses. It will be interesting to see how it impacts the upcoming Northern/ First new franchises, I can't see a incoming company agreeing to a 5 year freeze on prices whilst also committing to providing new trains. The industry is already heavily subsidised, this policy will see the costs sky rocket further.

 

[roydo]

Just been reading about the proposed 5 year freeze on rail fares, on the surface it sounds great but economically it doesn't stack up. Price freezes you can get away with for 2 years tops but not for 5 years.

Ultimately it will mean those working in the rail industry will face pay freezes, cutbacks and probably job losses. It will be interesting to see how it impacts the upcoming Northern/ First new franchises, I can't see a incoming company agreeing to a 5 year freeze on prices whilst also committing to providing new trains. The industry is already heavily subsidised, this policy will see the costs sky rocket further.

But price freezes on energy prices would work then?

 

[edge]

As soon as Thatcher sold them off she cancelled all council house building straight away - We are still 1.5 million short of council houses the Tories are also stating to fund the the housing association right to buy house by selling 15 0000 Council houses - what happened to the big society ??? If you are waiting on the council house list tough luck!

only problem with that is the housing associations use there housing and land stock as collateral for loans to build new houses, if you let them sell off the housing stock they have less collateral so build less, how does that help with the lack of housing.