It was twenty years ago today ...

[ROSM]

The reason they did not win was that the majority of have nothings liked the idea of debt and how easy it was.....until asked to pay it back

and the freeloading. Don't forget the freeloading. And the getting huge pensions. And what about those who get vast benefits negotiated by those mast unions? Or is that last group okay?

 

[Beach Hut]

Mast unions ? Well Hello Sailor !!!

Wahay the lefties have finally woken up at last.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

and the freeloading. Don't forget the freeloading. And the getting huge pensions. And what about those who get vast benefits negotiated by those mast unions? Or is that last group okay?

Given conservatism is about naked self-interest of course the last group is okay.

 

[ROSM]

Mast unions ? Well Hello Sailor !!!

Wahay the lefties have finally woken up at last.

There's no need to even wake up to catch the hypocrisy of your average Tory. Are you (literally) enjoying the gravy train?

And to your last comment. There is nothing wrong per se with debt. It becomes a higher issue when in dealing with it you spend more money on gifts to your friends rather than using it to maintain or increase your income levels.

 

[Beach Hut]

There's no need to even wake up to catch the hypocrisy of your average Tory. Are you (literally) enjoying the gravy train?

And to your last comment. There is nothing wrong per se with debt. It becomes a higher issue when in dealing with it you spend more money on gifts to your friends rather than using it to maintain or increase your income levels.

Loving it, thanks

Good old Dave makes sense finally from the previous cock ups.

So it is fine to increase your income with loans you cannot pay off - hmmmm

 

[ROSM]

Loving it, thanks

Good old Dave makes sense finally from the previous cock ups.

So it is fine to increase your income with loans you cannot pay off - hmmmm

You understand what Cameron is doing? That puts you ahead of half the Tory MPs. Can you explain the big society or the health reforms too?

And who said anything about increasing income with loans? Of course that is what is currently happening since osborne killed growth and took cash out of the economy in the last budget. Cos that policy is working soooooo well in the eurozone.

 

[clapham_gull]

Funny thing about Dave and Gideon is that Thatcher would have had them for breakfast. She hated people like that.

That's the thing about the blue rinse brigade though, they don't really understand the party they vote for.

Thatcher would have had a bit more time for Boris, definitely more self made and from a family who worked hard to enter the higher echelons of society.

You can understand why Dave and Gideon hate Boris, he is far more likely to win a general election. Problem is that the Tory establishment don't trust him and no-one has clue what his politics are. Made a huge name for himself as a Euro Sceptic journalist in the 90s but probably didn't believe a word of what he was writing.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I met a bloke in the pub today who knew the young Gideon Osborne and his family. He had a few amusing stories involving Lord Lucan, John Aspinall, 120mph racing along the A2, April Ashley, and turning up to do your 'O' levels, wearing a top hat and tails, "because it's Ladies' Day at Ascot".

 

[clapham_gull]

I met a bloke in the pub today who knew the young Gideon Osborne and his family. He had a few amusing stories involving Lord Lucan, John Aspinall, 120mph racing along the A2, April Ashley, and turning up to do your 'O' levels, wearing a top hat and tails, "because it's Ladies' Day at Ascot".

But did you get a deal on the wallpaper ?

 

[GreersElbow]

The recession actually had a detrimental effect on Labour's election chances.

I don't think so, I think after 13 years of labour, people just got sick of them. I don't blame them, I am a labour supporter (well was till Ed was elected), I think it was generally people wanted a new fresh look at things. That however has turned around now judging by opinion polls. I don't think everyone bought into the Tories' "It was labour's fault for the recession, or this mess" considering they supported the budgets set during Darling as chancellor.

If Scotland goes independent, then Britain will more than likely be ruled by the Conservative Party (the term, "elected dictatorship" comes into mind) Whilst I respect that people will vote for them, if Scotland leaves, I believe England and Wales will require electoral reform, as we'll just be ran by one party. This will also mean the Labour Party will have to shift more to the right of the political spectrum to pick up floating votes. I'm all for the Conservatives if they're elected and win a majority, just don't want to go down the NHS out-right privatisation route, which I think would be disastrous unless we seriously looked at how Singapore models its healthcare system.

 

[GreersElbow]

Loving it, thanks

Good old Dave makes sense finally from the previous cock ups.

So it is fine to increase your income with loans you cannot pay off - hmmmm

Could you explain how Labour exactly cocked up? Budget deficits are common amongst nations, and during a recession economic output decreases, GDP contracts as businesses aren't producing/selling and have to cut back on spending resulting in job losses and governments having to borrow a bit more to pay for services to be ran. Debts don't have to be paid back in a few years, most bonds are extended over decades or in some cases; 100 years.

Labour didn't do enough to explain this, and the Conservatives jumped on this.

this graph shows budgets per year, Labour's were no higher than Thatcher's, and a lot lower than Major's. I can't find detailed reports on what Major spent all of these on. However, Labour were only continuing what previous governments were doing.

 

[public school boy]

Hopefully they will stay in power for the next 20 years.

 

[User removed 4]

It's a long time since I worked in the public sector. I now work for a not-for-profit voluntary sector organisation. This current Tory government is throwing public funding at organisations like mine, far more than New Labour ever did. I'd be happier if the government knew WHY they were doing this, though.

Still a gravy train, just taking it from the charity rather than the taxpayer this time.

 

[User removed 4]

Life has indeed been pretty good for all of us who got the benefit of free NHS orange juice, a free coronation mug, free school milk, the music of the sixties, student grants, free higher education, affordable mortgages for first time buyers and a job that was protected by widespread trade union membership.

The pension thing only started to go wrong when the Thatcher government started to believe that they understood things better and started to prioritise tax cuts over employers' contributions to pension funds - encouraging under-funding of pensions and the growth of an unsustainable deficit in the public pension pot. This should have been spotted much earlier than it was, by the bunch of over-paid actuaries and public finance advisors who couldn't see beyond the end of the next financial year. Sadly (for everyone) this didn't happen and we are all now suffering. Especially subsequent generations.

Don't blame the workers who paid into the pension pot throughout their working lives, either directly (as I did) or through deliberately restricted pay (as other parts of the public sector endured). And if you do want to blame us, just remember ... all that free NHS orange juice has set us up well to deal with any difficulties life puts in our way.

Nothing to do with Gordon Brown meddling with ACT on pensions then ??

 

[Randsta]

End of the day they all are self serving and do nothing for me!