the snap general election thread

Spidernick

ukcarper wrote: »

The flaws in the Labour Party are obvious even to previous Labour Party voters like myself. But that doesn't alter the fact that the Tory party are far from perfect and Teresa May has obvious faults and doesn't inspire any body other than hardened Tory supporters with confidence.

I agree with this.

As I have said elsewhere, the overall quality of our politicians (of all colours) compared to a generation or two ago is significantly lower. Due to a 'perfect storm' of circumstances we have somehow ended up with a very average politician as Prime Minister and I do worry about how things will pan out over the next ten years. I'll be fine, but it's my kids I am concerned about.

antrobus

Herzlos wrote: »

Which is what I took it to mean..

What you "took it to mean", doesn't stop the claim from being b0ll0X. You asked why Rinoa believed that the poster concerned had a "zero understanding of economics". I answered.

As I said before;

Understanding the difference between real and nominal is one of the basics of economic literacy.:)

Arklight

Conrad wrote: »

How do you square this getting poorer with;


Nail bars, permanent makeup bars, botox services, beauty shops, teeth whitening, spray tan shops etc etc - far far more prevalent than 10 years ago.

Gym membership / personal trainers etc - much more prevalent now


The rise and rise of coffee shops and costly takeaways such as Dominoes?


Eating out is more popular than ever



People have more gadgets than 10 years ago, and all manner of new expectations such as a nice new car, someone to wash their car, someone to walk their dogs etc etc


As I've explained many times, REAL WORLD EARNINGS bare no resemblance to official stats.


Ed Milibands 2015 cost of living crisis / the squeezed middle, did not chime with peoples lived reality.

Well, if you will live in Essex.

Arklight

Interesting hustings last night. The incumbent Tory MP was phoning it in and appeared to have turned up in body only. Compared to the other prospects he failed to articulate any part of Tory policy that would address the questions being asked in the next parliament.


Said he was pro fracking and people who weren't were anti-science. That people are being silly about the dementia tax and all just need to calm down. And that people need to stop being worried about schools locally and should just let the MPs sort it out with head teachers in the future. Apparently he was quite concerned about coal miners in 1948.


It was a hostile room anyway as I would say 85% of us were Labour, Greens and Lid Dems but F G S. Is that really what people are going to vote for, again?


He has a majority of about 15,000 to sit on. If this is how he's been in previous campaigns it proves that in the home counties you really could just put a blue rosette on a goat and it'll get in.

ukcarper

Arklight wrote: »

Interesting hustings last night. The incumbent Tory MP was phoning it in and appeared to have turned up in body only. Compared to the other prospects he failed to articulate any part of Tory policy that would address the questions being asked in the next parliament.


Said he was pro fracking and people who weren't were anti-science. That people are being silly about the dementia tax and all just need to calm down. And that people need to stop being worried about schools locally and should just let the MPs sort it out with head teachers in the future. Apparently he was quite concerned about coal miners in 1948.


It was a hostile room anyway as I would say 85% of us were Labour, Greens and Lid Dems but F G S. Is that really what people are going to vote for, again?


He has a majority of about 15,000 to sit on. If this is how he's been in previous campaigns it proves that in the home counties you really could just put a blue rosette on a goat and it'll get in.

Same could be said about some Labour constituencies. It those Tory constituencies in the South East you are never going to get swing voters to vote for Labour Party as it now stands, also Labour seems to have given up in many areas, it the recent council elections the only candidate to leaflet drop in my ward was Tory.

Malthusian

Spidernick wrote: »

As I have said elsewhere, the overall quality of our politicians (of all colours) compared to a generation or two ago is significantly lower.

Rose-tinted spectacles. I was reading a Hansard from 1947 a few months ago for a very random reason, and the level of ignorance on display among the 1947 MPs is simply shocking. Well, only shocking if you hold incorrect assumptions about MPs.

If politicians seem dumber today it is only because they are more closely scrutinised and the population as a whole is better-educated.

Arklight wrote:

Well, if you will live in Essex.

I don't live in Essex and Conrad is absolutely correct. When people say they are poorer than they used to be, they mean they are poorer after they've paid the bill for all the luxuries they enjoy that didn't even exist 20 years ago. Which is not "poorer" by any stretch of the imagination.

A_Medium_Size_Jock

Malthusian wrote: »

Rose-tinted spectacles. I was reading a Hansard from 1947 a few months ago for a very random reason, and the level of ignorance on display among the 1947 MPs is simply shocking. Well, only shocking if you hold incorrect assumptions about MPs.

If politicians seem dumber today it is only because they are more closely scrutinised and the population as a whole is better-educated.



I don't live in Essex and Conrad is absolutely correct. When people say they are poorer than they used to be, they mean they are poorer after they've paid the bill for all the luxuries they enjoy that didn't even exist 20 years ago. Which is not "poorer" by any stretch of the imagination.

My very sentiments.
Indeed I was about to suggest that we are in the situation we find ourselves in as a direct result of the actions of our parents/grandparents.
Should we even mention the 1976 IMF crisis?
No, perhaps better not to go there but it's a heck of an example.

Lower quality politicians now than then ; nah, not buying it.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I'm always intrigued by how tribal and dogmatic the die-hard Tory/Labour voter is; how much dross (in policy and personnel) they'll stomach rather than considering voting elsewhere.

I reluctantly vote for what seems the least worst option with minimal enthusiasm.

Conrad

Malthusian wrote: »

I don't live in Essex and Conrad is absolutely correct. When people say they are poorer than they used to be, they mean they are poorer after they've paid the bill for all the luxuries they enjoy that didn't even exist 20 years ago. Which is not "poorer" by any stretch of the imagination.

For the record I don't live in Essex, and of course all these new and costly services I listed are pretty much everywhere I go.


Again I took special note to look at the women and girls interviewed in Manchester last night and you see every other one has blown up lips and boobs, dazzling straight teeth etc - we saw very little of this 10 years ago. Look at all the photos of youngsters and you see them pouting with botox'd lips etc (my sons face book / snapchat circles for example)


CASI treatment programmes are in every high street (within Beauticians etc) and are very popular and very expensive running into hundreds of pounds per course.


The public didn't buy into Milibands various poverty narratives such as 'the cost of living crisis' or 'the squeezed middle'. Why, because they were hugely exaggerated misreading's of reality.

wotsthat

Conrad wrote: »

Again I took special note to look at the women and girls interviewed in Manchester last night and you see every other one has blown up lips and boobs, dazzling straight teeth etc - we saw very little of this 10 years ago. Look at all the photos of youngsters and you see them pouting with botox'd lips etc (my sons face book / snapchat circles for example)

We're all a mess of biases but some wear it on their sleeves with pride.