General Election 2015

[beorhthelm]

I thought most immigrants were stealing our benefits?

just the ones claiming them.

 

[pastafarian]

Thanks to Charlie Brookers weekly wipe I hae now heard Red Ed speak. He has a really weird voice.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Fine with me.

Ehhh .... it's one thing having a minority Labour government but you actually don't mind them having a partner that is against parliament because they want independence from the UK and the said parliament ? A bizarre theory to say the least.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Ehhh .... it's one thing having a minority Labour government but you actually don't mind them having a partner that is against parliament because they want independence from the UK and the said parliament ? A bizarre theory to say the least.

If they agree to work in the coalition then they will not be 'against parliament' will they?

 

[Greyrun]

Jesus. Is he still peddling this fallacy. Strip out the zero hours jobs, self-employed agency workers and the other fiddles and it looks very different.

Zero hour contracts and agency workers add up to less than 2.3 million out of a record employment figures of 31 million.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Zero hour contracts and agency workers add up to less than 2.3 million out of a record employment figures of 31 million.

Add in the minimum waged and the self-employed agency workers and it's a very sad state of affairs. It depresses me.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Add in the minimum waged and the self-employed agency workers and it's a very sad state of affairs. It depresses me.

Don't be depressed HT

 

[Greyrun]

Add in the minimum waged and the self-employed agency workers and it's a very sad state of affairs. It depresses me.

Why does self employment depress you, my wife's firm uses an agency paying between £150 and £350 a day.

 

[somerset]

Add in the minimum waged and the self-employed agency workers and it's a very sad state of affairs. It depresses me.

Why does it?, we live it, you don't........ I can tell you that I am not depressed about the economic figures, the employment figures, the inflation rate, the interest rates,........ I do get depressed about people telling me how I should live my life, especially if they dont even live in this country ...........

 

[Brovion]

If they agree to work in the coalition then they will not be 'against parliament' will they?

Well no, but you've got what is basically a single-issue party who will only be in it for what will benefit their narrow (in British terms) support base. At least the LibDems could claim to have British interests at heart as opposed to just Scottish. Every bit of legislation they will support will be driven by 'How can we make this benefit Scotland? What can we get in return?'

 

[melias shoes]

Jesus. Is he still peddling this fallacy. Strip out the zero hours jobs, self-employed agency workers and the other fiddles and it looks very different.

That'll be the ZERO hours contract that a number of labour mps have got their staff on. Or perhaps those don't count as far as you're concerned.

 

[melias shoes]

Jesus. Is he still peddling this fallacy. Strip out the zero hours jobs, self-employed agency workers and the other fiddles and it looks very different.

Self employed jobs? what aren't they real jobs then? I've been self employed all my working life. I can assure you it's bloody real.

 

[portslade seagull]

Add in the minimum waged and the self-employed agency workers and it's a very sad state of affairs. It depresses me.

My brother in law is agency and gets £450 a day but the bugger is like scrooge and won't spend any

 

[Soulman]

Add in the minimum waged and the self-employed agency workers and it's a very sad state of affairs. It depresses me.

Surely the German people will have a say. If it depresses you, come back to England and leave them to it.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Self employed jobs? what aren't they real jobs then? I've been self employed all my working life. I can assure you it's bloody real.

As I understand it, there has been a very large shift in agency workers onto self-employed status under umbrella companies etc. They have this status regardless of whether they're actually working or not eg you finish a 6 month temp contract and hang around for 6 months waiting/looking for another job but all this time you're still classified as self-employed.

Im self-employed and when I was in the UK I has this status regardless of whether I worked or not.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Well no, but you've got what is basically a single-issue party who will only be in it for what will benefit their narrow (in British terms) support base. At least the LibDems could claim to have British interests at heart as opposed to just Scottish. Every bit of legislation they will support will be driven by 'How can we make this benefit Scotland? What can we get in return?'

The SNP are far from a single issue party. And yes they will have some self-interest but it will tempered by the negotiation of a coalition. IMHO coalitions work very well when you have like-minded/overlapping parties and I feel this will be the case with Labour and the SNP.

 

[Bozza]

I feel this will be the case with Labour and the SNP.

A good job really, given your premonition of Labour romping to election victory seems about as likely as the Albion romping to the Premier League promised land this season.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Why does it?, we live it, you don't........ I can tell you that I am not depressed about the economic figures, the employment figures, the inflation rate, the interest rates,........ I do get depressed about people telling me how I should live my life, especially if they dont even live in this country ...........

Which bit of being depressed about the state of employment in the UK is me telling you how to live your life?

 

[Machiavelli]

As I understand it, there has been a very large shift in agency workers onto self-employed status under umbrella companies etc. They have this status regardless of whether they're actually working or not eg you finish a 6 month temp contract and hang around for 6 months waiting/looking for another job but all this time you're still classified as self-employed.

Im self-employed and when I was in the UK I has this status regardless of whether I worked or not.

You understand it well, HT. There has been an explosion of zero-hours, contract work, and other forms of precarious labour, although it's most certainly not restricted to the period of the Coalition government. That said, it has accelerated subsequently.
What has happened under the Coalition is that many of the unemployed have been forced to register as self-employed, which has been the category that has grown the most during this parliament. These self-employed are barely scraping a living, and this, alongside massive tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance by the uber-rich, has resulted in substantially reduced (income) tax receipts for the Treasury.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

A good job really, given your premonition of Labour romping to election victory seems about as likely as the Albion romping to the Premier League promised land this season.

I have reworked my premonition to just "Ed being in number 10."