Off Topic The Politics Thread

[TheBigDipper]

Most of us are just three mortgage payments away from disaster. A little bit of empathy for the less fortunate goes a long way and says a lot about us as human beings. The current "austerity" policy is targeting the weak and serving the strong because it can - and because a first-past-the-post electoral system rewards parties for pandering to their supporters rather than doing what is right. A proportional representation system would force discussion and balance to deliver policies that work on all our behalf. FPTP worked in the 1750s. It hasn't been fit for purpose for a long time. So what if UKIP gets some seats in a PR system. They got 4 million votes, didn't they? That's twice as many as the SNP needed for their 50+ seats. (I didn't vote for either, BTW).

Can someone please explain to me why our country is a better place if international businesses earn revenue here yet pay little or no tax on their profits and employ people who can somehow split their humanity between the loving way they treat their family and amoral way they conduct their business affairs! I'm struggling to understand....

Politics! N

 

[ELLERS]

Agree with both.
Should never have people wanting food in this day and age.
Agree it's a political football.

 

[Star of David Bardsley]

This from the Spectator:

The national debt figures are out – £1.2 trillion and rising – and although I hate to say it, the Labour Party has a valid point to make. If you don’t adjust for inflation, Osborne has borrowed more in under four years than the Labour Party borrowed over 13 years. It’s unusual for Ed Balls to talk about debt accumulation as a bad thing, perhaps because his policy remains the accumulation of even more debt. But here’s the story so far:-

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That's a slightly one-sided view. Labour weren't left with an empty pot when they started and had little need to borrow at all. The economy was strong regardless. Tories took over a basket case.

 

[GoldhawkRoad]

You cant just go and get it????????!!!!!!!!!!! you have to be assessed and given vouchers by, for example, your GP.

A moment ago you said you found it hard to believe there were such levels of poverty in the UK and now you say you are sure there are some needy cases?

You need to make your mind up my friend.

My definition of needy cases is where food banks help to smooth over difficult patches in the monthly income cycle when rent has to be paid, school uniform, children's clothes etc have to be bought.

I don't accept it's poverty - have a look at some of the families being displaced by conflict in the Middle East. That's poverty

 

[Pils-the-hoop]

Most of us are just three mortgage payments away from disaster. A little bit of empathy for the less fortunate goes a long way and says a lot about us as human beings. The current "austerity" policy is targeting the weak and serving the strong because it can - and because a first-past-the-post electoral system rewards parties for pandering to their supporters rather than doing what is right. A proportional representation system would force discussion and balance to deliver policies that work on all our behalf. FPTP worked in the 1750s. It hasn't been fit for purpose for a long time. So what if UKIP gets some seats in a PR system. They got 4 million votes, didn't they? That's twice as many as the SNP needed for their 50+ seats. (I didn't vote for either, BTW).

Can someone please explain to me why our country is a better place if international businesses earn revenue here yet pay little or no tax on their profits and employ people who can somehow split their humanity between the loving way they treat their family and amoral way they conduct their business affairs! I'm struggling to understand....

Politics! N

It only works when you fully embrace and worship that wonderful human trait that is GREED!

 

[Star of David Bardsley]

My definition of needy cases is where food banks help to smooth over difficult patches in the monthly income cycle when rent has to be paid, school uniform, children's clothes etc have to be bought.

I don't accept it's poverty - have a look at some of the families being displaced by conflict in the Middle East. That's poverty

Depends on your definition of poverty. It's relative poverty here, absolute poverty there.

 

[ELLERS]

Most of us are just three mortgage payments away from disaster. A little bit of empathy for the less fortunate goes a long way and says a lot about us as human beings. The current "austerity" policy is targeting the weak and serving the strong because it can - and because a first-past-the-post electoral system rewards parties for pandering to their supporters rather than doing what is right. A proportional representation system would force discussion and balance to deliver policies that work on all our behalf. FPTP worked in the 1750s. It hasn't been fit for purpose for a long time. So what if UKIP gets some seats in a PR system. They got 4 million votes, didn't they? That's twice as many as the SNP needed for their 50+ seats. (I didn't vote for either, BTW).

Can someone please explain to me why our country is a better place if international businesses earn revenue here yet pay little or no tax on their profits and employ people who can somehow split their humanity between the loving way they treat their family and amoral way they conduct their business affairs! I'm struggling to understand....

