Nice one DAVE........

[Lammy]

What I would like to see is one of the party be honest, and state that they will either run the NHS properly, or let a consortia take it over with it still be free at the point of delivery.

I can only speak from personal experience, but the moral at the RSCH, is at an all time low. Ward mangers and their number twos are having to re apply for their jobs at present, as two wards are closing. That tied in with the lack of social care or rehab places in the community, adds to what is continually called bed blocking.

Exactley, Whilst Labour have indeed thrown a load of money at the NHS over the last 10 years or so it has made very little difference. Here we are 10 years on, not enough beds, long waiting lists, department closures.

Let's look at education. Well I'm glad I didn't have to pay for fees when I went to University at the same time as my Sister. Not sure what my parents would have done. I would still be paying of debt well into my 30s.

Politicians (of all parties) need to realise that just throwing money at a problem does not make it go away. It needs better management and better use of the resources it has.

I actually think the NHS won't last the next 10 years. People are more affluent these days and want the choice. We are all now expecting and demanding a better standard. When we go to hospital we want to be treated like customers not like we should be counting ourselves lucky to have a bed!

 

[Moshe Gariani]

agree that the current Tories are a shower

they need to be far more radical

they should abolish the higher rate of income tax altogether and pay for it by restricting free education and health care to the genuinely needy (i.e. disableds etc who can't go out and earn their own money)

this would mean billions of extra pounds staying with the people who earned it - they could then choose what to spend it on... those people who don't have kids or get ill very often would be quids in and it would ensure that schools and hospitals would have to perform well or close down

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

If this 80s revival really starts up, I'm going to buy a pair of sky blue Lois cords and a Sergio Tacchini t-shirt from Wisdens.

Marvellous fashion sense. May I also recommend a pair of Adidas superstar trainers...without laces natch. Oh and one pink dayglo sock and one yellow dayglo sock.

If not maybe a nice pair of Nike or Filas

 

[Rougvie]

Unsurprisingly the usual suspects giving the Daily New Labour Sermon.

Whats wrong with wanting to build up a businees and earn as much money as possible so that I can live in a nice area, send my kids to private school and retire to France at 50, how unfashionable it is to have ambition these days. I certainly dont want to give it all away in taxes.

Sorry, I will give all my business's profits away to the homeless and Asylum seekers next year

 

[El Presidente]

Whats wrong with wanting to build up a businees and earn as much money as possible so that I can live in a nice area, send my kids to private school and retire to France at 50, how unfashionable it is to have ambition these days. I certainly dont want to give it all away in taxes.

I do run my own business, send both my kids to private schools, have a nice big house, and still manage to pay my taxes.

If there are people less fortunate than me I have no problem with the government providing a safety net for the genuinely sick, old, handicapped, suffering and so on. What is wrong with that, the more you have the more you can help is my view.

And if it had not been for the Labour party pioneering higher education a generation ago I would have none of the above.

 

[BensGrandad]

Unsurprisingly the usual suspects giving the Daily New Labour Sermon.

Whats wrong with wanting to build up a businees and earn as much money as possible so that I can live in a nice area, send my kids to private school and retire to France at 50, how unfashionable it is to have ambition these days. I certainly dont want to give it all away in taxes.

Sorry, I will give all my business's profits away to the homeless and Asylum seekers next year

And to add to that why when he dies having worked to give his family the best he can i.e a nice house etc should his children or wife have to pay a further tax on what he leaves them, eg if they decide to sell the house, for whatever reason, especially if he has paid tax on the money he earnt to buy those things in the first place.

 

[Dover]

I do run my own business, send both my kids to private schools, have a nice big house, and still manage to pay my taxes.

If there are people less fortunate than me I have no problem with the government providing a safety net for the genuinely sick, old, handicapped, suffering and so on. What is wrong with that, the more you have the more you can help is my view.

And if it had not been for the Labour party pioneering higher education a generation ago I would have none of the above.

I have no busness interests, or kids, but the rest I fully agree with.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

I cant remember who said it on here but I can "hear a thousand left wings flapping"

As usual someone on this mesage board thinks that left wingers see the Tories as something different to New Labour, they don't there isn't much of a difference between them really. Left wingers flap that New Labour are in power!

 

[Rougvie]

What is wrong with that, the more you have the more you can help is my view.

