Off Topic Politics Thread
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Michael Fallon was trying to reignite the old Corbyn/IRA/dodgy friends line - and then Emily Thornberry did this. Live on Sunday morning TV - zing!
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Each time I think he couldn't get worse he manages to prove me wrong.
People, real breathing people, die because of mistakes like this.
Vin
The case for impeachment grows by the day. When you think over the proud history of misbehaving US Presidents, from Warren Gamaliel Harding to Richard Milhouse Nixon and Bill Clinton, this guy makes them all look like saints (small "s").
Tbf, [and I'm probably being overly fair here], Harding was a real **** and stupid. He was also malicious. Mind you, the odd loose word here and there back then didn't quite impact the way it does today. So yep, Trump sure is in there, leading the rat pack.
Trump proclaims his 'absolute right' to share secret information with Russian ministers and dignitaries. And so he has. As the President he can do that. But is it wise and smart.? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/16/donald-trump-russia-shared-information
Anyone watch Jeremy Corbyn launching the Labour manifesto live on Facebook earlier from Bradford University? Absolutely brilliant, the man is an inspiring leader and deserves to become PM. After running through the key points including guarantees on the NHS, renationalisation of the railways and water supply, publicly owned energy supply and guaranteed green energy, scrapping tuition fees, more police and firefighters, access to the Single Market included in the Brexit negotiations, etc., etc., as well as how it would all be funded, he challenged Theresa May to a live debate, which of course her keepers won't let her accept, unfortunately.
I can honestly say I feel real hope for this country when I hear a man of principle such as Corbyn speak on policies this country is crying out for.
I can honestly say I feel real hope for this country when I hear a man of principle such as Corbyn speak on policies this country is crying out for.
Once you start listening to him, you realise that he is speaking from the heart. He isn't looking for sound bites, just telling it how he sees it.
I am growing more and more captivated by his passion.
The manifesto is, as you say, full of policies this country is crying out for.
Should the unexpected happen, I would be greedy and ask that they add another target for the future. Do to the telecommunications industry what they are doing to the utilities industry. There is so much money to be made there, for the public coffers, so why not go after a share of it.
Absolutely, I can remember as a lot on here can when British Telecommunications was part of the GPO and all run by the state. Now communications is even more vital to the economy why shouldn't the state have a share in it?
And hopefully the Tories will realise they can;t keep banging on about a "return to the 70s" because people will listen to his policies and like them. To be honest I like them and "could" vote for them. However Brexit is a very key policy and many people (even if remain) while liking Corbyn's policies (as announced today) still are quite realistic and doubt it will work. Will be interesting to see if he actually does do better than expected. Anywhere near Ed's is a major success for Labour at this point in time.
The danger for lots of the mainstream are that they are still not coming to terms with the fact that people are not being scared into remaining with the "status quo" for fear of any change and the Tories, Blairites and Lib Dems continue with arguments about tinkering with the current rather than making big changes (drastic even) when they are needed.
Another thing that the media ignore and that many "New Labour" supporters forget is that Blair won the Labour leadership with promises of re-nationalisation.
We seem to be in an era of people saying "look, Socialism didn't work last time" or "Look, Capitalism isn't working now" and no-one ever asks why it doesn't/isn't working.
My most hated remarks when I was an Operations manager were "It's always been done this way" or "never been a problem before."
Maybe if Brexit was off the agenda Corbyn might have a chance.
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My dad is why Corbyn won't win (my dad's 82). He worked for the GPO from the age of 16 and worked his way up to Engineering Project Manager (or the equivalent). A few years after it was privatised he was so disillusioned by the direction of the new company he took early retirement. Because of his 38 years working for the State he retired with a massive pension. He always voted Labour. Everything Corbyn wants to do is what made his life so good. Last year he voted Brexit, this year he thinks Corbyn is a clown. Why oh why dad? have all the corrupt politicians corrupted you?
My Dad is the same although I think he went Labour>SDP>Lib Dems. Worked for the state from age 16 right through to 61 (Initially an investigative officer closing down employers not paying N.I/Tax and ended his career at the Benefits agency where he took frauds to court and made decisions on individual cases to pay or not pay benefits.)
He retired under Blair's government when he said he wasn't allowed to do his job anymore. He said "all I do now is go to people with a tick sheet. I'm not allowed to take anybody's circumstance into account nor assess the claimant's honesty." And so he retired with a generous state pension waiting for him which he couldn't get for 4 years because he retired at 61 (instead of 65) after 45 year's of service.
It tied in with a "windfall" when my Mum's father died and so she inherited half of his estate bridging the gap of no income for 4 years until my Dad's pension came in.
I don't know what side he is on r.e. Brexit. I don't think it is a subject that really bothers him TBH. I know he doesn't trust Labour after Blair though.
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We're almost twins! go on vote for Jeremy, you know it's the right thing to do!
It is something that I've thought a lot about. All I get from those who voted Brexit is vague replies about a lack of sovereignty and how many immigrants are coming into the country. The lack of sovereignty argument is total and utter bullshit. The UK is a sovereign nation. Everything that the EU decides in or out of its favour is [sorry, 'was'] signed as an agreement by the UK. The amount of immigrants coming into the country is another bullshit argument. For as long as I have been alive, Britain has had a fairly open immigration policy, even before the country was in the EU. It actually invited peoples from its Commonwealth to live and work in the UK at one time, in order to boost the working population. When it suited us, of course. Those are the main issues. Then there's the cost of being in the EU and the unelected members. I don't normally get feedback on that because even those Brexit people realise that the UK got just a fair a deal as most other big EU economies, like Germany, France and Italy, and if they didn't that's surely our own stupid fault. We get benefits and we get drawbacks. We'll know how much the EU costs us in a few years time when we finally stand on our own very shaky feet. I'm not confident.
There were two people who essentially led the Brexit campaign, though they say they didn't. They were the high profile Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson. Both of them dangerous, due to their non-expert views and ability to convince, though it staggers me how anyone can be swayed by either. Both are clowns in their own way. Perhaps that's why.?
I don't mean to sound pedantic @ImpSaint but your father as a civil servant would have a full civil service pension payable at age 60 and the maximum reckonable service is 40, so the last 5 years he worked his pension would only increased by the amount his final salary was - the state pension is the hundred odd quid you get at 65. The era of decent pensions in the civil service has definitely worsened since 2010. As a civil servant myself with 20 years service currently, in the last 8 years I have had either 1% or 0% annual salary increases, my pension eroded to career average, my pension age increased from 60 to 67.
As for Jeremy Corbyn - it is very easy for him to set out a quite radical manifesto in the belief he is unlikely to be required to fulfil it. It is a manifesto that I broadly agree with, especially unfreezing the pay constraint to the public sector. Where it falls down is that the greed of those above the 'JAM' threshold will not want to pay for it, plus add his unclear approach to Brexit and that many people know that the traditional left support is very split on Brexit leads to him being against the odds for being PM, and I say this as a Labour supporter who may for the first time may vote liberal in my currently tory-held seat in Somerset.
As for Jeremy Corbyn - it is very easy for him to set out a quite radical manifesto in the belief he is unlikely to be required to fulfil it. It is a manifesto that I broadly agree with, especially unfreezing the pay constraint to the public sector. Where it falls down is that the greed of those above the 'JAM' threshold will not want to pay for it, plus add his unclear approach to Brexit and that many people know that the traditional left support is very split on Brexit leads to him being against the odds for being PM, and I say this as a Labour supporter who may for the first time may vote liberal in my currently tory-held seat in Somerset.