the snap general election thread

Thrugelmir

kabayiri wrote: »

Labour would have to operate an austerity plan at some point, and this is bound to upset their Union backers.

I don't think the word is their vocabulary. Which is part of the problem. All too much La La Land thinking. Rather than pragmatic financial control. The truth may not be pleasant. But at least the electorate can make an informed decision.

gfplux

Yah_Boo_Sux wrote: »

What?
You're missing something very basic in your flawed argument and that is that NOT everybody thinks they are bad or expensive.
For railways for example 80% or more have expressed overall satisfaction since 2007.
These statistics are readily available.
So what makes you think they are so bad when 8 out of ten users here disagree with you?[/QUOTE

Hello Yah boo,
I don't want to be rude or hijack this thread which is about the GE.
BUT
Really you think that the underground/railways quality, price and comfort are at an exceptable level.
I don't know where you live but a conversation with anyone who uses public transport and the road system in Britain will tell you that they are not at an exeptable level.
Perhaps you drive 40,000 miles a year and travel in London regularly by tube, if you do you must have a very high tolerance level and your travel costs are paid by someone other than you.
I on the other hand have only a small recent experience and knowledge of the UK transport system. I say your roads are over crowded and suburban roads often have potholes, the Underground in London is so expensive it is a constant surprise to visitors. City (not London) bus costs are so high it is cheaper for ONE person to drive and pay for parking than to use public transport.
I really am surprised that I even have to type these words as In the many conversation with British business travelers and commuters I would be hard pressed to find ONE who would express satisfaction.

Just to repeat I have no desire to be rude to you or to Britain but I have considered these problems in the UK to be a given.

Perhaps we can leave this thread to just discuss the GE.
If you Would like to start a new thread I would be happy to contribute.

Thrugelmir

gfplux wrote: »

I on the other hand have only a small recent experience and knowledge of the UK transport system. I say your roads are over crowded and suburban roads often have potholes,

Too many people.

Foreign lorries that make no contribution to road maintenance costs, i.e. don't even buy fuel in this country. European car owners that don't pay road tax.

Same old chestnut. Perhaps the EU doesn't work for everyone. You don't live here but want us to remain! And suffer the consequences of an ill conceived policy that isn't fit for purpose.

Yet the EU has wasted billions of pounds of taxpayers money building roads ( i.e. in Spain) which either aren't used sufficiently , were never finished or serve no actual purpose. No accountability.

antrobus

gfplux wrote: »

..So if Britain does not spend that money on subsidies there should be more money for other things. Which comes back again to "where does all the money go".

Total tax revenue by country, 1995-2014 (% of GDP)

....http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Total_tax_revenue_by_country,_1995-2014_%28%25_of_GDP%29.png

!!! MSE keeps bogging up that link. Eurostat data shoes tax as 47.9% of GDP in France and 34.4% in the UK. That's the answer.

sheff6107

Anyone know what May's policies actually are? So far all I've gleamed is that she's burnt Cameron's pledges so that she can stop raising the personal allowance and scrap the triple lock pension promise. So tax rises in a nutshell.

In addition she will achieve a successful Brexit by making regular statements on the steps of Number 10 making accusations against Brussels bureaucrats. Is that correct?

Finally she will be 'strong and stable', as opposed to all the coups and 'Arab Springs' our country sees?

Whatever you think of Labour, I can't fathom why anyone would enthusiastically vote for May, the lesser spotted Hammond and Boris? It's tragic that we will have a default government due to Brexit as if it was WW2.

westernpromise

By the way - anyone thinking Jezza is sure to quit gracefully on 9 June so a Blairite can take over may want to think again.

What if Labour polls 30%? That would be close enough to what Miliband polled that there's a case for Jezza not quitting. He's only had 18 months to get his message over and he's spent most of that fending off disloyalty from the PLP (the spin would go).

So any Labourites thinking that a win would be to limit May's majority should perhaps consider whether to do so would in fact cement Jezza in place - if just for long enough to fiddle the electoral rules his way so another nutter succeeds him.

