[Politics] If there was a general election tomorrow

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Percy Tau not getting a U.K. work permit is nothing to do with the EU.

I think your correspondent is one cuckoo short of Spring. A bombardment of posts....clearly an NSC old hand under a new name, but armed with the same poor materials

 

[worthingseagull123]

I've learnt to generally stay out of politics on here, but I'd be genuinely interested in why the 58 NSCers (so far) would vote Tory. They've been a complete shambles, haven't they? Even if you are a life-long Conservative voter, you must surely see that.

Because they are the best of bad bunch.

The Greens are nutjobs
Lib Dems completely useless
Labour the party of tax rises and morons like Diane Abbott, Emily Thornberry and Rebecca Wrong Daily.

No thank you.

 

[GrizzlingGammon]

We are currently negotiating to get our own fishing grounds back , and you ask that question ?

The ones that were sold by the UK.

 

[GrizzlingGammon]

When it comes to GEs, the area I'm in is a Tory guaranteed seat. 49% of people's vote here are pointless and count for nothing

 

[razer]

Apart from Johnson attending those Cobra meetings at the start of the year in the face of a pandemic.

And then there was the whole boasting of shaking hands in hospitals and his decision to delay a full national lockdown until 23 March which, it's estimated, contributed to around 20,000 deaths.

And then there was the fact that government failed to protect care homes resulting in at least 20,000 of Britain’s oldest and most vulnerable citizens dying as a consequence.

And who could forget our "world beating" Track and trace system. Seven months and £12bn later, it is still not fit for purpose.

Then of course, Johnson undermined his government’s authority in May by refusing to dismiss Dominic Cummings, his chief adviser, for breaking lockdown rules.

There was also the failure to quarantine foreign visitors arriving in Britain until June. Also in June, Johnson began relaxing the lockdown while the infection rate was still high, and against the advice of senior scientists. The restrictions that remained were so complex and scattershot that few people understood them.

But, to be fair, the government did equivocated on the wearing of face masks... in late July.

Then there's the fact that the government has awarded more than £10bn of Covid-related contracts to private companies, many without competitive tender, several to cronies, and with some private consultants paid £7,000 a day. Few have delivered satisfactorily on those contracts.

And to wrap up, we mustn't forget that the government’s communications policy has been characterised by confusion, deception, trite slogans and leaks – even the decision to impose a second lockdown was leaked.

BUT apart from all that (and probably others I have forgotten about...), definitely couldn't have asked for anything more...

You're keen on Boris are you?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Because they are the best of bad bunch.

The Greens are nutjobs
Lib Dems completely useless
Labour the party of tax rises and morons like Diane Abbott, Emily Thornberry and Rebecca Wrong Daily.

No thank you.

I take it you've not noticed the party is under new leadership, then?

Never mind; I don't think we'll need your vote, come the next GE.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

If a bloke has played football every week since his mid-teens he gets my vote.

 

[rogersix]

You're keen on Boris are you?

neither are his siblings

 

[Billy the Fish]

I'd go as far as to say my dog could've done a better job than Johnson tbh. See post #136 for an insight as to why. 'Everything else' as you put, are facts that you are seemingly trying to avoid, and what better way to do so than drag up Corbyn and play out some fictitious alternate reality instead off examining what is actually happening.

I'm not avoiding anything and I don't need to justify myself to you!
I explained in the other post why Corbyn is relevant to this conversation but funnily enough you're avoiding that angle.

This is why people keep quiet, there's no point in wasting my time debating with someone who won't listen.

 

[nwgull]

I am hopping that by the next election people have realised that it is not the Tories versus the left, us or them, divide and conquer. If that is how you look at things now, you need to have long hard ****ing look at yourself.

The fact that you think Boris didn't create Brexit says a lot; he was the face of vote leave.

Your whole comment shows that have been fully indoctrinated. Unfortunately you are not alone.

Yes, thinking that Boris was ‘dealt’ Brexit is somewhat beyond delusional.

I suppose one of the good things about him being PM for the last year is that he, the man that lead the official vote leave campaign, will be held accountable for the promises he made back in 2016. I have a feeling that many people are going to be disappointed when their lives don’t suddenly change for the better.

 

[drew]

We are currently negotiating to get our own fishing grounds back , and you ask that question ?

We're not negotiating to get our fishing grounds back, they're ours as we aren't part of Europe. What I assume we are trying to negotiate is how we sell the fish we catch bearing in mind a lot of it goes to Europe anyway and whether we will licence EU fishing boats to enter our waters to catch fish just like some of our fishing fleet will want to enter French waters to catch fish.

But as someone else has said, what have we not be able to do? As a sovereign nation, think we went to war with Argentina with seeking permission from the EU and the same, more controversially, in Iraq.

 

[drew]

I wonder how many of those sucking up to Johnson and the alleged bad hand he was dealt had the same benevolent attitude to Gordon Brown and the global financial meltdown that, according to some, he was solely responsible for?

 

[Theatre of Trees]

We are currently negotiating to get our own fishing grounds back , and you ask that question ?

Would that be the quotas English fishermen sold off to foreign owners in the 1990s?



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/52420116

 

[worthingseagull123]

I take it you've not noticed the party is under new leadership, then?

Never mind; I don't think we'll need your vote, come the next GE.

No. Worthing West is a very safe Tory seat thankfully.

 

[TugWilson]

We are certainly paying a bill now....

