Topic: All this speculation about the next uk election

[john]

This thread hasn't been hijacked, its relevant to see what might motivate people to vote or not in addition to who they might actually vote for.

Our attitude towards our society, government and democracy are almost entirely shaped by historical events so you can't have a debate about an election without looking at how historical events shape peoples feelings and opinions, well not an intelligent, informed debate anyway

[john]

Well, looks like Gordon Brown has decided there won't be an election this year and probably not next year so it's time to close the polls....

[The old man]

So thats politics then. We never elected this retrobate, and now he's decided we can't have the chance to vote him out either........I love living in a democracy!

[Triggerhappybaby]

I agree totally with PR, it's a travesty when women don't vote. I find it an equal travesty when personality politics seems to dominate over policies and plans for the future improvement of the country too.

As an aside, I read in the Independent yesterday someone's opinion that to have an election in the mid-term of any parliament makes a mockery of the system and if most people were in favour of this we might as well have a system like they do in the States where the leader has a fixed term in office. Truth be told, we have not in the past few years had a credible opposition to the ruling party, and the Tories are only just getting their act together. By the time Brown has had an opportunity to show us what he's made of and the 5 years is up we may be in a much healthier democratic position. I'm a socialist through and through, but any democracy is only worth jack shit if there is a decent opposition, so I'm glad the Tories are pulling their socks up - it can only improve the state of the nation.

Now, Alistair Darling's eyebrows. Discuss.

[naughty lee]

the thing that grips my shit is when they all come out with great ideas for the country when they want a vote, ideas which rarely materialise. bunch of bullshitters all of them.

reward the workers, give the scrounging pikeys fuck all, then put em on a boat to ireland,  put all the immigrants into the army and fuck em off to the middle east long term (ie home) machine guns at Dover. Only give workers NHS treatment, send the doleys to charity hospitals, get more dentists, no scroungers/doleys = lower taxes, national strikes when petrol goes over a quid. yeah, thats what i'd organise if i were running the place.
once there was a few quid spare, id send the army in to invade france. Not for any partcular reason apart from the crap culture, gay language and the convenient closeness of them and centuries of built up hatred.
That'll friggin learn them for stinging us with those tolls.
Twats.

[Alba]

i like this guy. where do i vote?
'>

[Triggerhappybaby]

Quote (naughty lee @ Oct. 11 2007,04:27)

the thing that grips my shit is when they all come out with great ideas for the country when they want a vote, ideas which rarely materialise. bunch of bullshitters all of them. reward the workers, give the scrounging pikeys fuck all, then put em on a boat to ireland,  put all the immigrants into the army and fuck em off to the middle east long term (ie home) machine guns at Dover. Only give workers NHS treatment, send the doleys to charity hospitals, get more dentists, no scroungers/doleys = lower taxes, national strikes when petrol goes over a quid. yeah, thats what i'd organise if i were running the place. once there was a few quid spare, id send the army in to invade france. Not for any partcular reason apart from the crap culture, gay language and the convenient closeness of them and centuries of built up hatred. That'll friggin learn them for stinging us with those tolls. Twats.

That's what I like, a nice balanced argument  '>


Better hope they keep up the investment in those loony bins Lee, I'm just ringing up to find out if they'll take you.....

That said, I agree with the bit about scroungers... some smelly old tramp asked me for money for a coffee/bottle of White Lightning today, in return for no service provision. Now if he'd offered to buff my shoes, or given me some free legal advice or something I may have offered a monetary exchange, but no. Wanted my money for bugger all in return.

Awesome.

[john]

its astonishing that quite a few on here harbour such fervent resentment about so many things...

Personally I think that this country ain't so bad really, the government could be a whole lot worse and we need all the immigrants to do all the jobs that we won't do, some of them work hard, some of them don't but it's not like we can be selective. This country needs thousands of people that will do all the shitty, low paid, soul destroying jobs that we can't do for ourselves so we can enjoy our high standard of living.

[The old man]

Is your surname Prescott??

[john]

Quote (The old man @ Oct. 12 2007,08:32)

Is your surname Prescott??

is yours Garnett ?

[The old man]

Dave Garnett? Nope not quite getting that one.    '>

I was just wondering where this 'High standard of living that we enjoy' is?

This country is a mess and before we go on about how much better off we are than other countries i would just like to state i don't give a flying fig, i don't live in another country i live in this one.

The one that gives bog all to our injured servicemen and women, the one that gives bog all to our pensioners, the country that rewards yobish behaviour with 'learning trips' to some far off place, the one squander millions/billions on the national health service without even monitoring where that money is spent (Wasted), the country that sold off all its School playing fields because it didn't want to incite competition between youngsters in case the under achiever felt left out. The list is endless, to maintain my 'high standard of living' i am working nights, and half of my days. I'm going to bed now bfore i really get ratty...G/Night

[john]

It's Alf Garnett...

[MATTP]

For the amount of tax we all pay it is nothing short of a joke for what we get.

In my UK this is what I'd have the policy people sorting from the start.

1. Cutting the time that you can get state handouts to not more than 3 years in 10.
2. Making people work for the community 10 hours per week for the state handout they get.
3. Giving married couples and those who have been together for more than 3 years Council flats over single parents (if the partner is still alive). Also, taking a strong stance of putting people in jail for 5 years if found too be renting out their Council home.
4. Having a basic charge of £100 per child per term to be paid to schools by parents. This would be credited back to parents who make sure that their child has a better than 90% attendance over that time.
5. Giving all parking enforcement powers to the AA for a term of 5 years and then a review being carried out.
6. Putting a charge of 20% on all food (FOAO) which is from more than 200miles away from the shop selling it.
7. Giving a free bus pass to all people under 20 who do not have a car, motorbike, van, etc.
8. Putting a tax of 40% on top of the asking price for all people who have more than 3 homes when buying another. This money would go direct to those buying homes larger than 2 bedrooms for the first time. IMO, there needs to be a move away from shoe box living.
9. Cutting out the need for road tax and putting it on as a 1p tax increase at the pump.
10. Cutting VAT on all goods made in the UK and adding it to all goods made outside of the UK. Could be a way to bring back car building for those people who don't want to sit infront of a computer all day.

There are so many ideas which will make this country better than it is. IMO, the country is going at around 60% of what it could be. Not bad but then again not the best if you want life better for your child. But, in the real world the only things that will be carried out will be those that work well for the people who will vote for the current people in power.