Careful what you wish for. If you want Labour to start to recover you may need to vote Conservative.

Thrugelmir

sheff6107 wrote: »

Whatever you think of Labour, I can't fathom why anyone would enthusiastically vote for May,

And the other option is?

So tax rises in a nutshell.

And the other option is?

Unfortunately no choice is ever perfect.

westernpromise

sheff6107 wrote: »

Anyone know what May's policies actually are?

I'd wait for the manifesto.

So far all I've gleamed is that she's burnt Cameron's pledges so that she can stop raising the personal allowance and scrap the triple lock pension promise. So tax rises in a nutshell.

Inheriting a huge structural deficit is a beyotch. It's tax rises or spending cuts. Them's the options.

In addition she will achieve a successful Brexit by making regular statements on the steps of Number 10 making accusations against Brussels bureaucrats. Is that correct?

If you think Brexit will go better if we disclose our goals, I'm glad someone else is negotiating it.

Finally she will be 'strong and stable', as opposed to all the coups and 'Arab Springs' our country sees?

No, the comparison is with Labour.

Whatever you think of Labour, I can't fathom why anyone would enthusiastically vote for May, the lesser spotted Hammond and Boris?

Around 50% disagree.

It's tragic that we will have a default government due to Brexit as if it was WW2.

If there was an alternative people might vote for it, but all there is now is the LibDems who want to welsh on the referendum result, and Labour whose view is..er...what, exactly?

You seem to be blaming Labour's failings on May. GLWT as the young people say.

gfplux

antrobus wrote: »

Total tax revenue by country, 1995-2014 (% of GDP)

....http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Total_tax_revenue_by_country,_1995-2014_%28%25_of_GDP%29.png

!!! MSE keeps bogging up that link. Eurostat data shoes tax as 47.9% of GDP in France and 34.4% in the UK. That's the answer.

Brilliant.
So that's where the money goes....Britain doesn't Have as much.

So found this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_in_Europe_by_GDP_(nominal)
And this
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_ratio

Using 2016 figures
Numbers are in billion USD. SO A BIT OF FAG PACKET MATHS.

UK GDP 2,649,893. X 34.4% = $911,563 billion
FRANCE GDP 2,488,284 x 47.9% = $1,191,888 billion

You will see FRANCE has a lower GDP but takes much more in Tax.

So BRITAIN has $280,325 billion LESS to spend.

That would be $280,325,000,000,000 LESS.
As this is based on the total tax take Does it mean British people and British business feel well off in comparison to their French neighbours. They should do.

FRANCE is a good comparison as the population numbers are similar. I have done the numbers in the same way for Germany but could be unfair as Germany has a much larger population than Britain.

Frankly hardly believe these figures. So I am pretty sure someone will be along shortly to put me right.
Thanks.

Yah_Boo_Sux

gfplux wrote: »

Hello Yah boo,
I don't want to be rude or hijack this thread which is about the GE.
BUT
Really you think that the underground/railways quality, price and comfort are at an exceptable level.

Hello right back at ya gfplux.
But if you're really not trying to be rude, why ignore the official and very recent statistics showing that a huge majority are indeed happy? If not hijack a thread why the response?

Also I live in Britain (not so far from London) & I can tell you definitively that my experiences confirm the statistics. No one I know thinks that either public transport OR roads here are in any way unacceptable.
Perhaps your experiences are different. In Luxembourg I know congestion is a major problem (and yes, I have driven there) yet you are worried about here? 32 hours per year an average Luxembourger spends in traffic jams according to the EU.
Strangely that is exactly the same figure as the UK.
I suggest it may be more appropriate then to worry about your own.


Quite why you're trying to imagine a non-existent problem puzzles me. You yourself could indeed have started a thread if you so wished but chose instead to pointlessly continue.
You are of course entitled to your opinion but ignoring facts as you have does not validate that opinion.
Enough said now, I think.