General Election 2015

[Wrong-Direction]

Representative democracy does not work when there is no one to vote for that will represent us.

Whoever we vote for will make absolutely no difference, there will be no social improvements. Inequality will continue to increase, the environment will continue to be destroyed, politics will become more and more corrupted by the wealthy ruling classes.

Democracy really needs to be revolutionised somehow, but obviously that is not in the interests of the main parties.

Omg I agree 100% with mustafa what's going on

 

[GT49er]

Exactly. It's easy to point at things like this and blame the Tories, but where did all these problems start?

In the 1980's when we - no, not 'we' - they - flogged off all our national assets for a one-off cash payment (which has now been spent) - goodbye in one giant car-boot sale to Gas, BT, Electricity, the Railways, Water and Council Houses. Oh yes, and also taking steps to ensure that as much of the NHS budget as possible went into the hands of private companies providing agency services.

Now we pay French companies to run some of our utilities - bully for the French economy! - and fat profits to the fat cats and other shareholders. By converting all our assets to cash, what we have become is a virtual economy. All very well for the bankers, stockbrokers and politicians who inhabit that world, where money sticks to money.

So when the Government tells us the economy is doing well, what they really mean is that the virtual economy is doing well, and they're all getting richer, thank you very much. Whereas in the real economy, where most of us live, wages don't increase, and prices do, all the time (much more so at the marginal end than is shown in the official figures); the real economy, where the rich get richer and the poor.............

Oh yes, I realise that Labour aren't much better these days, scrabbling round with the tories in the cesspit of Westminster politics to try and win the 'middle ground', but the time is here when even the staunchest Tory may have to acknowledge that in many people's eyes, the tories are a crock of s..t

 

[piersa]

Counting chickens can be very costly, and ultimately very sad too. I should know, I used to be a Kinnock supporter.

That's one hell of a confession

 

[beorhthelm]

I don't necessarily subscribe to the view the Lib Dems will be wiped out at the next election. For starters they have a core vote of 9-10% of the electorate they can rely on. I don't see that Miliband or Cameron are likely to erode that base at all.

they'll keep hold of their core SW England and a few others in the North and Scotland. but where they've been a protest vote and straddle that awkward ground of disaffected conservatives and non-working class left wing, they'll suffer. Lewes and Eastbourne for example. then it'll be down to the personality of the MP.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I for one salute our new Miliband overlord

 

[GT49er]

I don't necessarily subscribe to the view the Lib Dems will be wiped out at the next election. For starters they have a core vote of 9-10% of the electorate they can rely on.

Not any more, I don't think!

 

[somerset]

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/11/labour-soar-past-tories-seven-point-lead-icm-poll

After a shambolic month where Cameron was humiliated in a EU vote, had the chair of the party resign and seen Boris position himself for the impending election defeat his lead slips further. Not even the demotion of Gove will save him.

I love the bland assumption from our overseas visitor, that he has a finger on the pulse of British politics,.... and the even blander assumption that everyone on this site is a Labour supporter, champing at the bit to get Ed in to number 10.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I love the bland assumption from our overseas visitor, that he has a finger on the pulse of British politics

I have The Guardian delivered to my iPad each and every day. I literally have my index finger on British politics every morning whilst consuming my coffee and croissant.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

bankrupt nanny state?

Hilarious, my sides are splitting.

 

[Blue3]

He's the biggest obstacle that'll stop Labour winning

I think he could be the only obstacle to labour winning I do hope I am wrong

 

[Bold Seagull]

but that isnt true is it, in 1997 the government inherited the golden goose that laid the egg...... the economy was in good condition. People were fed up with Tory sleaze and Bliar was cool, modern and a breath of fresh air. fast forward 11 years and its bankruptcy and economy in tatters that the current incumbents inherited.

This country is not naturally on the left or right extremes its centrist..... Blair understood that and comrade millibland doesnt. Cameron for all his failings does get that and has dragged his party kicking and screaming towards the middle.

