General Election 2015

[Hampster Gull]

Red Ed has done the right thing. And no he shouldn't rule out an informal vote by vote deal. The SNP are part of British politics. And if he does anything silly he will be doomed and the labour party badly damaged

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

No different from another possible scenario of a CON - UKIP pact , the Conservatives would be relying on a party that wants out of the EU to get laws passed.

Eh? UKIP will win 3- (max)8 seats, the SNP are onto win 40(ish). Tories will not be relying upon UKIP even in a loose formation, just through their political alignment they are more likely to support Conservative economic policy. Which is why Farage (the only person in UKIP worth listening too in terms of policy formation) has said they will continue alongside the Conservatives 'long term economic plan..'

In addition a very large swathe - possibly a majority, possibly not - of the population want to leave the EU, unlike the breaking up of the UK which the SNP obviously want.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Still yapping little one? Still on the ignore list. You really are just too dumb to quit. Told my ou group about your views on the ou your a laughing stock on multiple forums congratulations

No fair enough, so you were talking b0110cks as usual then.

 

[Surf's Up]

One would hope they will act responsibly and for the greater good. If they don't, there will very quickly be another election and the SNP could well lose seats and power.

Dream on .... Depending on the stance taken by the SNP, which is likely to be totally scotcentric, the SNP could well get even stronger if there was another election.

 

[Bozza]

The bookies are predicting that the blue flag will keep on flying high.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I don't remember anyone voting for the last five years of Con-Dem government & I am certain the Liberals will be punished for that. The Tories meanwhile have failed to win a majority since April 1992.

Well one way of looking at is that 59.1% of the electorate ended up with their party in government, which is a post- war record. As for the LIb Dems, for WHAT are they being punished? Having the temerity to get 23% of the vote, 57 seats, being part of a government that has produced 5 sound years of economic rejuvenation?

It is truly bizarre that a party can govern with some success and still be decimated in the following election. The rest of Europe is used to coalition and forming alliances, yet we love a protest vote, we reject anything but FPTP then wring our hands when, lo and behold, no party has an overall majority.

 

[Captain Sensible]

The UK is going downhill very fast. In about 5 years time get ready for a recession that made the last one look like a Mr Slushy. Increasing low wages driven by large corporations and market demands, high increasing property prices, low rates of borrowing, social turmoil due to mass spending cuts, recipe for utter disaster. I'm not sure any party can get us out of it. The Tories policies are so drastic we will have an economy resembling India more than Indiana, and letting Farage force them on an EU vote will condemn us further. Labour look ready to spend a bit more but allow the fatal mix of increasing low wages & increasing property prices to continue. Still, they are the lesser of 2 evils. A move abroad is looming for myself and Mrs Sensible.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

This country needs to change direction, more focus needs to be put on creating manufacturing jobs and supporting new business. If we had a half decent manufacturing base in this country lots of young people would leave school with a job and possibly an Apprenticeship like we had in the old days. We wouldn't need cheap foreign Labour, in fact nobody would get a look in once our skills set has risen again. We would have secure jobs on half decent money again, and we would also do away with these disgusting zero hour minimum wage jobs. I agree with Captain Sensible the country is going down the pan, well has been for the last 10 years. Over population driving minimum wage jobs, not enough money going back in to the system to pay for our NHS, Doctors, Schools at the same time as cutting. I hope the government has enough money to pay out the benefits to all the extra people that are here when the next recession hits.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

This country needs to change direction, more focus needs to be put on creating manufacturing jobs and supporting new business. If we had a half decent manufacturing base in this country lots of young people would leave school with a job and possibly an Apprenticeship like we had in the old days. We wouldn't need cheap foreign Labour, in fact nobody would get a look in once our skills set has risen again. We would have secure jobs on half decent money again, and we would also do away with these disgusting zero hour minimum wage jobs. I agree with Captain Sensible the country is going down the pan, well has been for the last 10 years. .

Totally agree with this part of your post.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

the point is they are saying they wont join forces, they will collude on a vote by vote basis. SNP will have only the cake they want, when its got the toppings they want, which wont be available to for all. i dont think anyone south of the border would vote in favour of that arrangment, it will be an accident of electoral geography. this would be unlike a Liberal coalition/alliance that would be broadly national in its outlook.

I'd say a SNP coalition with any party it's a hell of a lot more democratic than the current arrangement where they're governed by a party hundreds of miles away which doesn't have a single seat north of the border. If the people don't want an SNP coalition then vote in a majority party....simples.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The UK is going downhill very fast. In about 5 years time get ready for a recession that made the last one look like a Mr Slushy. Increasing low wages driven by large corporations and market demands, high increasing property prices, low rates of borrowing, social turmoil due to mass spending cuts, recipe for utter disaster. I'm not sure any party can get us out of it. The Tories policies are so drastic we will have an economy resembling India more than Indiana, and letting Farage force them on an EU vote will condemn us further. Labour look ready to spend a bit more but allow the fatal mix of increasing low wages & increasing property prices to continue. Still, they are the lesser of 2 evils. A move abroad is looming for myself and Mrs Sensible.

Three times this.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Dream on .... Depending on the stance taken by the SNP, which is likely to be totally scotcentric, the SNP could well get even stronger if there was another election.

