General Election 2015

[Blue Valkyrie]

Just going to vote for whoever will keep the local UKIP goon out to be honest

 

[Ernest]

Do you not care if the Labour fan boys become sick? I find it strange how some of you think the game of politics is more important than the actual issue of the problem with the health care system.

You're the ones advocating for cuts and top down reorganisation

 

[Titanic]

A & E figures another nail in the Tories coffin, hope none of the Tory fan boys or their families get sick before May

The A&E figures are the same as under the previous Labour administration. I can't see that it is really much of a story that casualty departments get a bit stretched in the winter months.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Think we all made that mistake of voting for Labour back in 1997. It was Blair that made me vote Labour, he made the Tories look old and tired at the time. A change was needed, but little did we know how much they would change this country. Never going back now, like yourself. I think this country needs a radical change now, from how we give out benefits, how we run our services, and control of our borders.

For many traditional Labour voters 1997 was the advent of Blue Labour and the death of radical politics in this country.

 

[Ernest]

The A&E figures are the same as under the previous Labour administration. I can't see that it is really much of a story that casualty departments get a bit stretched in the winter months.

Of course they are, compare them with the last year of the Labour government

 

[Deleted member 22389]

For many traditional Labour voters 1997 was the advent of Blue Labour and the death of radical politics in this country.

My whole family voted Labour. I remember my grandmother throwing stuff at the TV screen when thatcher used to come on. As I said Tory was dirty word in our household. How times have changed.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

The A&E figures are the same as under the previous Labour administration. I can't see that it is really much of a story that casualty departments get a bit stretched in the winter months.

Except that the Coalition altered the 4 hour waiting time target in A&E from 98% to 95% to try and wangle the figures.

 

[sydney]

sorry ..is this the binfest thread...??

 

[Triggaaar]

You're the ones advocating for cuts and top down reorganisation

I didn't. I don't like the cuts that the tories have made with the NHS. MPs are getting an 11% pay rise, and they're justifying it by saying it was determined by an independent body, but when another independent body suggests a pay rise for NHS staff, the tories say they can't afford it. I am aware of the issues in the NHS - my wife has had to go to Worthing today to help out with A&E (she doesn't normally work in Worthing or on A&E). I'm no fan of the tories, I just don't share your views, and I think Labour mess up our economy.

EDIT - re-reading that sounds like I'm against all cuts, which I am not. I do believe that our government needs to cut its spending. How and where that's done is not so easy. I didn't support or criticise top down reorganisation.

 

[jimbob5]

My whole family voted Labour. I remember my grandmother throwing stuff at the TV screen when thatcher used to come on. As I said Tory was dirty word in our household. How times have changed.

Not sure what you mean. Both major parties get less votes than they did 25/35 years ago. The Tories are still generally unpopular though Davey is Thatcher Ultra Light. The Tories and Labour to be fair both had iffy booms. The current 'good times' are on very dodgy foundations.

 

[Titanic]

In 2004 total A&E attendances in England were 17.8 million. 2014 figures are expected to be 23 million.

In the w/e 21st December 2014 there were 446,473 attendances at A&E departments in England. 82,258 of these required admission.

It is pretty amazing that services are holding up as well as they are, IMHO.

 

[Stato]

I'm still quite amazed at how the nation has bought the lie that the country's financial situation is down to profligate spending on the public sector. This link has a short explanation of the history of national debt:

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/debt_brief.php

This shows that the debt from 1997 to 2008 was not large and that the 2008 economic crisis was the rocket for national debt. Those hitting Brown's government with the spendthrift stick claim that they should have paid off debt when the economy was doing well. This ignores two points 1) that no other British Government has ever done this and 2) that the amount of debt foisted upon the public purse was so large that it would not have mattered if we had no debt when it happened, we would still have been up the creek.

I find it incredible that such an obvious lie has been swallowed as fact by the majority of the population. It seems very 1984. Adam Curtis's film on Screenwipe was a very good summary of the political times we live in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcy8uLjRHPM

 

[Westdene Seagull]

A & E figures another nail in the Tories coffin, hope none of the Tory fan boys or their families get sick before May

There would be more money for treatment and services if the NHS hadn't been hocked to an average of £115m a year per trust. Now remind me who lumbered the NHS with that debt ?

