General Election

[Thermo]

ah well if he didnt need to apologise for misleading us then he certainly does now!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4491105.stm

 

[Richardp]

well that's rather uncalled for, I'm contributing towards the social benefits that we have in this country that many other counties don't have, how about you what are you contributing?, I could stop work and go on the dole and how would that benefit anyone?, I work seven days of the week, I don't get bank holidays and as a self employed person I don't get sick pay or holiday pay, would you prefer me to say that I was on benefits? what?

 

[pipme]

Come on Maso .. tis simple let us say wealth increases by 50%.
a) has 100
b)has 1000
dif b-a =900

Increase all by 50%

a)becomes 150
b)becomes 1500
dif b-a = 1350

See, tis a fact of life, the difference has also grown by 50%. Therefore (a) has fallen an extra 450 behind (b) so in that respect is getting poorer, although he is richer compared to when he was valued at 100, by 50%.
All smoke and mirrors mate !!

When you pop your clogs, if you have a £1 left in your pocket - Pray he allows you back to spend it !!

 

[Damocles]

Bit late getting back on this, but..

Labour got voted into power because they had reformed. they were not voted back and then decided to reform. They reformed because they were slaughtered in election after election and finally realised they must. The conservatives are nowhere near this point yet.

The cons may have thought better of the poll tax and replaced it, but they replaced it with the council tax. The poll tax was brought in because of the unpopularity of rates. Council tax is only rates with a maximum cap to help the rich and bands to make assessing it much easier and cheaper. There are quite a few people who still think it is an unfair tax, because it is. Putting off revaluation saves government money in doing it but just makes it less fair.

The shortage of dentists and doctors has been going on for a long long time. It takes 10 years to train one and probably another 10 to agree to do it and organise it.

I think Blair did not apologies for going to war on a mistaken belief in WMD, because WMD real or not were never his reason for going to war. No one has successfully adressed the question of what his real reasons were. He might have believed in the possibility of WMD, but this was entirely irrelevant to his decision. It is this attempt to palm off the country with spurious reasons which annoys me. Most obvious explanation is that he simply went along because Bush asked.

Aside from this extremely unfortunate episode (understatement of the century), the rest of new labour's policies have gone just about as well as could be expected from any party.

 

[david and julie]

Another load of Damocles c**p I fear.

Labour got in because the people were sick of the tories, they weren't voted in, the tories were voted out, it was nothing to do with being "new".

Call the council tax whatever you wish, it has still doubled under labour, during a period of supposed low inflation and interest rates.

If it really does take 10 years to agree and organise the training of doctors, labour shouldn't of promised to do it quicker. (we have 24 hours) it takes 5 years to train a doctor not ten.
http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/doctorsqual
Unless you mean the higher echelons such as GP's or consultants, which may take a little longer, but they are nonetheless "doctors"during any additional training.

Bliar has blood on his hands and should be brought to book. He may well not of told direct lies, be he did use the intelligence to suit his own ends which appears to be to suit Bush, or probably more so, his own career or future in the US.

You couldn't be further from the truth in your assertion about new labour doing what they said they would do. Why are you ignoring your own previous comments on civil liberties and the general increase of big brother tactics under this goverment?

If you must come on here with a Labour party political broadcast, why not talk about stealth taxes or the rich getting richer, quicker, under labour than they did under the tories? Why not talk about the circa 300.000 to 500,000 illegal people here since Labour came to office? Why not talk about the rising crime rates? such as the lady stabbed in the neck and paralysed the other day, whilst the Gov are more concerned with prisoners "rights" to vote?

If you want a political debate that is fine, but don't think we are all stupid enough to listen to your(or Michael Howards for that matter) claptrap.

 

[mail2neil]

How different would it be if there wasn't a front man for the party. You just voted for the party and what they stand for rather than the 'personalities' that front them. Can't help but think far too many people vote for the person, not the politics.

You're right.
It would be totally different ball game if we didn't vote for the man that makes the decisions..!?

That front man personality is the one that's going to decide your next five years.. so.. yes, I kinda agree. I do vote for the front man as well as the party.

 

[mail2neil]

The cons may have thought better of the poll tax and replaced it, but they replaced it with the council tax. Council tax is only rates with a maximum cap to help the rich

Excellent.
Micheal Howard, Sheriff of Nottingham.., taxing the poor to help the rich.
Luckily Robin 'Blair' Hood will save us.

 

[kendor]

The arguments about Tories seem to be;
Their stuck in the past, and
Look at how much mess they caused last time.

But.
Labour have changed - became new labour.
Why don't people thing the Tories could? - its a weak assumption that they won't.

The Tories did a massive amount of good... what was Britain like in 1979? -- pretty dire.

