Ed Milliband..... I do believe he's got it.

[Don Quixote]

He will be the next prime minister.

 

[Don Quixote]

Ok lets talk about principles and not past failures then. I think this little story sums it up nicely. (And no, it isn't actually me in the story, and I have never voted Tory fwiw)


Recently, whilst I was working in the flower beds in the front garden, my neighbours stopped to chat as they returned home from walking their dog. During our friendly conversation, I asked their 12 year old daughter what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be Prime Minister one day. Both of her parents – Labour Party voters - were standing there, so I asked her: "If you were Prime Minister what would be the 1st thing you would do?"
She replied, "I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people."
Her parents beamed with pride!
"Wow, what a worthy goal!" I said. "But you don't have to wait until you're Prime Minister to do that!" I told her.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
So I told her: "You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, trim my hedge and I'll pay you £50. Then you can go down to the Town Centre, find a homeless man and can give him the £50 to buy food." She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Why doesn't the homeless man come over and do the work and you can just pay him the £50?"
I said, "Welcome to the Conservative Party.

So what's the moral to this story, that homeless people don't work so they deserve to be homeless?

 

[cunning fergus]

Miliband is just another millionaire socialist trying to represent himself as a man of the people, but he is not.......he's a f***ing liar.

Normal kids don't upbringing where powerful politicians are popping round for afternoon tea, and neither of the Milibands would be where they both are today (i.e. powerful millionaires) if it wasn't for the patronage and influence of their millionaire Marxist father.

Whilst providing insights into the old man it would have been nice if Edward had used his old man's real name.......Adolph no less, and reflected how on his arrival in Britain after escaping the Germans Adolph Miliband made a reference in his diary that the self confidence of the British was so high he felt strongly that defeat to the Germans was they only way to shake their confidence. What a nice man.

His boys have certainly done their best to shake the confidence and self belief of this country since they became powerful. Prime Minister? f*** that, he's just another hypocritical pig, (two legs good etc.) he should be chucked in the oven with the other pigs........of which there are plenty.

 

[HovaGirl]

It is an absurd story as it suggests the Tories are the only ones interested in self empowerment and the Labour party are only interested in helping the victim. How come, historically, the unemployment rate has always risen under the Conservatives then?

That's not true. Unemployment soared in the 70s under Labour. Don't your remember the poster which won the Tories the 1979 General Election: "Labour Isn't Working"?

 

[HovaGirl]

In all fairness, Thatcher was more unpopular at this point of her tenure than all of Blair, Brown, Call me Dave, Balls and Clegg put together so I wouldn't read to much into it.

Frankly, after the previous period of destruction of this country by a Labour Administration, Mrs Thatcher had the guts to do what Cameron hasn't got the guts to do - pare public spending to the bone because the country was so much in debt. I didn't agree with her at the time, when I was a Labour voter, but now I understand why she did what she did.

 

[HovaGirl]

All well and good, but you wont get people in this country working for less and thats where the problem lies.

The Minimum Wage sounds like a humanitarian ideal, but it has lost us millions of jobs to East Europeans and other foreigners willing to work for less than the minimum wage in backhanders in a black economy. But that's Labour all over - the politics of guilt. Labour's tactic to get people to vote for them is to imply that if you support the Conservatives, then you are a greedy, grasping wannabe aristocrat, whereas if you support Labour, you are a caring saviour of the poor and other victims.

 

[HovaGirl]

Was amused by the fact Ed Milliband was talking about a policy for a new vocational qualification called the Technical Baccalaureate. Would this technical qualification need Technical Colleges, or where the college teaches more than one subject, they could call it a Polytechnic?

Yeah, and they could shut down a few pseudo-universities and call them Polytechnics.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Crikey this is tough going, " I should have explained by " reasonable rates " I include the terms and conditions as well.

However, I seem to be in a minority here in that I think we really have a busted country with little hope for the future. I can't see how the coalition have done anything to change our slide in to a nation where the majority of its people are living close to poverty with little hope of it changing. I am not sure if he and the Labour Party can really turn it round but his grasp of the county's problems is correct and will strike a chord with many people.

Of course, you can carry on throwing in references to Blair, Brown, illegal wars etc or try to minutely dismember some little facet of this post to prove a small point or examine its grammar, but that is just trying to deflect from the overall truth that Ed Milliband has got it right. A whole generation is growing up without hope.

good post

 

[Deleted member 22389]

The Minimum Wage sounds like a humanitarian ideal, but it has lost us millions of jobs to East Europeans and other foreigners willing to work for less than the minimum wage in backhanders in a black economy. But that's Labour all over - the politics of guilt. Labour's tactic to get people to vote for them is to imply that if you support the Conservatives, then you are a greedy, grasping wannabe aristocrat, whereas if you support Labour, you are a caring saviour of the poor and other victims.

I don't think anyone can dispute the contribution Eastern Europeans and workers from outside the EU have made to this country has been great. My problem with mass immigration has always been the pressures it is putting on our services such as schools, hospitals, doctors and the welfare system. It's not fair on people who have paid in to the system for years to end up receiving a degraded service due to government cut backs, and because of the extra costs associated with allowing all these extra people in to the system. We will eventually get to the stage, where we will not have enough housing or services to cope with the demand of mass immigration in the future.

I do believe that people coming to live and work in this country should pay a bit more in tax for at least 5 years, which would then give them the entitlement to all our other benefits, and I do believe they should have the funds all ready in place to able to fund their stay over here so they don't immediately become a burden on the system, and also have the necessary qualifications. It's not too much to ask, it's being fair and it's protecting the system that our parents and grandparents have paid in to for years. Things like the NHS are fanstastic, but if we are not careful I can see this going.

