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Cameron wants another seven years as PM...

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  • Mrs_Bones
    Mrs_Bones Posts: 15,524 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Anniversary First Post Photogenic
    DervProf wrote: »
    Although seemingly unpopular, the current government appear to realise that these "vote winners" come at a price, and given the current world economic climate, and the legacy left by the last government, I think they do need more time to "balance the books" and get the economy into a state where they can offer some of the things that the population desire.

    The books do need balancing, the deficit and debt need to be tackled. There is no getting away from that point. Doing that would have involved difficult decisions for who ever was in power.

    Yet they could have done all that without also running a policy of deliberate social division and demonizing the most vulnerable in society. The words they often choose do not enforce the opinion of us all being in this struggle together but deliberately aim to set different sections of society against each other.

    It's not the first time this country has faced difficult times but we always do better when we pull together not pull apart.
    [FONT=&quot]“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
  • DervProf
    DervProf Posts: 4,035 Forumite
    Mrs_Bones wrote: »
    The words they often choose do not enforce the opinion of us all being in this struggle together but deliberately aim to set different sections of society against each other.

    At least it's only words.

    I have witnessed first hand, the benefit of being on benefits. Recently carried out work for a family where there were at least 4 kids, 2 XBOX360s, 2 Sky HD boxes, nice new kitchen appliances etc. The parents didn't seem to have a day's work in them, but at least they didn't smoke in the house (the father and young son stood outside to have a cigarette). As a tax payer on a modest income, I didn't feel that they were "in this" with me. Still, at least it's good to see the next generation being bought up with Sky TV. I've chosen not to spend any of my income with Sky or on cigarettes, I use the ~£100 per month to help pay for my retirement.
    30 Year Challenge : To be 30 years older. Equity : Don't know, don't care much. Savings : That's asking for ridicule.
  • kabayiri
    kabayiri Posts: 22,740 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture First Post
    DervProf wrote: »
    At least it's only words.

    I have witnessed first hand, the benefit of being on benefits. Recently carried out work for a family where there were at least 4 kids, 2 XBOX360s, 2 Sky HD boxes, nice new kitchen appliances etc. The parents didn't seem to have a day's work in them, but at least they didn't smoke in the house (the father and young son stood outside to have a cigarette). As a tax payer on a modest income, I didn't feel that they were "in this" with me. Still, at least it's good to see the next generation being bought up with Sky TV. I've chosen not to spend any of my income with Sky or on cigarettes, I use the ~£100 per month to help pay for my retirement.

    I detest that sort of family. A complete absence of the understanding of contribution to society.

    I also detest the likes of Accenture, who earn £2bn of income, a lot of it from state work, yet seem to think it okay to pay a few tens of millions of corp tax to the state, mainly due to a cleverly arranged loan back to a parent outfit.

    There are parties at both ends of the social scale rubbing our noses in it. Middle income Britain are the easy target.
  • BertieUK
    BertieUK Posts: 1,701 Forumite
    edited 6 January 2013 at 6:48PM
    leader of political party who is currently prime minister wants to be prime minister for longer.

    was this really worth a thread?

    You have every right to make comment on this Forum about whether a thread was really worth it, you do not have to read it or take part in its discussion, if all posts were of a similar theme how boring it would be.

    Just as to get back, for a moment, as to whether or not this thread was worthy to be placed on this discussion board, just look back at all your choice threads, and count the number of views you had and how may people decided to take part and make comments about them. Let me tell you...

    ...You had one half a million people that read your threads and only 350 or so made comment, now that is not a very interesting average of less than 1.5 comments made.

    You may twist these figures as much as you can to appear to be the opposite but I'm afraid that I call a spade a spade, my choice of vocabulary may not be up to your standards and I may certainly not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but...
  • grizzly1911
    grizzly1911 Posts: 9,965 Forumite
    DervProf wrote: »


    I think they do need more time to "balance the books" and get the economy into a state where they can offer some of the things that the population desire.

    They wills imply dismantle the state run services and sell it to the private sector whose executives will call the shots. We will continue to pay through a taxation for many of those services.

    Taxes will not fall.

    The taxpayer will simply be priced out of key services.

    We will end up like the USA. Those who can afford it get those who can't tough.

    It is just kicking the can down the road for another time.
    "If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future.".....

    "big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas I prefer the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," "Arunachalam Muruganantham
  • grizzly1911
    grizzly1911 Posts: 9,965 Forumite
    A._Badger wrote: »
    This may be true, but the fact is that their presentation has been monumentally inept, with a series of open goals presented to the opposition.

    Is it just presentation or their poor explanation and lack of in depth thought, that trips them up when challenged?
    "If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future.".....

    "big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas I prefer the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," "Arunachalam Muruganantham
  • A._Badger
    A._Badger Posts: 5,863 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Is it just presentation or their poor explanation and lack of in depth thought, that trips them up when challenged?

    Frankly? I'd say it's all of the above. But even when they do have the occasional good idea, they lack the ability to communicate it.
  • grizzly1911
    grizzly1911 Posts: 9,965 Forumite
    kabayiri wrote: »
    I detest that sort of family. A complete absence of the understanding of contribution to society.

    I also detest the likes of Accenture, who earn £2bn of income, a lot of it from state work, yet seem to think it okay to pay a few tens of millions of corp tax to the state, mainly due to a cleverly arranged loan back to a parent outfit.

    There are parties at both ends of the social scale rubbing our noses in it. Middle income Britain are the easy target.

    A good example at just one of many taking the tax payer dollar. Questionable savings, if any, to the taxpayer but must be better because it is private hands.
    "If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future.".....

    "big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas I prefer the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," "Arunachalam Muruganantham
  • A._Badger
    A._Badger Posts: 5,863 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    A good example at just one of many taking the tax payer dollar. Questionable savings, if any, to the taxpayer but must be better because it is private hands.

    But if it doesn't work in state hands (British Rail, Royal Mail etc) , or in private hands (the water companies, British Gas etc) then what?

    Both systems clearly have their problems and those problems stem from a lack of competition. Without a constant stimulus to get better, most operations get worse.
  • kabayiri
    kabayiri Posts: 22,740 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture First Post
    A._Badger wrote: »
    But if it doesn't work in state hands (British Rail, Royal Mail etc) , or in private hands (the water companies, British Gas etc) then what?

    Both systems clearly have their problems and those problems stem from a lack of competition. Without a constant stimulus to get better, most operations get worse.

    I'm as short on answers as the next person, but I have to question what sort of work moved from public sector to private in recent times.

    A good example is the outsourcing of IT work from the Revenue and Customs to initially EDS (though they were so bad it got moved on to Cap and Fujitsu). All that happened is that public sector staff were TUPEd into private companies and sold back. A typical rate of this selling back in the mid noughties was over £550 a day. Are you telling me the state can't employ a decent IT person for less than £550 a day?

    Never mind, eh, the bean counters in Cap and Fujitsu manage to minimise their tax contribution to peanuts, and still the tax payer is shafted by their exhorbitant rates.

    We should demand value for money.
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