Politics! N

Im struggling to understand how Charlotte Church can speak at an anti austerity march? Maybe she could share out some of her millions to the poor and homeless that were listening to her crap.
Its nearly as ironic as the anti capitalist protesters wearing designer gear?
We live in a weird world.

 

[Pils-the-hoop]

That's a slightly one-sided view. Labour weren't left with an empty pot when they started and had little need to borrow at all. The economy was strong regardless. Tories took over a basket case.

And turned it into an even bigger basket case whilst protecting the interests of their backers and establishment pals at the expense of pretty much everyone else.

 

[GoldhawkRoad]

Depends on your definition of poverty. It's relative poverty here, absolute poverty there.

The very phrase "relative poverty" seem to me a misnomer. If you can apply it to the UK, you can apply it to Monaco. You'd get a ridiculous result.

The word "poverty" is emotive and should be used sparingly imho

 

[Pils-the-hoop]

My definition of needy cases is where food banks help to smooth over difficult patches in the monthly income cycle when rent has to be paid, school uniform, children's clothes etc have to be bought.

I don't accept it's poverty - have a look at some of the families being displaced by conflict in the Middle East. That's poverty

Of course you dont........................it clearly doesn't affect you.

 

[Star of David Bardsley]

The very phrase "relative poverty" seem to me a misnomer. If you can apply it to the UK, you can apply it to Monaco. You'd get a ridiculous result.

The word "poverty" is emotive and should be used sparingly imho

Of course. Clint Hill is in poverty relative to Rio Ferdinand. A bloke frying the chips in McDonald's is in poverty relative to me. It's more of an economic term than anything just to distingustish between those above and below 60% of median income in a country.

 

[GoldhawkRoad]

Of course. Clint Hill is in poverty relative to Rio Ferdinand. A bloke frying the chips in McDonald's is in poverty relative to me. It's more of an economic term than anything just to distingustish between those above and below 60% of median income in a country.

Agree

 

[Star of David Bardsley]

And turned it into an even bigger basket case whilst protecting the interests of their backers and establishment pals at the expense of pretty much everyone else.

Are we a bigger basket case now than when they took over? Unemployment is relatively low. Inflation isn't disastrous. Interest rates are still good. Can they really be objectively criticised for their time in power?

 

[Stroller]

Are we a bigger basket case now than when they took over? Unemployment is relatively low. Inflation isn't disastrous. Interest rates are still good. Can they really be objectively criticised for their time in power?

Shouldn't Labour get the credit for record low interest rates? After all, they caused the global banking crisis.

 

[Star of David Bardsley]

Shouldn't Labour get the credit for record low interest rates? After all, they caused the global banking crisis.

Fair point.

Well done Labour.

 

[GoldhawkRoad]

Of course you dont........................it clearly doesn't affect you.

It doesn't now, although I started my adult life with barely two pennies to rub together, as many do. There's hardship, sure, and I'm inclined to think that given the social security safety net in this country, some of it is caused by financial mismanagement. Not placing blame here, but managing personal and family finances could usefully be taught in schools. It's a more complex world now that it was when I started out in the 1970's.

 

[Pils-the-hoop]

Shouldn't Labour get the credit for record low interest rates? After all, they caused the global banking crisis.

I give up! ..........................(unless, of course, this is pure sarcasm).

 

[Stroller]

I give up! ..........................(unless, of course, this is pure sarcasm).

Well, I don't believe it to be true.

 

[Pils-the-hoop]

It doesn't now, although I started my adult life with barely two pennies to rub together, as many do. There's hardship, sure, and I'm inclined to think that given the social security safety net in this country, some of it is caused by financial mismanagement. Not placing blame here, but managing personal and family finances could usefully be taught in schools. It's a more complex world now that it was when I started out in the 1970's.

I agree things have certainly moved on.............I recall one of the Tories early manifestos pre Thatcher was a promise to keep house prices LOW!!

Also, distribution of wealth was vastly different back then........................a CEO would earn maybe 10 x times the salary of the lowest paid worker not the 200 - 300 x times as it is now.

And a family could buy a home on 3.5 x times the salary of one parent.

I genuinely believe that this skewed wealth distribution is primarily the root of the problems we are experiencing today.

 

[Pils-the-hoop]

Fair point.

Well done Labour.

......................of course a UK based political party bought about a GLOBAL financial collapse............................sheesh!