The Politics Thread

Judging by the early responses to the Leidereen, it looks like the BBC have succumbed to the attack on their recent demonstration of 'impartiality' by loading the QT audience with Tory voters!!

 

It's a bit like Doctor Who.

 

They can't all be Sylvester McCoy

 

There's got to be a Tweetie Pie joke in there somewhere.

 

Are you saying Colin Baker is the George W Bush of Doctor Who, or that George W Bush is the Colin Baker of American Presidents?

 

I'll let them decide.

 

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They always do. It's a nice change that they're not Tory Councillors.

 

Not much of a change that they appeared to know more about her policies than she did, not least the £4m of aid going to North Korea...

 

Only just had the chance to come back and read the thread.

On Trident, its abundantly clear that work needs to be done to foster a greater level of independence in it's production, maintenance and use from the USA. Otherwise we remain a pawn. Though how we try and pursue that while becoming more reliant on the US for trade as a result of Brexit, is anyone's guess. Having Trident as many have alluded to, is not just about having a 'deterrent' (albeit one that is not helping in the fight against terrorism, probably a greater immediate threat to the safety of the average UK citizen than nuclear was is to be any time soon) but also about keeping the UK at the table in geopolitics. Once you give up the nukes and everything that comes with it, you're not going to get it back. I'd rather have it - and therefore the scope for a leader with backbone, if we ever find one, to have a say - than give that up. One day I hope disarmament will happen but better to have the potential to be at the table during those talks than to chuck it in now, which, lets face it, is not going to make Russia and the USA sit up and follow suit.

Moving away from Trident, my comment stemmed mainly from a fairly hopeless feeling that this country is heading towards a proper mess and that there is too much vested interest from all sides of the political spectrum in keeping it that way. The Tories are too tied up in big business and the establishment to want to make any serious changes, and Labour are hopeless. FPTP effectively disenfranchises large parts of the population and in any case, political disengagement is maddeningly high.

I'll try and write a longer, more detailed post tomorrow morning and stay around to debate it

 

I don't get this phrase of yours here. So here we have one of the more honest politician in corbyn who is going to be tough on corporations (unless the feck off) and you still can't vote him in.

What exactly is it that you want when you say you don't want a government tied up to big business? Tony Blair was, Gordon Brown was and the Tories always will be.

If you don't think this election is that opportunity than i'm afraid you deserve all the the U.S. styled election campaigns going forward and governments that are in with big business.

 

Now this is a leader I would vote for!

 

I run a (very) small business which is incorporated and a corporation tax hike to 26% will put me under serious strain. It's bad enough coping with the ****ty new recently introduced rules for the flat rate VAT scheme that now demands 16.5% of gross which basically equates to me keeping 20p for every £100 + VAT I bill to cover my costs. It's a f**kin' joke! I hear nothing about Corbyn's manifesto dealing with that.

I see scores of small businesses like mine struggling if Labour wins which will lead to lay offs and companies potentially going under.

As someone who's been self-employed for over 13 years, it infuriates me that certain politicians (usually those who never ran a business) automatically think tax increases will solve debt issues. It's not that simple. Smaller companies like mine are squeezed to the max whilst larger corporations will simply relocate where the tax implications are lower, as the cost of doing that is far less than a hugely increased corporation tax bill - Dublin being the classic example (Google, Apple etc...)

When the 2007/08 crash happened, Ireland slashed its corporation tax and businesses flocked there and that created a ton of jobs and helped the economy to get (slowly) back on its feet from the brink of serious collapse.

Essentially, Corbyn's plan will hammer small businesses which are the backbone of this country and scare big business away. People will lose jobs and tax receipts won't go up as they think they will. It will backfire miserably.

 

Agree with much you say, but this isn't quite right as Ireland adopted their 'open door' policy on corporation tax back in the mid-90's, which was when the big multinationals (specifically tech and pharm) moved in their EMEA operations. These tax rates have remained 'competitive' despite numerous claims that they breach EU Regs.....
The problem with this policy was - and remains - the fact that there needs to be parallel investment to build up indigenous business to protect the country when the situation changes and the MN's head off to greener pastures. That hasn't happened in Ireland unfortunately as it was a) not recognised as a necessity and b) the crash of 2007/8 has forced diversion of any revenues into preventing a complete domestic economic implosion.

 

"Essentially, Corbyn's plan will hammer small businesses which are the backbone of this country and scare big business away. People will lose jobs and tax receipts won't go up as they think they will. It will backfire miserably. "

Yes, absolutely agree that small business is the backbone of the country. But I don't see the Tories as being the friends of small business at all. They are the friends of big business and banking, who are themselves the friend of nobody but themselves.

 

No of course the Tories aren't my buddies either which I never suggested but Corbyn's plan will kill small businesses, period.

 

I have run several small businesses of my own and what people often forget is that small businesses for the most part rely on the bottom end of society for that business (unless they are selling Rolls Royce's) If you hammer the lower paid you are hammering the customers of many small businesses who then can't afford to spend. Large companies are good for shareholders and their executives the elite in other words. If you are in that elite then I understand why you would vote to protect your self interest and support the Tories. If you are not in that elite then voting for the Tories is just ridiculous and very damaging to our society.
Papers like the Daily Mail have done huge damage to the UK and continue to do so.

 

'Tied into big business' was perhaps a bit too much of a cliche - but I don't think the Conservatives want to change much for the interests of the voters. Previous governments you name (hell, probably most of them in their own way. 100s of years ago MPs pretty much had to be landed gentry anyway so its pretty much in the DNA of the system to be tied to the establishment in some way) have been but that doesn't make it ok.

I like many of Corbyn's policies, I really do. And I think he's been a forthright campaigner and protester over his time in politics, and he comes across a lot better in debates and interviews than the Tory figures. But I think his Shadow Cabinet is a mess, and he's not a PM for me. Neither is May to be fair. I won't vote for either.

Corbyn has the support of many of the Labour Party members for sure, but he had just over 61% of just over 506k members in the last leadership election. Over 9m voted Labour in the last GE. He might have galvanised support from some of the youth, and the hard-left fringe, but he's alienated a lot more. His supporters are vocal but as with many of these things (Clinton supporters, Remain voters, anyone but the Tories in the last GE) the most vocal supporters aren't always the most numerous. I don't see this election as an opportunity for him if I'm honest. I just don't see the support for him getting elected. If Cameron still headed up the Tories he's have made a far better fist of this than May and we'd be looking at Tory government for the foreseeable. May comes across as thinking she's already won, which I really don't like. SHe's butchered what should have been an easy kill.

 

The dementia tax and taking the winter fuel allowance off the elderly appear to be massive own goals for the Tories.
About 95% of the population must be pensioners these days. Kick one and they all limp (although some were limping already).

 

The added kicker is that not only do pensioners vote more than other age groups, but they vote Tory more, too.
They've taken a double swing at their own base, who can be depended on to turn up.