The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[McBain]

Can somebody explain the housing thing please.

They build you a house and you can buy it? Or they build houses for people to rent?

So they are property developing landlords?

And you can't buy those houses? But Cameron is saying you should be able to?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Can somebody explain the housing thing please.

They build you a house and you can buy it? Or they build houses for people to rent?

So they are property developing landlords?

And you can't buy those houses? But Cameron is saying you should be able to?

I thought it was more a case that if you live in a house you rent from the council for x years then you get a chance to buy that house for a reduced rate. Or something like that. The guide on Shelter below explains it a bit better.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_a...right_to_buy?gclid=CO-5m7rb98QCFeiWtAodKSEACQ

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The following analysis by a bod from UCL talks about Labour and their immigration policy being driven by public fears rather than evidence, but they could just as easily be talking about any of the parties I suspect.

http://theconversation.com/manifest...-are-led-by-public-opinion-not-evidence-40109

I said a few pages back about a study published this week highlighting how few politicians are willing to experiment to actually get some evidence to support their policies. It seems as far as immigration is concerned that none of the parties are willing to use the evidence that exists.

 

[McBain]

I thought it was more a case that if you live in a house you rent from the council for x years then you get a chance to buy that house for a reduced rate. Or something like that. The guide on Shelter below explains it a bit better.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_a...right_to_buy?gclid=CO-5m7rb98QCFeiWtAodKSEACQ

Thanks Bruce. I fundamentally believe everyone should have an opportunity to own a home, but how that would work fairly would take alot of careful thought.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Thanks Bruce. I fundamentally believe everyone should have an opportunity to own a home, but how that would work fairly would take alot of careful thought.

I suppose the rationale is that they treat your rent payments like mortgage payments for the 5+ years, hence why you can buy it for less. Or something like that. I think it works a similar way on the continent, although the timeframe might be a fair bit longer than 5 years.

Not sure how it works if you get your rent paid for you.

 

[McBain]

I suppose the rationale is that they treat your rent payments like mortgage payments for the 5+ years, hence why you can buy it for less. Or something like that. I think it works a similar way on the continent, although the timeframe might be a fair bit longer than 5 years.

Not sure how it works if you get your rent paid for you.

I can only speak for my own Country, but home ownership in the Cities and surrounds is a runaway train.

You can't get anything for less than a mil here unless you fancy living in the bush. Foreign investment has priced out normal people and it keeps getting worse.

Me and the Mrs are considering moving to Tasmania.

 

[peteblue]

Just love the crap that politicians write these days......


“The common life we share is who we are as a country.” (page 11)
“We will create a whole-person approach.” (page 34)
“Labour recognises the vital importance of the power of people’s relationships to build the capacity for love, care and resilience.” (page 44)
“We need a change in how we design our public services by pushing power down.” (page 32)
“We will support this model of knowledge clusters.” (page 21)
“We guarantee a universal entitlement to a creative education so that every young person has access to cultural activity.” (page 55)
“Labour has always believed that everyone should have access to nature, whoever they are.” (page 56)
“One of our first acts in government will be to conduct a wide-ranging review of Britain’s place in the world.” (page 74)
“We applaud those faith communities who have pioneered an inter-faith dialogue for the common good.” (page 54)
“In a globalised world, our local environment provides us with a sense of place and belonging.” (page 56)
“For our country to stay strong, with the confidence to look outwards rather than inwards, people need to feel secure in the strength of our borders, our communities, and in the workplace.” (page 49)
“Labour believes that art and culture gives form to our hopes and aspirations and defines our heritage as a nation.” (page 54)
“This will be underpinned by a new National Primary Childcare Service, a not-for-profit organisation to promote the voluntary and charitable delivery of quality extracurricular activities.” (page 44)
“Sport brings us together in an expression of our local and national pride.” (page 55)
“We will take a whole-family approach to policy-making.” (page 45)

I'm thinking a group of 22 year olds fresh from brain washing.......

 

[peteblue]

I can only speak for my own Country, but home ownership in the Cities and surrounds is a runaway train.

You can't get anything for less than a mil here unless you fancy living in the bush. Foreign investment has priced out normal people and it keeps getting worse.

Me and the Mrs are considering moving to Tasmania.

The worst form of 'investment', it creates nothing apart from disadvantaging the locals........

 

[The Mighty Quint]

Right to buy is a good idea if done correctly, if Thatcher had done it correctly we would not be where we are today, as you sell the houses you invest that money into building more.