Oh lighten up , do you think Germany wont sell us her cars , Germany`s more worried than we should be , look out your window , how many BMWs , Mercs , VWs , Skoda`s , Porsche` are there . Do you think fritz is going to say ah well , we will just have to lay off 20,000 men and women .
What about Spain with her cars and her fruit and veg . Italy cars again , wine , talking of whine , i will make a bet now , after we have left other`s will follow .
Short term it may be hard , though a lot of that will be due to Covid . Long term we will be the Great country we were before .
Be honest , if a foreigner told you how to run your business , you`d tell him , i run it my way by my rules not yours .

 

[Wardy's twin]

We have just negotiated a better deal with Japan than would have been possible in the EU . The first of many new deals we will negotiate by ourselves for the benefit of us , not France or Germany .
As for the Americans , we have something they will never want to lose . We are their staunchest ally , we also give them use of the best bases in Europe . When they attacked Tripoli , France would not allow them to fly over their country . We not only offered bases to fly from we supplied refueling tankers . I have noticed a lot of servicemen on this site , and i personally would like to thank them all . Both my wife`s family and my own were Navy , Although it`s ironic that meeting my wife was what stopped me from signing up myself . My point being that they can tell you how our forces have consistantly had their budgets cut since joining the EU .
While my political and economic knowledge is limited , i find it more than a little patronising that you can tell me i have " no understanding of how globalism works " . Perhaps you have too much faith in your`s .

I do have a good knowledge of economics and politics but you don't need that just open your eyes and ears to understand effects of globalisation. Our high street is being wiped out by an American company (Amazon) , our key utilities companies are owned by foreign firms , just recently France and the rest of the EU closed their borders to us , we had no control over them.

You didn't comment on Suez.

You also infer we have been spending less on the military because we are in the EU , we are spending less money because we have less overseas assets to protect, absolutely nothing to do with the EU infact possibly more to a lot of big organisations getting away without paying the correct levels of tax.

Japanese deal is projected to be better, time will tell though BUT we trade significantly less with Japan than we do the rest of the EU. More importantly when looking at the worlds ecology wouldn't it be better to trade with countries nearest you.

 

[GT49er]

fair challenge, i don't disagree there are material differences. And i’m not trying to do a downer on the Uk, i love living here and i get this is one tough issue. But im not giving this govt a pass, this is too important.

By all means don't give 'em a pass - but don't, like some, let their hated of Boris take over all rational thoughts. He did NOT invent covid, he is not solely responsible for spreading it, and the fact that he's implementing Brexit has nothing to do with it! He's certainly made mistakes - not sacking Cummings and setting the Durham Constabulary on jim, not making mask wearing compulsory - really compulsory - in shops, etc., but faced wth a world wide pandemic, unprecedented in any of our life times, some people (not you perhaps) think he should have got everything right? Tough crowd!

Some other leaders may have been more successful (bearing in mind every nation is different, and some, like the much admired NZ, have inherent advantages) but the only realistic, honest analysis of this would be, frankly, they guessed better!

 

[clapham_gull]

We are currently negotiating to get our own fishing grounds back....

The EU handed out quotas but it's up to national Governments who they go to. Ours has sold half to large foreign companies and 5 multi millionaire families control 30% of the rights.

Four of the top five belong to families on the Sunday Times Rich List

Sorry that you fallen for that rubbish...

Hook, line and sinker.

 

[rogersix]

By all means don't give 'em a pass - but don't, like some, let their hated of Boris take over all rational thoughts. He did NOT invent covid, he is not solely responsible for spreading it, and the fact that he's implementing Brexit has nothing to do with it! He's certainly made mistakes - not sacking Cummings and setting the Durham Constabulary on jim, not making mask wearing compulsory - really compulsory - in shops, etc., but faced wth a world wide pandemic, unprecedented in any of our life times, some people (not you perhaps) think he should have got everything right? Tough crowd!

Some other leaders may have been more successful (bearing in mind every nation is different, and some, like the much admired NZ, have inherent advantages) but the only realistic, honest analysis of this would be, frankly, they guessed better!

what about the multi billion pound contracts he oversaw?

how did he make all those mistakes?

 

[Hampster Gull]

By all means don't give 'em a pass - but don't, like some, let their hated of Boris take over all rational thoughts. He did NOT invent covid, he is not solely responsible for spreading it, and the fact that he's implementing Brexit has nothing to do with it! He's certainly made mistakes - not sacking Cummings and setting the Durham Constabulary on jim, not making mask wearing compulsory - really compulsory - in shops, etc., but faced wth a world wide pandemic, unprecedented in any of our life times, some people (not you perhaps) think he should have got everything right? Tough crowd!

Some other leaders may have been more successful (bearing in mind every nation is different, and some, like the much admired NZ, have inherent advantages) but the only realistic, honest analysis of this would be, frankly, they guessed better!

You’ve taken it to extreme in the first para for effect, i am not in that camp but in relative terms not absolute we have done extremely poorly. Actually diabolically and its costs more our compatriots their lives than it should have.

On Nz, they may have some inherent advantages like population dispersion but they are an island like us. We are miles behind Ireland, what is their inherent advantage? Further behind Germany, whats theirs? Austria, Netherlands, Canada, Sweden etc. Basically all bar 6 or 7.

I think your argument is that we guessed poorly relative to others to be in the bottom 5% of deaths per capita and gdp. I don't agree it boils down to guesses