It's not often I agree with a Tory.......

[8ace]

Surprisingly, I think, despite the Liberal Democrats only having a consistent 8-10% in the poll, they will hold on to more seats than people assume. The key question is the collapse in their vote. Where they have MP's they often prove popular, and may hold a loyalty vote. Where they were challenging, yes, they have no chance. All that matters is their vote in the constituencies they hold.

UKIP vs Lib Dems match bet

UKIP 2/5
LD 7/4

Quite tempted by the Lib Dems price.

http://www.oddschecker.com/politics/british-politics/next-uk-general-election/match-bet

 

[mikeyjh]

Now you will get cards to ensure you don't spend your benefits on drink, smoking or gambling, the Tories are in their death throes as a political force to be replaced by an ultra right wing UKIP type Tory and a hug a hoodie type centre right and it will ensure they are out of power for decades

I thought this was a joke, until I read about IDS' speech. Fug me, it's classic tory isn't it, try and remove any modicum of dignity for those trying to scrape together a living, why not force them to where a yellow badge or something, lets really make sure they lose any self respect. Forcing them to use specific retailers, then will henceforth be known as dole shops or something far less polite.

It really is so typical of the nasties, invent a policy that is right in tune with the middle classes opinion of the poor, ne'er do well scroungers that spend all their dole on booze, fags & Sky. Breaks my heart stuff like this - There was a bloke on the radio a couple of months back, who worked part time but had some support benefits, said his only treat was 4 cans of cheap lager every other week but he couldn't afford it anymore........shame on us.

 

[Gwylan]

UKIP vs Lib Dems match bet

UKIP 2/5
LD 7/4

Quite tempted by the Lib Dems price.

http://www.oddschecker.com/politics/british-politics/next-uk-general-election/match-bet

I am too - that's insane
Even if LDs lost two-thirds of their seats, UKIP have got to go some to win more than a dozen. Bookies have lost the plot on that one

 

[Seagull on the wing]

We all know things are getting worse - and surely we all know that party politics isn't going to make things better. We also know that Western economic growth is never going to be the same again, and despite this, inequality is increasing exponentially every year and there seems to be no way this trend can change - if this continues it will lead to disaster, inevitably violent uprisings when things get bad enough. The environment is being destroyed in a desperate attempt to get the worlds increasingly massive population to mindlessly consume the worlds finite resources. Unfortunately, this is not pessimistic, this is realistic.

However, I have faith in humanity to fix these very serious problems, just like it always has throughout history. But it's important as individuals to educate people and remind them that it does not have to be this way, there are alternative solutions and that their so called "democratic" votes will accomplish absolutely nothing other than perpetuate & exacerbate these current problems.

My fear is that, although awareness is growing at impressive rates, it is not enough. The mainstream media represent corporate interests, essentially propaganda from the status quo, and for a majority of people it is impossible for them to look past these sources of information. Discovering alternative systems such as the schools of anarchism, socialism, direct democracy, and so on, is not really accessible to the average joe - and the groups that are promoting them are not getting their voices heard, or doing things in the wrong way.

Hello Che Guevara....(you'd like to be) when are you starting your revolution then...your politics of envy stand out a mile.
Before you talk about the right wing politics let me tell you after the war I was bought up in a Labour supporting family,most of the street were Labour supporters,due to this,'They stand up for the working man'...really.(Tell that to Tony Blair).
When Maggie released council houses to the right to buy scheme there was a rush to buy them, my father and his Labour supporting neighbours were first in the queue, (miners bought them as well)...many sold on for a quick killing on the housing market.
Then Labour opened the floodgates to immigrants,they flooded across and continue to do so,which in turn caused a housing shortage...so what do the left say 'It's Maggies fault for selling off the housing stock',just how many Labour supporters can honestly say 'They or their family never bought a house cheap through right to buy'.
Double standards from the left...If the Right gave every working man a £5,000 bonus every year,you'd snatch their hands off...but would then say,there must be a plot behind this for their rich friends.
If Labour increased benefits to White Dee and her ilk Labourites would rejoice and declared...See we are for the workers...(Hum!...White Dee,workers,doesn't seem to go together but hey ho,you get the drift.

 

[Buzzer]

I am too - that's insane
Even if LDs lost two-thirds of their seats, UKIP have got to go some to win more than a dozen. Bookies have lost the plot on that one

Agree completely with you. The very worst case scenario will see Lib Dems with about 12 seats in the South-West, Scottish Islands and a few where the incumbent MP has a very high personal standing amongst his constituency...Cable, Baker et al. There's absolutely no way at all that UKIP will win more than a couple of seats, and my gut feeling is they won't win a single seat at the GE.

 

[father_and_son]

It's the banks that are currently hoarding money - ask them for a loan and wait for them ( at the slightest hint of any risk ) to show you the door.

That's not to say there isn't money to lend, there's plenty. Just that no-one can get there hands on it as long as the European Bank are insisting on Lenders shoring up their levels of reserves.

But they are categorically NOT hoarding it!

Yes, the banks have been told to increase their capital reserves to reflect the risk they are carrying - so that they are not putting themselves at risk of collapse (and so requiring a bailout again). This is required and prudent and should have been happening throughout the past 20 years, but the regulators dropped the ball!

To do this they have to lend less money (risky) so that they can invest more money (less risky).

What they are not doing is sitting on a pile of cash, Scrooge McDuck style!

The money they have on deposit is used to invest in various things
a. some long term investments... eg property
b. some medium term... eg bonds, shares
c. some short term... eg currency markets, derivatives

Each and every penny, cent and yen they have (bar a tiny proportion that they are required to carry in cash - and this is miniscule!) that isn't out in lending is being invested in the economy (local, national or global) and so is being used to generate jobs & pay wages and so fuel that economy.