None of the above really seems to be happening. I agree it is getting a lot tougher to get in to this country, but it's still not enough in my opinion.

Labour's policy on immigration is poor. They don't really want to talk about it, or tackle the real issues. Millibands idea of cutting immigration levels is to get rid of gang masters and make sure everyone gets the minimum wage so that British workers don't get undercut, that is not really going to solve the problem is it, It's weak. Milliband talks about a United Britain, what the hell does it all mean? It sounds like that thing Brown said, British jobs for British workers.

This and many other reasons are why I don't want Labour running this country. It would be a disaster.

 

[Silkster365]

The country should be run by a large computer

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I don't think anyone can dispute the contribution Eastern Europeans and workers from outside the EU have made to this country has been great. My problem with mass immigration has always been the pressures it is putting on our services such as schools, hospitals, doctors and the welfare system. It's not fair on people who have paid in to the system for years to end up receiving a degraded service due to government cut backs, and because of the extra costs associated with allowing all these extra people in to the system. We will eventually get to the stage, where we will not have enough housing or services to cope with the demand of mass immigration in the future.

I do believe that people coming to live and work in this country should pay a bit more in tax for at least 5 years, which would then give them the entitlement to all our other benefits, and I do believe they should have the funds all ready in place to able to fund their stay over here so they don't immediately become a burden on the system, and also have the necessary qualifications. It's not too much to ask, it's being fair and it's protecting the system that our parents and grandparents have paid in to for years. Things like the NHS are fanstastic, but if we are not careful I can see this going.

None of the above really seems to be happening. I agree it is getting a lot tougher to get in to this country, but it's still not enough in my opinion.

Labour's policy on immigration is poor. They don't really want to talk about it, or tackle the real issues. Millibands idea of cutting immigration levels is to get rid of gang masters and make sure everyone gets the minimum wage so that British workers don't get undercut, that is not really going to solve the problem is it, It's weak. Milliband talks about a United Britain, what the hell does it all mean? It sounds like that thing Brown said, British jobs for British workers.

This and many other reasons are why I don't want Labour running this country. It would be a disaster.

That may be true, but you'll have to remind me what the Tory policy on immigration is. All I see is big talk and no action.

"get rid of gang masters and make sure everyone gets the minimum wage" is not a bad policy as a stand-alone

 

[Deleted member 22389]

That may be true, but you'll have to remind me what the Tory policy on immigration is. All I see is big talk and no action.

"get rid of gang masters and make sure everyone gets the minimum wage" is not a bad policy as a stand-alone

True, the Tories don't either. Your right its all big talk and no action.

 

[scarby]

The Minimum Wage sounds like a humanitarian ideal, but it has lost us millions of jobs to East Europeans and other foreigners willing to work for less than the minimum wage in backhanders in a black economy. But that's Labour all over - the politics of guilt. Labour's tactic to get people to vote for them is to imply that if you support the Conservatives, then you are a greedy, grasping wannabe aristocrat, whereas if you support Labour, you are a caring saviour of the poor and other victims.

totally agree

 

[User removed 4]

The Minimum Wage sounds like a humanitarian ideal, but it has lost us millions of jobs to East Europeans and other foreigners willing to work for less than the minimum wage in backhanders in a black economy. But that's Labour all over - the politics of guilt. Labour's tactic to get people to vote for them is to imply that if you support the Conservatives, then you are a greedy, grasping wannabe aristocrat, whereas if you support Labour, you are a caring saviour of the poor and other victims.

Dont agree with you there Hova Girl, the minimum wage is a good thing, what has cost us jobs are the wankers who let hundreds of thousands of immigrants in, and the people who will employ them off the books.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

However, I seem to be in a minority here in that I think we really have a busted country with little hope for the future.

As things stand you are spot on. We currently have a government who's "plan a" is failing on its own merits by any measure you choose to use. The next generation and the future of our country are currently 35% unemployed with no jobs or even training schemes in place. We make nothing. We are obsessed with service industry which is the first thing to take a hit when times are bad. We are edging slowing into the slow lane of Europe with a "special" relationship with the US which has given us nothing but taken a lot. It's Britain, not Great Britain.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Dont agree with you there Hova Girl, the minimum wage is a good thing, what has cost us jobs are the wankers who let hundreds of thousands of immigrants in, and the people who will employ them off the books.

The minimum wage is a good thing for sure. And immigration isn't the issue, it's as you rightly point out people who employ anyone under the minimum wage.

 

[Lokki 7]

So what's the moral to this story, that homeless people don't work so they deserve to be homeless?

Yes, that's obviously it well done.

Blimey I'm getting a lot of stick for posting a JOKE. So if you prefer I'll post a famous saying which most of you probably know anyway. It's a para-phrase from Mrs Thatch whilst prime minister.

The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Yeah, and they could shut down a few pseudo-universities and call them Polytechnics.

I agree with this. Carve up academia and the more vocational types of study into universities and polys, get rid of nonsense degrees as well. Bring back CSEs and O and A levels.

 

[User removed 4]

The minimum wage is a good thing for sure. And immigration isn't the issue, it's as you rightly point out people who employ anyone under the minimum wage.

Of course immigration is part of the issue, it has given even legal employers a huge pool of cheap labour which has effectively undercut the native british workforce, not to mention the huge numbers of illegals and legals who are willing to work for low rates in the black economy.

 

[Lokki 7]

I agree with this. Carve up academia and the more vocational types of study into universities and polys, get rid of nonsense degrees as well. Bring back CSEs and O and A levels.

Don't agree with much of your general sentiment but this makes complete sense. As bushy posted earlier in the thread the only way out of this mire is to be more competitive as a nation and one key foundation for this is an efficient, modern and industry tailored education system at all levels. This does not mean throw money at the system, we tried that under Blair and it is not the answer.