I dont disagree, but being a small business and earning over the 40% threshold I am taxed to the hilt and I like many others I talk to, why does it have to be us that the government turn to FIRST to bail them out.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

What's all this about private schools being the dog's danglies? Even if I was left an unexpected legacy by Laskhmi Mittal and Roman Abramovich (or if one of Glover's tips came in, whichever was more profitable) then I'd still send any kids I had to a state school.

Is it sad or wrong of me to think that it should be the job of society to educate our young and heal our sick?

It is, after all, what we pay taxes for...

 

[Barrel of Fun]

And if it had not been for the Labour party pioneering higher education a generation ago I would have none of the above.

One thing that bemuses me is that people stay completely loyal to a party, as they did something well a long time ago.

Have Labour done anything that directly benefits me, here and now, since they came into power? I can't think of anything. I am worse off - Student loan, renting a house etc. I am not a keyworker, so I really can't see me being able to buy a flat in the near future. So much of my money leaks out each month. I am unable to make any real savings to buy a flat and by the time I have enough for the prices now, they will have risen even further!

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

...and there's another thing. How do people reach the conclusion that government policy is responsible for house prices?

 

[Trufflehound]

And if it had not been for the Labour party pioneering higher education a generation ago....

If Wikipedia is to be believed then I think you'll find that was actually the Chinese in the 21st Century BC...

 

[Starry]

What's all this about private schools being the dog's danglies? Even if I was left an unexpected legacy by Laskhmi Mittal and Roman Abramovich (or if one of Glover's tips came in, whichever was more profitable) then I'd still send any kids I had to a state school.

Is it sad or wrong of me to think that it should be the job of society to educate our young and heal our sick?

It is, after all, what we pay taxes for...

I realise there are some bad private schools around and good state schools, but would you really send your child to a failing state school, to be in a class with 30 other children when you could send them to a thriving private school and be in a class with 12 others and stuff? Just because we pay our taxes...?

I believe in state education but my children are in private schools because there are no good state schools in our area or any that would meet the needs of my children succesfully.

 

[Napper]

One thing that bemuses me is that people stay completely loyal to a party, as they did something well a long time ago.

Have Labour done anything that directly benefits me, here and now, since they came into power? I can't think of anything. I am worse off - Student loan, renting a house etc. I am not a keyworker, so I really can't see me being able to buy a flat in the near future. So much of my money leaks out each month. I am unable to make any real savings to buy a flat and by the time I have enough for the prices now, they will have risen even further!

but under torys you would may be of got a home but would of lost it due to ridiculous interest rates. Thats assuming you wern't one of the 4 million unemployed that is

 

[Man of Harveys]

High house prices are not caused by Labour - don't believe this crap about them being driven higher by immigrants, that's the usual "dump all the blame on the foreigners" shite. If anything, they're a bad side effect of a successful, stable economy. Not great but just not a party political issue at all.

If anything and I don't know but I'd imagine the Tories would generally be in favour of freeing up borrowing to allow people to borrow even more money that they've no intention of ever paying back.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

I realise there are some bad private schools around and good state schools, but would you really send your child to a failing state school, to be in a class with 30 other children when you could send them to a thriving private school and be in a class with 12 others and stuff? Just because we pay our taxes...?

I believe in state education but my children are in private schools because there are no good state schools in our area or any that would meet the needs of my children succesfully.

That is the argument, and because I went to a reasonably good state school (Varndean ahoy!) I can't see it as well as some others.

However -- and I know I'm being idealistic here -- I don't think we should give up the fight so easily.

 

[Starry]

However -- and I know I'm being idealistic here -- I don't think we should give up the fight so easily.

I totally agree with that!

 

[DTES]

Well, I think it's all already been said: Where's the £21bn going to come from, or be cut from?

And (yes, I suppose this is my "left-wing flapping") I do agree with Clown of Pevensey Bay - it is our duty to educate our young and heal our sick.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

...and there's another thing. How do people reach the conclusion that government policy is responsible for house prices?

True, but the Govt. have reaped millions of punds from the rise in House prices.

I was using house prices as an example. A house is a relatively safe 'investment' and the obstacles that the younger generation face in getting onto the market, with extra costs that they have faced. Only now have the government started to address this with affordable/key worker housing. What if you are not a key worker!?