When a local off-license was ram-raided and I was the first on scene keeping p1ssed people out of the shop and off the tabs.., I rang the old bill. They agreed it was massively urgent.., but the nearest car, at high speed took 45 minutes. Fair play.. because thanks to Tony, my local station is 40 miles away! and I live just outside London, not in the sticks.

My wife is going to have a baby in two months.. - my nearest hospital... you guessed it.. 45 minutes. Tony is shutting down the local baby unit. Howard and Charles say they'll keep it.

And everytime I hear "45 minutes" I remember the other lie based upon 45 minutes - IRAQ!

So b*&^*% to it.
My vote goes to Tory.
They may not quite be ready for it, and their not the best.., but I'm voting for what matters to me;
More Policing
Nearer Hospitals
Our own decisions from the States
Less council tax
and a new PM.

and you think voting tory will get you these?! more fool you then!

 

[masona]

and you think voting tory will get you these?! more fool you then!

yeah right

I can't get NHS dentist in my area and I'm still paying private treatments as the NHS hospital waiting is far too long,

 

[kendor]

I'm working on the elections at this moment, the polls show howard and blair neck and neck with blair slightly in front at time of writing 34% ( blue)to 39% (red) Howard has a massive task in trying to win the election it looks like he needs to win over at least 200 constituencies from labour with a massive swing in his favour just to get his foot in the door with a low majority, because of this howard will need to have a far better difference in poll figures even as much as 80% difference, this is going to be extremely hard especially with the liberal democrats taking a share.

 

[mail2neil]

The arguments about Tories seem to be;
Their stuck in the past, and
Look at how much mess they caused last time.

But.
Labour have changed - became new labour.
Why don't people thing the Tories could? - its a weak assumption that they won't.

The Tories did a massive amount of good... what was Britain like in 1979? -- pretty dire.

When a local off-license was ram-raided and I was the first on scene keeping p1ssed people out of the shop and off the tabs.., I rang the old bill. They agreed it was massively urgent.., but the nearest car, at high speed took 45 minutes. Fair play.. because thanks to Tony, my local station is 40 miles away! and I live just outside London, not in the sticks.

My wife is going to have a baby in two months.. - my nearest hospital... you guessed it.. 45 minutes. Tony is shutting down the local baby unit. Howard and Charles say they'll keep it.

And everytime I hear "45 minutes" I remember the other lie based upon 45 minutes - IRAQ!

So b*&^*% to it.
My vote goes to Tory.
They may not quite be ready for it, and their not the best.., but I'm voting for what matters to me;
More Policing
Nearer Hospitals
Our own decisions from the States
Less council tax
and a new PM.

and you think voting tory will get you these?! more fool you then!

Exactly the point I think!
You don't know what voting Tory is going to get you.
BUT, what I do know is exactly what Labour has given me, and I don't like it.
So, if like you suggest I say "Well Labour has given me nothing and vastly lowered my standard of living, but I'll vote for them anyway"
Surely then I would be the fool?

Its not what I think I'll get.., its want I don't want that matters.

 

[kendor]

So, if like you suggest I say "Well Labour has given me nothing and vastly lowered my standard of living, but I'll vote for them anyway"
Surely then I would be the fool?
Its not what I think I'll get.., its want I don't want that matters.

suggesting nothing of the sort you vote for whoever you want, i was just making the point that voting tory will not change anything except maybe the last one.

 

[masona]

I'm working on the elections at this moment, the polls show howard and blair neck and neck with blair slightly in front at time of writing 34% ( blue)to 39% (red) Howard has a massive task in trying to win the election it looks like he needs to win over at least 200 constituencies from labour with a massive swing in his favour just to get his foot in the door with a low majority, because of this howard will need to have a far better difference in poll figures even as much as 80% difference, this is going to be extremely hard especially with the liberal democrats taking a share.

I'm thinking in some way that Howard must be please that Blair hasn't stepped down because Labour would've have won with a far bigger majority if they has a new leader. Blair is very unpopular even with his own Labour party. There must be a loads of Labour voters who will be voting for Labour and yet can't stand him

 

[mail2neil]

So, if like you suggest I say "Well Labour has given me nothing and vastly lowered my standard of living, but I'll vote for them anyway"
Surely then I would be the fool?
Its not what I think I'll get.., its want I don't want that matters.

suggesting nothing of the sort you vote for whoever you want, i was just making the point that voting tory will not change anything except maybe the last one.

Yeah, fair play kendor, but you have to try.

I DO believe that Tories would save my hospital (its the local MP that'll want it to secure his vote).
It DO believe Howard will be more independant of Bush, and
It will change the man at the top..,
so that's 3 out of 5, and 3 more than I'll get if I vote Blair.

If I also get more policing and/or less council tax, then winner! Else.., at least I'm better off than now.

 

[kendor]

The only advice i can give is: Don't believe the Hype!