Off Topic Political Debate

Is the problem you have with the non doms, residents from other nations?, that they pay no tax in their own country or in yours? I see you argue about which party has done nothing about them. Is this because the numbers were so small in the past, that to chase the foreigners was not a good thing to spend money on and now there are many so the government wants to take some of their money.

 

In the UK the non dom issue is more political than financial. It is fairly difficult to work out how much benefit / income they produce for the UK in return for their special tax status. With the government ever reducing the corporation tax on companies it should encourage even more investment into the UK.

It is normally the political left that often criticise the privileged treatment of the non doms but the Tories have been the first government to actually make them contribute towards HMRC. The new government has also stopped the right to claim non dom status for individuals who have lived in the UK for 15 of the past 20 years.

 

Yawn.. and it was in the Labour manifesto too... and they have been banging on about it for all the last parliament.... so yes claim the Glory for the Tories .. yawn.

Why on earth do you bother to make the Tories out be the best thing since sliced bread?

Most people know that sliced bread has very little goodness, and constipates.

I am afraid to say that virtually all your postings are blind pro-Tory... do you disagree with any of their policies?? What about the differences in nuance... are you an Osborne man or a Johnson man. What do you make of the ridiculous triumphalism of IDS during the budget speech.? Are you pro Europe or Anti Europe? What is your view on so called free schools. etc etc.

 

Of course nobody agrees with every policy that a government comes up with but the tories first budget must have surprised most people by implementing many of Labour's better ideas. Having lived through several hopeless Labour governments it is not difficult to support the only credible alternative.

IDS has done a fantastic job of trying to sort out the complicated benefit system that has become bloated and a life choice for some.
Families need to take more responsibility for their actions, it should no longer be the state's problem. There should however be a safety net for the genuine needy.

I prefer the basis of the old common market with free trade and cooperation between European nations. The Euro has been, and will continue to be, a financial disaster for many countries. It was a political decision completely devoid of any financial merit or basic common sense. The EU is run by bureaucrats for the benefit of very few. It is undemocratic and involves so much fiddling that the annual financial accounts have never been able to be signed off. I await Cameron's renegotiation results before I decide on our continued membership or not.

Finally I support free schools and the freedom to employ teachers with differing life experiences, not just those that have been through left leaning sausage machines called teacher training courses.

Finally, I don't like sliced bread, nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to a french flute eaten within a couple of hours being made.

I'll be back in France in a couple of weeks to gorge myself, only problem is missing a couple of the hornets first games.

Yorkie, enjoy your upcoming trip to France.

 

LOL!!

Now that is more interesting

Of course as a qualified teacher I remember when most teachers voted Tory you know..... until successive Tory Govts methodically marginalized them and their working conditions... was the same with nurses. True..... Have you done a teacher training course? Well I can tell you there is no politicizing of education in teacher education ... most teachers want to be completely free of politics and to do the best job they can do.

The trouble with so-called free schools... well they can be the ideological hot-house of bigotry.. .there are a number that the Govt (Cons) allowed to start up that have since been closed. This subject is well worth discussion.

As for a bread... well I am glad that is something we can agree on at last Of course bread production in France is under tight govt controls you know ... true!

 

Wow ! We all agree on bread. But why do you think that only the left have sausage machines - what are the elite private schools but the same on the other side ? Also, much of your critique of the Labour Party is ignoring the fact that neither Yorkie nor Myself are in fact Labour - we are both Green. Are you in favour of things like fracking and TTIP ?

 

I've just read that price controls on baguettes in France has recently been lifted. Perhaps frenchie will know if this is correct or not?

 

I'm in favour of giving fracking a go in the UK, unfortunately I have not studied TTIP enough to comment.

 

Le Clerc bread; stale after 12 hours. Do not buy unless desperate.
Super U; lasts longer, but some loaves will cover you in flour.
Local baker; far and away the best, but 50% more expensive.

I know an ex-pat who imports sliced white bread from Tesco who doesn't like French bread.

 

1) We have a local bread van... decent bread... the standard paysan range . We have discovered a great artisan bread shop in St Leonard de Noblat who does the best wholegrain and seed and fruit breads ever. Some our neighbours go to Aldi just after the bread has been baked and it is great bread.

2) OMG

 

I met an ex pat in the Tarn that claimed the UK bread was far superior because it lasted for days and days and days!!!!

Perhaps he was addicted to the added chemicals?

 

I'll wave to you as I drive past on the A20 towing my caravan down to Sarlat-de-Caneda at the start of August. Please don't organise the locals to throw tomatoes at the capitalist pig, i'm quite nice really.

 

I am sure you are

 

Exposed! You are really Margaret Beckett. I claim the €20 prize.

 

Be careful as you drive and you seem to keep veering to the right!

 

At least I'll be on the right side of the road!!

 

Don't you know us tories are THE party of the people now!!

 

Took a trip to Limoges yesterday, Saturday, and there wasn't a single French lorry on the autoroute for the hour that I was on it. There were plenty of Polish, German and Spanish lorries using the A20, but since Jospin was in power French lorry drivers are not allowed to work over the weekend unless they are carrying perishable goods. Good intentions from a very left-wing government, but how it has reduced the chances of making the economy work. Tonight the French population are complaining about Hollande again because he wants to lend even more of their money to the Greeks. There is quite a lot of sympathy for the ordinary person living there, but none what so ever for their government who have totally mislead them.

 

It is not the present Greek government which got them into this mess Frenchie, but the previous one. I am not sure which is the right policy on this one - at any rate Merkel and Schäuble's policy of 'austerity' only, without investment is doomed to fail. The Germans should be remembering more from their own history here eg. how they were helped through the Marshall Plan, and how they later stimulated the East German economy through a 'solidarity' tax. By the way, I hope the French are making the Poles and Germans pay to use their motorways !

 

The german dominated bunch of creditors must take huge responsibility for lending Greece so much money, they were never fit to lend to, similar to the american sub prime recipients. Both groups were not subject to any kind of affordability check. Fortunately the germans will lose the most financially. Even if there is another botched deal it will only unravel later. The euro is failed political experiment.