UK spending power 'in heavy fall'

baby_boomer

When Ed Balls becomes leader of the Labour Party the three main leaders will all have been educated at private schools.

Don't knock Grammar Schools which were the best way of ensuring the Labour Party had talented leaders not entirely removed from the real world.

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

There was a long tradition, in the north-west at least, of working class Tories. All my grandparents voted Conservative, for example. They weren't alone.

It wasn't just the north-west. But mistrust of Catholics and the Irish did help there.

Generali

I don't knock Grammar schools at all. They were a great way for intelligent poor kids to educate their way out of poverty. Both of my parents were brought up in abject poverty in the 40s and 50s by single mums. Both went to Grammar schools and ended up very comfortably off as a result of some hard work and innate intelligence.

The poverty of ambition in many comprehensive schools is one of the most terrible legacies of C20th Socialism in the UK. I sometimes wonder if the failure to educate working class kids before putting them onto welfare for the rest of their lives is some kind of sick policy. It is certainly what is being done to huge areas of the country and it's Socialism that has done it.

Pobby

Please also remember that it is the 60th anniversary of the NHS. For all it`s faults I warmly thank Bevan.

Conrad

Tories like money and do not conceal the fact.

Socialists like Ben Elton spout off against capitalism whilst at the same time have aquired millions from thier book sales, TV and Theatre output.

Billy Bragg I heard has quite a nice pile down in Dorset. Bono keeps his assets offshore to avoid paying UK Tax which otherwise would have benefit the underclass he proclaims to care for.

Socialists and Liberals like to aquire compassion tokens by spouting redistribution without actually engaging in it.

Dame Shirley Williams lives near me, you want to see her house (sorry, one of them)

m00m00

Pobby wrote: »

Please also remember that it is the 60th anniversary of the NHS. For all it`s faults I warmly thank Bevan.

and there's a politician that the champagne socialist tag doesn't fit, who achieved more for this country than almost any other politician.

Conrad

Oh, and when they died in the wool socialist, Donald Dewar MP died, his estate was worth millions - no less than the fat cats he spouted off against as a way for him to collect compasion tokens

Listen out for Labour / Liberal Politicos spouting off against city fat cats. Then compare in your mind the wealth of these f cats against say Paul McCartney (£750m - hoarded and not bought to bare on the poor), Sting (£300m), Ben Elton (£100m).

Why dont the politicos dare critiscise these socialist fat cats?

Generali

Anthony Wedgewood Benn was a prime example. Wanted confiscatory levels of taxation (tax rates above a certain level of income were greater than 100%) but kept his millions stashed away where the taxman couldn't get at them.

Dylanwing

I'm lost - Does anyone believe that NuLabour have anything to do with social justice and socialism? Well apart from some naff slogans.
Targetted benefit - Hideously complicated and costs more to distribute than it is worth.
End child poverty - If you are on benefits, have a kid and live comfortably.

As for the OP, petrol prices have doubled, a lot of mortgage payments are going up, Gas, Leccy & Water all rising rapidly, ever more indirect taxes which hit the lower paid disproportionately, Council Tax rising rapidly, food prices rising rapidly, pay rises linked to RPI which is ridiculously low as it includes a lot of luxuries - And some half-witted expert tells us that we are spending less, presenting it with the same gravitas as if he had discovered the secret of perpetual motion! I think he is off soon to study the behaviour of bears in woods, then to the Vatican for a religious survey!

jamescredmond

Dylanwing wrote: »

I'm lost - Does anyone believe that NuLabour have anything to do with social justice and socialism? Well apart from some naff slogans.
Targetted benefit - Hideously complicated and costs more to distribute than it is worth.
End child poverty - If you are on benefits, have a kid and live comfortably.

As for the OP, petrol prices have doubled, a lot of mortgage payments are going up, Gas, Leccy & Water all rising rapidly, ever more indirect taxes which hit the lower paid disproportionately, Council Tax rising rapidly, food prices rising rapidly, pay rises linked to RPI which is ridiculously low as it includes a lot of luxuries - And some half-witted expert tells us that we are spending less, presenting it with the same gravitas as if he had discovered the secret of perpetual motion! I think he is off soon to study the behaviour of bears in woods, then to the Vatican for a religious survey!

can't say I blame you for being lost.

me too.

when lab. had its 'clause 4 moment' british socialism was effectively dead.

maybe someone could explain the precise ideological differences between the main parties.

back in the 80's we had a clear choice.

as for grammar schools: I went to one and quickly learnt that a good 2/3rds of the intake had been to prep school. so my grammar was a cheap and effective way for the moneyed classes to complete their kids' education.

these prep kids were no smarter than the rest of us, so it transpired. plenty seemed a good deal thicker.

so how did they pass the 11 - plus?

yrs later I found out: in their last yr of prep school they were hot-housed every school day. old 11-plus papers were studied and then re-studied.
questions from these old papers were certain to re-surface in the new exam.

and this trickery passed for 'education'.

smart, eh?

and not much different from today.

fc123

Generali wrote: »

I don't knock Grammar schools at all. They were a great way for intelligent poor kids to educate their way out of poverty. Both of my parents were brought up in abject poverty in the 40s and 50s by single mums. Both went to Grammar schools and ended up very comfortably off as a result of some hard work and innate intelligence.

The poverty of ambition in many comprehensive schools is one of the most terrible legacies of C20th Socialism in the UK. I sometimes wonder if the failure to educate working class kids before putting them onto welfare for the rest of their lives is some kind of sick policy. It is certainly what is being done to huge areas of the country and it's Socialism that has done it.

Sounds just like my parents too. Mind you, I went to Grammar school and didn't do so well. Left at 16 as I think academic learning didn't interest @ age 16. Wanted to get out into the world and do things instead.

The state system is failing loads of bright kids who just happen to live in the wrong catchment area....but I believe some will do just fine once they are out in the adult world.