The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[Mrk]

People aren't demanding massive pay rises, all they ask for is a fair one in line with inflation. If pay is forzen or capped at a low rate of say 1% but inflation rises at between 2 and 3% then year on year people are getting poorer. 1 million people visiting food banks is a clear indication people are at breaking point, they've been squeezed until there's nothing left to spare, we are supposed to be the 6th richest nation in the world!. Since these austerity measures kicked in nearly 5 years ago the wealth of Britains top 1000 has doubled (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/article1412257.ece) they've profited from the misery of millions of ordinary working class folk. How do you justify that?!

As for union power i'm all for it. I'd rather have someone who I know has got my back and best interests at heart, if you don't make a stand they'll walk all over you. Employment law amendments during the coalitions term in office have massively favoured big big business, workers rights are slowly being chipped away.

While you are on about £10'000 pay rises isn't that roughly what MP's are set to get? Scandalous

Out of interest, how do you link the two? On what basis?

 

[Milk]

You want to stop me putting Cucumbers up my bottom? Well you've just lost one vote mister.

My party is highly democratic.

IF you wish to stick cucumber up your bottom, please carry on although we would kindly suggest that you consume the said vegetable (strictly a fruit of course) after the act as we abhor wastage. The same would apply to Mars Bars, yoghurts and other foodstuffs used outside their original remit.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

People aren't demanding massive pay rises, all they ask for is a fair one in line with inflation. If pay is forzen or capped at a low rate of say 1% but inflation rises at between 2 and 3% then year on year people are getting poorer. 1 million people visiting food banks is a clear indication people are at breaking point, they've been squeezed until there's nothing left to spare, we are supposed to be the 6th richest nation in the world!. Since these austerity measures kicked in nearly 5 years ago the wealth of Britains top 1000 has doubled (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/article1412257.ece) they've profited from the misery of millions of ordinary working class folk. How do you justify that?!

As for union power i'm all for it. I'd rather have someone who I know has got my back and best interests at heart, if you don't make a stand they'll walk all over you. Employment law amendments during the coalitions term in office have massively favoured big big business, workers rights are slowly being chipped away.

While you are on about £10'000 pay rises isn't that roughly what MP's are set to get? Scandalous

I suppose that is kind of what I'm saying here. The tone of your post seems to suggest a huge divide and mistrust of anyone in a position of power. I'm not sure the rich have got richer because they've induced misery in millions of people, nor indeed through any policy from the government of their day. They've largely become rich because globalisation has given them a huge potential market, and technology has enabled them to do more with less, whether that's through automating some jobs or enabling it to be done in other countries.

To take various dot-coms (as an example). Instagram was sold for over a billion dollars yet had only a handful of employees. They weren't causing misery in millions of people, yet nevertheless there were one of several in that industry who conspired to see the demise of such a venerable name as Kodak, who failed to keep pace with the changing demands of customers. None of what happened did so because of government policy, yet you'd imagine that if it had of happened in a much more union protected industry, that is exactly what the accusations would have been.

It's like the Machiavelli quote I mentioned above. Change is a natural, and very welcome, part of life, yet there are vast swathes of society that aim for little other than obstructing that progress and doing everything possible to keep things as they are. I think that's rather a shame.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Spikes in malnutrition occur when social policy doesn't meet social need. Government's job in left wing terms is to mediate between the economic conditions and social necessity. This is of interest to those who pick up the pieces and of especial interest to those who are malnouished. Relevance is a question to be determined by those who note the figures. Entirely up to you whether you regard hunger as an issue or not.

I'm not sure what you mean I'm afraid. I've never said that malnutrition in our hospitals is not an issue, I merely suggested that it hasn't happened for political reasons, and trying to pin it on politics does little to help the situation.

 

[EverBlue86]

never thought of it like that but now you mention it... but likely the greens will be around longer than UKIP, or else we are all in poo street

No chance of that imo, UKIP in a year have won the euro elections, set to win their first MP in that by election coming up, got pockets of councillors up and down the country and have had a massive rise of party members (not far of the Lib Dems) like them or not that's massive progress for a young political party. The greens on the other hand have stagnated and don't receive the media attention that UKIP do.

Not a fan of any political party so ill be voting on who I would prefer as PM and Farage wins hands down on personality than the others

 

[Dell Boy]

Not a fan of any political party so ill be voting on who I would prefer as PM and Farage wins hands down on personality than the others

But Farage has no chance whatsoever of being PM?!