 

[Simster]

I'm still quite amazed at how the nation has bought the lie that the country's financial situation is down to profligate spending on the public sector. This link has a short explanation of the history of national debt:

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/debt_brief.php

This shows that the debt from 1997 to 2008 was not large and that the 2008 economic crisis was the rocket for national debt. Those hitting Brown's government with the spendthrift stick claim that they should have paid off debt when the economy was doing well. This ignores two points 1) that no other British Government has ever done this and 2) that the amount of debt foisted upon the public purse was so large that it would not have mattered if we had no debt when it happened, we would still have been up the creek.

I find it incredible that such an obvious lie has been swallowed as fact by the majority of the population. It seems very 1984. Adam Curtis's film on Screenwipe was a very good summary of the political times we live in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcy8uLjRHPM

Why do you find it incredible? There are a remarkable number of people who still think it is a good thing that we have an unelected head of state. And when she's replaced undemocratically with a complete simpleton who likes to have his unqualified opinion heeded on every single political issue, those same people will make excuses that "it's because he is passionate and cares" rather than admit the obvious.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Clegg will resign after the Lib Dems' poor showing.

He may not have to, every chance of him losing his seat

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

In 2004 total A&E attendances in England were 17.8 million. 2014 figures are expected to be 23 million.

In the w/e 21st December 2014 there were 446,473 attendances at A&E departments in England. 82,258 of these required admission.

It is pretty amazing that services are holding up as well as they are, IMHO.

Time to renegotiate GP contracts ? Too much burden is put on A&E and GPs should go back to providing out of hours cover in the evenings and weekends.

 

[beorhthelm]

I didn't. I don't like the cuts that the tories have made with the NHS.

there haven't been any cuts. interesting how a idea can take hold if it said enough. NHS budget was ring fenced at the beginning (along with Overseas Development aid) and has seen real-terms increases to keep up with inflation. it has been asked to find several billions of savings, in order for that to be reallocated to priority areas. prospective budget black holes are due to either unfunded spending plans or the fallout of horrendous PFI deals struck in the previous decade.

 

[Pavilionaire]

So, in summary: Labour throw the doors of the UK wide open > Mass immigration from the EU > Unpopular with voters > Creation of UKIP from the rump of the Tory party > UKIP nicks votes / MPs off the Tories > Labour favourites to be largest party in 2015 GE.

 

[beorhthelm]

I'm still quite amazed at how the nation has bought the lie that the country's financial situation is down to profligate spending on the public sector. This link has a short explanation of the history of national debt:

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/debt_brief.php

what these diagrams also show is an upward trend of debt from the beginning of the 00's, without a war or recession to cause it.

 

[Martlet]

I'm still quite amazed at how the nation has bought the lie that the country's financial situation is down to profligate spending on the public sector. This link has a short explanation of the history of national debt:

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/debt_brief.php

This shows that the debt from 1997 to 2008 was not large and that the 2008 economic crisis was the rocket for national debt. Those hitting Brown's government with the spendthrift stick claim that they should have paid off debt when the economy was doing well. This ignores two points 1) that no other British Government has ever done this and 2) that the amount of debt foisted upon the public purse was so large that it would not have mattered if we had no debt when it happened, we would still have been up the creek.

I find it incredible that such an obvious lie has been swallowed as fact by the majority of the population. It seems very 1984. Adam Curtis's film on Screenwipe was a very good summary of the political times we live in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcy8uLjRHPM

I don't have any great love towards the current administration, but this misses the point - sensibly-run countries do not go into a recession after a major period of economic success as much in debt as we were. You mend the roof when the sun shines.

Of course the debt ramps up during a recession - that's how you get out of it! You just need to make sure you don't start in a terrible place, which is what happened to us. And the reason? That the Labour government thought it had "put an end to boom and bust" and hence could keep spending through raising debt rather than taxes. Incidentally, another reason for the ramp-up is that much of New Labour debt was kept off the books at the time (Network Rail, PFI etc) and has now had to be recognised.