Beefy's Corner.......For all off Topic threads

Fair enough, I guess I don't believe in true democracy. I know it's intrinsically the fairest system, and in an ideal world it would be perfect, but in reality there are far too many people who do not know the relevant facts, and should not be trusted to make educated decisions when given the chance to vote on everything. I am skeptical about referendums for these things because there would be too many people who make decisions based on an irrational hatred of foreigners, and too many people who simply don't have a clue what they're really voting for. Not only is there a large proportion of the population who don't know the first thing about politics, but also until our education system significantly improves their offspring won't have a good enough chance to gain the relevant knowledge either. Quite frankly, the average citizens of this country are lucky they get to vote on anything at all.

 

The best way to combat immigration would be to make the UK less desirable to immigrants, so make it so that immigrants are only entitled to benefits after several years living in the UK. Say 6. Unless they're genuine asylum seekers. Also companies that pay below the minimum wage should be fined severely, as if companies are forced to pay at least minimum wage, migrants would be competing on a level playing field with British citizens for jobs.

In other news, was channel hoping and saw the end of the netball against Australia, it was quite tense due to the importance of the game and England were up by just a few goals, but they held on to win! England have now won the series 2-0, the first time they've ever won a series against Australia (the world number ones) apparently. And yet the IOC chose to make golf an Olympic sport over netball (or squash)?!?

 

sad.

 

I am pleased that we are in the EU but I am scared to death by the plans of the present goverment.

I want my grandchildren to be able to take advantage of the very widest range of opportunities life can throw at them and all this bunch of crooked Tory bastards want to do is to take us out of Europe and to look after their mates in the city at the same time as keeping their big feet on the neck of little old hard up and nearly skint England.

If I was a Scot I would vote for independence tomorrow as this bunch of Eton snobs will drag you down into poverty with England.

 

What's wrong with Eton? And Cameron doesn't want to take us out of Europe.

 

Why is he promising this referendum then given that most people believe the negative things said about the EU which they think must be bad because they think we are giving money to lazy French farmers and bone idle Greeks.

 

Not Cameron, but a lot of people in his party want to.

 

For all those going on about the evil empire of the EU, can I say you don't know what you are talking about. I work in the NHS and without a steady influx of nurses from Spain and Portugal, we wouldn't be able to cope. This is because there simply aren't enough British nurses around any more, due to cuts by successive governments. So just be thankful we are part of a larger community.

Cameron has been forced into this referendum because of his Eurosceptic backbenchers threatening to desert him at the next election, and because the media-inspired, small-time nationalist UKIP were likely to take the Daily Mail reading voters into their camp. No sensible politician from any of the main parties is going to support leaving the EU, and my only hope is that the Tories lose the election anyway, so we don't have to go through what is just a complete distraction from the real problems facing this country.

 

because he is trying to stop people voting for ukip over conservatives

 

So he puts the success of his party over and above national considerations.

 

As will everyone elected into his position for the foreseeable future.

 

That's the trouble with politics, everything is based on the short term

 

Chilco,

the NHS has always relied on foreign staff at all levels from cleaners to nurses to doctors and consultants, and many are from outside the EU. being outside the EU would not prevent us from recruiting from EU countirs as well. I'm very left wing, and have no issue with immigration, but also remain sceptical of the way the EU is going.

 

Except that people from outside the EU need work permits, which given the speed these things are processed would compromise recruitment. I agree with you that the EU needs to change, but if we left we would have serious difficulties.

 

perhaps freed from EU rules we could speed up work permits to suit our requirements?

I am not 100% sure about leaving the EU without knowing what would replace it, but I am against becoming part of a federal states of europe where our foreign policy, taxation policy and most of our laws are set by faceless unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.

 

I'm with you on the faceless bureaucrats anyway!

 

Well a lot of people in his party are dinosaurs who think we still live in the 1920s

 

ah the 1920's, takes me back to the time of flappers, the Charlston, and...........

the last time Fratton park was painted. ;-)

 

If anyone wants a laugh watch QOS on BBC 1. Lawro's making an idiot of himself!

 

Lawro got a football question wrong! It wasn't even hard either!