But at the moment right to buy should be stopped for 5 to 10 years, and just build houses to rent, 4.5m families, couples etc are on waiting lists in this country, we need to be building 250k every year for the next 5 years minimum, and they need to start regulating again the private rental market to make it fairer and to stop landlords turfing people out so they can increase the rents.

 

[piddlywiddly]

Ha ha. I don't know if any of you remember, but in the campaign for the 2010 general election the Conservative party drew up a contract between themselves and the voting public. It basically stated that if they didn't deliver on a range of issues that we should vote them out in 5 years time.

Funnily enough it is no longer on the Conservative Party website. It is however still on Mark Reckless' website - you know the guy who defected to UKIP.

See it here
http://markreckless.com/2010/04/30/a-contract-between-the-conservative-party-and-you/

and here it is dissected



Not so sure they have delivered on their side of the bargain.

Yeah, Labour have always delivered on their manifesto's and promises haven't they?

 

[peteblue]

I like this quote from Cleggy..... "The Liberal Democrats will add a heart to a Conservative government and a brain to a Labour one."....

 

[piddlywiddly]

Definitely more. Fair play to Gideon as he does have a History degree. Oh, and an O Level in maths.

The track record so far reads like........... (lifted obviously)

In 2010 George Osborne made a number of bold predictions about how his ideological austerity experiment would benefit the UK economy. The mainstream press has long-since forgotten about these fabulously over-optimistic predictions, but they are still available from the Office for Budget Responsibility (here) should anyone want to look at them and compare them with what has actually happened (here).

Eliminating the deficit: In 2010 Osborne promised that his austerity experiment would completely eliminate the budget deficit by 2015. In reality the UK is still borrowing £100 billion per year, meaning that he's failed to even halve the deficit.

Government debt: In 2010 Osborne predicted that the UK national debt would have reached £1.232 trillion by 2015. In reality it has risen to £1.489 trillion, which means he has borrowed £257 billion more than he said he would.

The size of the economy: In 2010 Osborne predicted that the UK economy would grow to £1.916 trillion by 2015, but in reality it is only £1.822 trillion, meaning that he's borrowed more than a quarter of a trillion more than he said he was going to, in order to make the UK economy almost £100 billion smaller than he said it was going to be.

Debt/GDP: In 2010 Osborne predicted that debt would peak at 67.2% of GDP in 2015 and then start falling. In reality the debt has reached 80.4% of GDP and it's still growing dramatically. This means that he's now overseen the longest sustained increase in the national debt since the Second World War!

The UK Credit Rating: Before he became Chancellor George Osborne staked his reputation on maintaining the UK's AAA Credit Ratings, but in 2013 the UK economy was downgraded for the first time since the 1970s.

Worse than Labour: George Osborne continually harps on about how Labour would threaten his "economic recovery" but what he doesn't tell you is that in just four years he's created more new debt than every single Labour government in history combined!

Earnings: One of the strongest indicators that Osborne's ideological austerity experiment is really bad for Britain is the fact that he has overseen the longest sustained decline in wages since records began.The fact that millions of workers are significantly worse off than they were in 2008 thanks to George Osborne's deliberate campaign of wage repressionexplains why economic demand is still so weak and the "recovery" so slow. As a result of Osborne's policies, ordinary workers have suffered the worst declines in income since records began.

For the sake of a balanced argument;


Yep, Balls is such a talented economist that Ed Miliband appointed Alan bloody Johnson ahead of him and then wanted David Miliband to fill the position once Johnson was gone. Thats a real boost of confidence in Balls from it's own party leader right there, third choice? It's even rumoured Ball's wife was even ahead of him making him fourth choice. Great stuff. Balls is also a public supporter of austerity, although not quite on the scale of there Conservatives.


Ed Balls in January: Abolishing non-dom status would cost UK money

Ed Miliband in April: Non-dom status is a failure of all parties

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/a...er-imploded-Labours-bruiser-finally-sank.html

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jun/16/austerity-uturn-ed-balls-mistake

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/514003/Ed-Balls-apologises-for-Labour-s-failures

http://wingsoverscotland.com/what-ed-balls-didnt-say/

 

[Joey66]

As anyone sen the pictures of ED Millaband or video yet?
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...-Ed-goes-green-as-he-picks-nose-on-train.html

Two Tory activist took the picture - the man has sinus trouble - so what he picks his nose I bet you he farts as well - pathetic electioneering, by the Tory activist - I hope it has the adverse effect the working man picks his nose !
By the way there are pictures of DC in the past picking his nose!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Stop the presses

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Making him out to be the bogey man