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The 2017 GE & Politics Thread


Ekona

  

52 members have voted

  1. 1. Who are you voting for?

    • Conservative
      30
    • Labour
      13
    • Lib Dem
      5
    • SNP
      2
    • Other
      2


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Its not actually a real leadership debate from how I read it - the leaders will be handed questions to answer from the public. The actual 7 party debate indicates that senior representatives of each party will attend and be moderated. So its likely TM and JC will not attend and send someone in their place, who if they do a bad job will be hung out to dry.

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Agreed, it's the wrong call completely. If, as that article says, two-thirds of people are on non-fixed tariffs and could save money simply by making a 10min phonecall, then surely that's their problem? Ofgem already checks for unjustified price hikes anyway.

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Labour first up http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php/manifesto2017

 

A raft of spending and getting the well off to pay more. Feels very high risk to me...if Brexit doesn't work as well as we like despite us being strong and stable, the income expected from corporation tax could plummet and leave a huge hole. It does feel very old Labour...

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I think it's a clever play by labour. If we've learned anything from the political climate of the last two years, it's that the unwashed and uneducated who are easily swayed by sensationalism and blaming their problems on others (such as the rich elite), now dramatically outnumber the financial and intellectual elite. Greek referendum, eurocrisis, brexit, trump, etc etc. If they play this campaign well, they could turn it around based solely on the Robin Hood tax policies. Or should I say Corbyn Hood. Who doesn't love a good Robin Hood story of socking it the establshment to pay the 'poor downtrodden souls' who didn't feel education was important when it was available to them for free, but now feel that they are owed an easy job for life?

 

I started ranting again...sorry.

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Its a fair point - somewhat ironically the best manifesto is the one aimed at people that have no desire to read manifestos :lol: we are in an environment of blame mentality, moreso than I can remember for decades. The only thing holding back Labour from making inroads is the leader himself...

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He's my favourite bit! If only he was more stable. And stronger. I hate a leader who can't lift big objects and falls over going round corners! Also you need one who's at ease with the people, never hidden away. Comfortable during big time debates, like on the One Show.

 

I got a pre-copy of the Tory manifesto (don't tell the press!)

 

- Forgiengers did it and then ran away.

- The other stuff was done by the scroungers, leaving the bankers to pick up the pieces.

- Taking from the pockets of nearly everyone, but don't worry, not a privileged few.

- Let's not go back to the 1970s, when people could afford to buy homes and the NHS worked.

- Red, white and blue Brexit.

- Also, do you remember when there were no foreigners?

 

;)

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The problem with democracy isn't the governments, it's the people. We're a bunch of vengeful bastards, who will cut off our noses to spite our own faces.

 

Case 1: 52% of people voted brexit, a tiny tiny majority. following that, when several million people realised that the revenge vote they cast against the status quo had actually won through, they were like 'oops, I didn't actually want to leave, I just wanted to look like I care and make a statement, I wanted to make it close', and several million people registered their desire to change their minds. Fast forward 6 months, and the EU has been a right arse through all of this, playing super-hardball, and when another poll is taken....guess what? It seems that now Scheuble insulted the relevancy of the English language, people are like 'oh well, he's gone too far, now I don't want back into Europe, even if it is what's best for the entire world, because that sausage eater devalued me!' Pathetic.

 

Case 2: The Greeks. For decades, two main political parties, very similar to Tory/Labour stole the entire nation's wealth like it would never run out. So, the crisis comes down and things start going to crap, what is needed is experienced and stable government (or should I say stable and strong), under the current circumstances, there's no way the kind of grand theft that was happening could continue, no matter what, it's not like if you voted for the people who stole from you they would steal from you again, there's no way they could, all the beans are now counted. But no, the Greeks didn't care about that, they wanted revenge. 'I'm not voting for one of those bastards that got us where we are now, let's vote for this right wing upstart who has no experience and expect that he'll be able to lead a country out of one of the worst, if not THE worst financial crisis any country has ever faced outside wartime (or aftermath of such)'. The result is evident. They didn't know what they were doing and things got yet worse. Blame the stupid people.

 

Democracy must die. I don't have a better idea, but I know this isn't working. The mindless, vengeful majority will lead us over the cliff like the lemmings we are.