I personally am all for UKIP only in the sense that they might single handily destroy the Tories.

 

[EverBlue86]

But Farage has no chance whatsoever of being PM?!

I personally am all for UKIP only in the sense that they might single handily destroy the Tories.

I don't not vote as to vote is a big democratic privilege many people take for granted and don't bother, but I don't like any of the 3 main leaders all of them robot politicians.

There is a political power vacuum in this country, the Lib Dems are ruined and people are increasingly seeing little to no difference in labour and the conservatives. That and the inevitable increase in EU federalism and the increase in the UK ' S population and the negative effects it has on the NHS, schools and housing is a big breeding ground for UKIP to exploit, the fact they are the 2nd party in both the labour north and the tory south (London aside) highlights this.

The greens also have a big chance to exploit this power vacuum but they're policies only really appeal to ex lib dems and the socialist ideologically committed labour voters (which is quite small when you consider the amount of labour voters often hold right wing views on many areas, but vote labour "because they always have done" or "to keep those tories out"

 

[Dell Boy]

@EverBlue86 I hear what you say - and there's definitely a serious void in the current English political landscape. As an Irish nationalist I could never vote for the Tories. I just couldn't even aside from their selfish doctrine. The Lib Dems are a joke and the Labour party has staggered from one balls up to another since it left power. I can't vote for the Greens as I have a big heavy engine car and frankly haven't ever spend more than 10 seconds thinking about the environment.

UKIP? Not for me as I'm a huge supporter of the EU. Also any party that attracts the right wingers from the Tories screams alarm bells for me.

 

[moyeslovechild]

A socialist party would get nowhere in this country mate, as it'd never be trusted by those old enough to remember the last days of the old school Labour Party.

But I'd agree that there's a political void.

we just need a change of the landscape mate. socialism is a dirty word, not particularly because of the past but because we have a right wing media and political parties desperate to stay on the side of that right wing media. Tories have bloody Thatcher in their history, i think shes just as hated as Socialism is (obviously theres a split between the country mind, but both issues are divisive is what im trying to say, yet it hasnt stopped tories being elected)

The lack of a real alternative to the neo liberal parties has resulted in massive apathy. need an alternative, i think if a Socialist party was to get some support and there was a real grass roots movement, itd get more backing than you think, it would atleast put some pressure on Labour to differentiate themselves from the TOries. cant see it happening though. Unfortunately the people who lean that way are a lot less organised and fractured. Its easy for the other side. Blame the foreigners, blame the Public institutions, blame the poor people.

 

[Dell Boy]

I'd like to see a political party in the UK that was:

- massively behind public services. With proper investment and an aversion to any form of privatisation
- not afraid to increase individual taxation but, at same time, recognises benefits of low corporation tax
- pro Europe
- no nonsense on crime & punishment (esp benefit fraud)
- anti monarchy & House of Lords

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I'd like to see a political party in the UK that was:

- massively behind public services. With proper investment and an aversion to any form of privatisation
- not afraid to increase individual taxation but, at same time, recognises benefits of low corporation tax
- pro Europe
- no nonsense on crime & punishment (esp benefit fraud)
- anti monarchy & House of Lords

I don't get this. You've said in your previous post to this one that you think all of the political parties of the current age are awful, yet in this one you want them to have a monopoly on the provision of important services.

 

[Dell Boy]

I don't get this. You've said in your previous post to this one that you think all of the political parties of the current age are awful, yet in this one you want them to have a monopoly on the provision of important services.

No I want high quality politicians.

Ideally I'd want a new political party but that's just not going to happen.

In theory I believe public services such as health and education should never be nationalised.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

No I want high quality politicians.

Ideally I'd want a new political party but that's just not going to happen.

In theory I believe public services such as health and education should never be nationalised.

Hang on, now I am confused You said in your previous post that you had an aversion to privatisation, and in the one quoted that you think health/education should never be nationalised.

 

[Dell Boy]

Hang on, now I am confused lol You said in your previous post that you had an aversion to privatisation, and in the one quoted that you think health/education should never be nationalised.

Typo! I don't think public services should ever be privatised. Sorry

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Typo! I don't think public services should ever be privatised. Sorry

Do you mind if I ask why?