But if they act irresponsibly then the rest of the UK will most likely vote a majority government in, and the SNP out of government. The SNP might get stronger north of the border but they will lose the bigger prize.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

This country needs to change direction, more focus needs to be put on creating manufacturing jobs and supporting new business. If we had a half decent manufacturing base in this country lots of young people would leave school with a job and possibly an Apprenticeship like we had in the old days. We wouldn't need cheap foreign Labour, in fact nobody would get a look in once our skills set has risen again. We would have secure jobs on half decent money again, and we would also do away with these disgusting zero hour minimum wage jobs. I agree with Captain Sensible the country is going down the pan, well has been for the last 10 years. Over population driving minimum wage jobs, not enough money going back in to the system to pay for our NHS, Doctors, Schools at the same time as cutting. I hope the government has enough money to pay out the benefits to all the extra people that are here when the next recession hits.

But we do have a decent and strong manufacturing industry - the problem is that people have some fairytale idea that manufacturing has to be the sweat and toil of large beefy men with big hammers producing big stuff. We are one of the world leaders in the manufacture of space technology, medicine, weapons, engineering technology to name but a few. I'm afraid the days where we produce big chunky stuff are long gone as we will never compete with the low wage, mass worker economies in Asia.

I agree we should look to reduce zero hour contracts though ( but not rid ourselves of them - I found a zero hours contract very useful when I was a student ).

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I'd say a SNP coalition with any party it's a hell of a lot more democratic than the current arrangement where they're governed by a party hundreds of miles away which doesn't have a single seat north of the border. If the people don't want an SNP coalition then vote in a majority party....simples.

It's not that simple though is it ? I'd be happy with a coalition of any combination of Labour, Tory and Lib Dem but certainly not any that included a party like the SNP. How do I go about voting for that ?

 

[Deleted member 22389]

But we do have a decent and strong manufacturing industry - the problem is that people have some fairytale idea that manufacturing has to be the sweat and toil of large beefy men with big hammers producing big stuff. We are one of the world leaders in the manufacture of space technology, medicine, weapons, engineering technology to name but a few. I'm afraid the days where we produce big chunky stuff are long gone as we will never compete with the low wage, mass worker economies in Asia.

I agree we should look to reduce zero hour contracts though ( but not rid ourselves of them - I found a zero hours contract very useful when I was a student ).

I worked with some really skilled tradesman in my time. Worked with Turners and Millers, Toolmakers, CNC programmers and machinists. There is not enough of this type of Engineering going on. When I left school you could be guaranteed a job in one of the local factories. You could either pursue a career in manufacturing or use that as stepping stone to further education, what have the kids got now? Training them up to be the next best app developer, it's all a load of bollox if you ask me. I know times have moved on, but this country seems to have given up. I fear for the future of this country, our economy seems poor where a large majority of it is concentrated on buying things, not making things. Fed up with seeing new supermarkets going up, fed up with seeing new houses being built, would be nice to see some new factories going up instead so the jobs go hand in hand with the numbers with the numbers of people we have here.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

The UK is going downhill very fast. In about 5 years time get ready for a recession that made the last one look like a Mr Slushy. Increasing low wages driven by large corporations and market demands, high increasing property prices, low rates of borrowing, social turmoil due to mass spending cuts, recipe for utter disaster. I'm not sure any party can get us out of it. The Tories policies are so drastic we will have an economy resembling India more than Indiana, and letting Farage force them on an EU vote will condemn us further. Labour look ready to spend a bit more but allow the fatal mix of increasing low wages & increasing property prices to continue. Still, they are the lesser of 2 evils. A move abroad is looming for myself and Mrs Sensible.

Where would you go?

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Where would you go?

He is moving to Bury Park.

 

[Titanic]

...I agree we should look to reduce zero hour contracts though ( but not rid ourselves of them - I found a zero hours contract very useful when I was a student ).

~2% of the people currently employed are on zero hours contracts. I rather think this one is being overplayed because it suits the Red Ed agenda.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Where would you go?

Might clear my Mortgage and move out in the sticks to Ireland. I'm also blessed with a Swiss passport. I don't know but yet more depressing news close to home, is that homeless in Brighton has doubled since 2011. This will only get worse as the cuts hit harder. Anyone remember the early 90's where homeless and 'got any spare change mate?' was just a normal part of walking around Brighton. Its now getting worse. Just another social problem that will only get worse as the cuts hit the public, services, councils, police and of course NHS. The UK has run a deficit for 320 years!! why the obsession with running a surplus for the first time ever in 5 years? Just for the chancellor to go in the record books? At what price for a black balance sheet?

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Might clear my Mortgage and move out in the sticks to Ireland. I'm also blessed with a Swiss passport. I don't know but yet more depressing news close to home, is that homeless in Brighton has doubled since 2011. This will only get worse as the cuts hit harder. Anyone remember the early 90's where homeless and 'got any spare change mate?' was just a normal part of walking around Brighton. Its now getting worse. Just another social problem that will only get worse as the cuts hit the public, services, councils, police and of course NHS. The UK has run a deficit for 320 years!! why the obsession with running a surplus for the first time ever in 5 years? Just for the chancellor to go in the record books? At what price for a black balance sheet?

The government doesn't like people who question what is going on, that's why it's far easier to bring in cheap foreign Labour so they can be exploited by low wages, poor working conditions at the same time as cutting down on our services, because these people don't know any different, and anything is better from where they came from. It's a vote winner for the politicians. The trouble with us is that we all know different, we remember how great this country used to be, what it stood for and how our governments have slowly sold this country down the river.