After all is said and done the most important central policy of any government is economic management as everything else starts from here. Labour just can't do it, they cant rein in their impulse to simply lob money at things, most of it borrowed, I am not doubting their idealism..... but the reality is our country doesn't earn enough to pay for their giveaways, look at the fiasco in how much different dept of the NHS were paying for the same things...... write an invoice for any amount and the goverment pays, feckless mismanagement.

if you think raising taxes is the answer you know little about economics, low tax regimes will bring in more to a government, increase growth than high tax regimes which are moral fairness arguments and are actually counter productive to the economy... international business always moves towards the low tax regimes.

Socialism, the teenagers ideal of utopian society of equals, its economically unachievable and cannot be funded for with debt today and massive interest for your children tomorrow.... compassionate policies yes, fiscal responsibility is the key to everything. Labour has none

The goose that laid the golden egg, with those fiscally responsible, economically stable '80's and early '90's.

The one positive that this Tory government has, is that it's had nothing to mess up. All it's had to do is recover. The most ridiculous part of your argument is to suggest that any UK government, with whatever economic policy in place would have made one blind bit of difference to what was a global collapse. Even the surplus deficits of '99 ' 01 wouldn't have made an impact. In 21 years of power since '79 the Tories had a surplus just twice - in '88 and '89 - history will tell you why that was.

The goose that laid a golden egg was only a goose in the first place because of catastrophic mismanagement of the economy from '89 onward (I could easily edit that to most of the '80's). To suggest The Tories were somehow responsible for handing over a golden egg in '97 is just another untruth.

I wouldn't trust Labour right now either if I'm honest, but your arguments are so unbalanced, so devoid of context and any actual substance that your whole political stance appears to simply be anti-labour. Perhaps that's it, you're an inverse-tribal-lemming…

 

[chimneys]

Not long to go now people - 7 point lead for Labour

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/11/labour-soar-past-tories-seven-point-lead-icm-poll

After a shambolic month where Cameron was humiliated in a EU vote, had the chair of the party resign and seen Boris position himself for the impending election defeat his lead slips further. Not even the demotion of Gove will save him.

"We're alright!" "We're alright!" How very Kinnock Sheffield 1992 of you. Don't you ever learn?

Lets hope for the same result!

 

[Gwylan]

if you think raising taxes is the answer you know little about economics, low tax regimes will bring in more to a government, increase growth than high tax regimes which are moral fairness arguments and are actually counter productive to the economy... international business always moves towards the low tax regimes.

So how do you explain Kansas whose governor drastically cut taxes and seen its credit rating slashed, unemployment rise and has seen 100 Republicans endorse a Democrat as a gubernatorial rival?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/06/usa-kansas-ratings-idUSL2N0QC1MO20140806

http://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway...with-kansas-and-its-tax-cuts-it-cant-do-math/

(this second link is from a conservative, pro-business magazine and it's scathing on the idea that low tax helps business. Perhaps it's you who knows little about economics)

 

[daveinprague]

I have The Guardian delivered to my iPad each and every day. I literally have my index finger on British politics every morning whilst consuming my coffee and croissant.

You have the interweb thinigy like me, AND the people in Brighton, and you can read what they read? Thats amazing isnt it!!

 

[melias shoes]

Ed Milliband leading this great nation?

 

[melias shoes]

How much has been wasted on Universal Credit ? What about Camerons targets on immigration ? Those went well didn't they

About as well as Brown and Blair and the fantastic economic policy of spend,spend and spend. What about the mess that has been left behind in Iraq,which is on going today with Isis. Blair is at the front,along with bush,when it comes to blame. Can't wait for the Spin.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Only the last one does

I have this website bookmarked and check once a week what the numerous polls are saying , so it maybe worthwhile checking what the Labour lead has been over the last 18 months or so.

 

[Bold Seagull]

About as well as Brown and Blair and the fantastic economic policy of spend,spend and spend. What about the mess that has been left behind in Iraq,which is on going today with Isis. Blair is at the front,along with bush,when it comes to blame. Can't wait for the Spin.

Did you actually know that as a percentage of GDP, our spending under Labour post '97 was actually less than much of the Conservatives time in power? Other than after the financial crisis it didn't go above 40% as it had several times in the '80's...

 

[yxee]

Not bad for an opposition who don't understand the concepts of supply and demand

 

[bigcabboy]

UKIP hold the key to the next election they will win seats its just where and whether they take red seats or blue seats one things for sure in my eyes i cant see the tories winning outright power