 

[Ernest]

Funny that Osborne brought in the tax on Pension Pot inheritance now he wants praise for abolishing it, I wonder if the fact that the people who will benefit are people like himself and Cameron has altered his thinking ?

I wonder when MP's will receive pre paid cards instead of making expense claims for things like a £39 breakfast to ensure us hard working tax payers are getting value for money ?

 

[Ernest]

UKIP vs Lib Dems match bet

UKIP 2/5
LD 7/4

Quite tempted by the Lib Dems price.

http://www.oddschecker.com/politics/british-politics/next-uk-general-election/match-bet

To be honest that 7/4 is giving money away, the LD's are already a political party with plenty of MP's and many will hang onto their seats through local factors whilst UKIP basically are a bunch of nutters and even Farage may struggle to get a seat

 

[Buzzer]

However, I have faith in humanity to fix these very serious problems... But it's important as individuals to educate people.

Translates as people who don't agree with my point of view just don't get it, they're not so clever. Yes, you've already told us about your low opinion of those who don't see eye to eye with you.

Interesting that you're a strong supporter of secular nationhood in the Middle East, a dictatorship based around the cult of personality in Cuba and N Korea, yet in the most advanced, fair and stable societies - the ones you keep telling us are broken and doomed for imminent catastrophe, you're advocating breaking them up into communities without central or even regional government and with compulsory political education on the cards, by the looks of it. Great - how liberating.

 

[8ace]

I am too - that's insane
Even if LDs lost two-thirds of their seats, UKIP have got to go some to win more than a dozen. Bookies have lost the plot on that one

Agree completely with you. The very worst case scenario will see Lib Dems with about 12 seats in the South-West, Scottish Islands and a few where the incumbent MP has a very high personal standing amongst his constituency...Cable, Baker et al. There's absolutely no way at all that UKIP will win more than a couple of seats, and my gut feeling is they won't win a single seat at the GE.

To be honest that 7/4 is giving money away, the LD's are already a political party with plenty of MP's and many will hang onto their seats through local factors whilst UKIP basically are a bunch of nutters and even Farage may struggle to get a seat

Hold your horses, looks like that bet is vote share rather than total seats

 

[Seagull58]

Funny that Osborne brought in the tax on Pension Pot inheritance now he wants praise for abolishing it, I wonder if the fact that the people who will benefit are people like himself and Cameron has altered his thinking ?

I wonder when MP's will receive pre paid cards instead of making expense claims for things like a £39 breakfast to ensure us hard working tax payers are getting value for money ?

Its the beneficiaries of the middle classes who have managed to build a private pension pot and go into income drawdown who will benefit.

 

[Seagull58]

Funny that Osborne brought in the tax on Pension Pot inheritance now he wants praise for abolishing it, I wonder if the fact that the people who will benefit are people like himself and Cameron has altered his thinking ?

I wonder when MP's will receive pre paid cards instead of making expense claims for things like a £39 breakfast to ensure us hard working tax payers are getting value for money ?

What Osborne initially brought in was the possibility of keeping an inheritance pot after the age of 75 and passing it on to your heirs, subject to an income tax charge of 55%. Before that change you had to take an annuity and would have nothing to pass on to your heirs at all. Now he has gone further and abolished the income tax charge when it is passed on. However, the beneficiaries will still pay income tax at their marginal rate when drawing income from the pension. Only the transfer of the fund is now tax free.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Exactly [/QU

You know as well as me,he will become Lord Clegg of Hallam. It's just a shame.

 

[Beach Hut]

The ignorance of those that slag of the banking industry is beyond contempt.

The banking industry covers 20% of the UK economy, get rid of that and we will be third world within a year.

 

[Ernest]

The ignorance of those that slag of the banking industry is beyond contempt.

The banking industry covers 20% of the UK economy, get rid of that and we will be third world within a year.

Funny how we did without them very nicely for hundreds of years then

 

[Beach Hut]

Funny how we did without them very nicely for hundreds of years then

We didn't you total fool, banking has a long history.

Basically if the UK Government decided to marginalise banking London would be as important as Norwich.

 

[beorhthelm]

Funny how we did without them very nicely for hundreds of years then

really? who'd be providing finance and banking for the industry and commerce built up by the empire then? theres no coincidene that London has such wide reaching international financial services.

 

[Ernest]

really? who'd be providing finance and banking for the industry and commerce built up by the empire then? theres no coincidene that London has such wide reaching international financial services.

And look where it's got us. Time to kick them OUT

 

[Mr Bridger]

I'm always happy to explain my views.

What is important are two key things: peace and equality. I believe secularism is the most likely thing to bring peace to the Middle East, even if it requires a dictator or a far-right revolutionary akin to Ataturk to overcome the burden of fundamentalist religious values. I believe making peace with North Korea, ending sanctions and helping it start a successful economy, would be the first step on the road to democracy and equality there. Cuba, well, in places it has superb politics, but the key thing it is missing is wealth, which it has been denied after decades of Western sanctions.

While I do think "political education" is necessary - it would be catastrophic to be anything but completely objective and absolutely truthful. Regular people need to be taught about the truth about capitalism and the resulting inequality and destruction of the environment - and also the alternatives to it. Only then can they make their own choices.

Interesting, how do you intend to do that?

Like they're obviously gonna welcome us with open arms when we rock up at their border with some flowers, box of choccy's and a sorry card.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Stop the sanctions. Allow trade. Give humanitarian aid. Positive international relations. Etc

You do realise they don't actually want our aid etc ?