Edited by Aashenfox
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Labour first up http://www.labour.or...p/manifesto2017

 

A raft of spending and getting the well off to pay more. Feels very high risk to me...if Brexit doesn't work as well as we like despite us being strong and stable, the income expected from corporation tax could plummet and leave a huge hole. It does feel very old Labour...

 

As Ive just posted elsewhere:

Mr Corbyn - are you intending to also come round to my house and kick me squarely in the bollocks once a week for your term?

Short version of manifesto: increase cost of employment to small businesses substantially, increase Corp Tax (but dont say by how much), make a load of promises you cant actually back up on Brexit and have a good crack at destroying contract recruitment companies and private schools while youre there.

We'll still pay and inordate amount of money for white elephants like Trident and HS2 though.

Also very interested to know where the money for nationalising everything will come from, 150+ years potential future profits dont come cheap.

Only bit I can really praise is the aboliton of uni fees, I had hoped there might be some decent progression in there but its like a socialist tick book exercise.

For the record I own a small contract recruitment company and the missus is a private school teacher, but even without that its just a wishlist IMO.

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A raise in corporation tax (which will need to bring in around 75% of the billions they need to fund everything) whilst we leave the EU is just ridiculous. But as Fox said, the interests of Labour are to appease the masses out there with pitch forks and torches rather than plan for the future of the country.

 

I think there should be a fee on university fees, but it should be capped much lower than it is now. I was at uni in the 90's and the amount of people rocking up to do degrees who really were not into it was a joke. There should be a fee (say £2k-£3k a year) to put off the drifters who are wasting university spaces but also very achievable and pay-back-able for those having to borrow to pay it.

 

And yes nationalising, costs a fortune and guarantees little, except maybe strikes? ;)

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I agree about uni fees. Yes they are ridiculous now, but when i went 10 years ago, it was a fair amount. I think uni application needs to be more based on academic prowess rather than buying your way in, but there still needs to be a fee. The issue with uni is, IF labour gets in: no fees = higher attendance = labours success speech next election will run "under labour we saw a dramatic increase in people attending university yay us!" The issue we had in the late 90's/early 00's was that most (ok a lot of) people finished uni and couldn't get a job, or they got jobs in a field they didn't study in. The only person i know who uses their degree is the SO, who did English, and now teaches GCSE and A level English. I also did English and wonder if I'd be in exactly the same job now if I didn't attend uni.

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As I remember, policy changed early 90s so that the more students uni's got the more money they got BUT they could literally allocate people anywhere. In clearing people with A levels in one subject could fill up unpopular courses without the required qualifications just because by having them there the uni got more money. Uni's offered more spaces, more courses, some courses which were just pointless, just to up the numbers. Then government realised that they were paying a fortune for the fees, that too many people were attaining them and that they devalued a degree's worth. Solution was to in draconian style slap a big fee on it. Problem is that it makes uni a privileged attainment now rather than something intelligence based...

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Why bother scrapping tuition fees? You already have the student vote, so appealing to them is a waste of time and money.

 

Trying to be non-biased on this one, I'd say it's a manifesto of thirds. A third I agree wholeheartedly with (deliver superfast broadband, pay ratio cap in the public sector), a third I totally disagree with (any privatisation, scrapping NHS pay cap, extending HS2, levy on salaries above £330K), and a third I think is just utterly nonsensical and wonder where on earth they expect to find all the money trees required (more free childcare, more police, actually delivering superfast broadband!) :lol:

 

 

45p rate for over £80K, hey? Sounds like a winner, doesn't it? Oh wait, doesn't that just happen to be fractionally above the basic amount an MP earns? Why yes it is! Isn't that surprising?

 

It's pie in the sky wishful thinking, and there's no way the sums add up. Like I said, some of it I think is a wonderful idea in a perfect world where we're all rich, but hammering f*ck out of the wealth creators of the country isn't the way to do it.

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I have one. He's one of my best mates even though we live half a country apart, such a lovely guy but he's a fruit loop over Labour. Or rather, anti-Tory.

 

I also have another couple who are proper champagne socialists, but you can have a perfectly reasoned debate with them and everything is discussed amicably.

 

It's all very odd.

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