2017 General Election thread

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

[FONT=&quot]The former Ukip MP Douglas Carswell has said he will not seek re-election in Clacton, but will vote for the Conservative candidate.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]His decision prompted Ukip’s former main financial backer Arron Banks, who has recently fallen out with the party, to say he may abandon his plan to stand in the seat, where he intended to fight against Carswell.

Bit of a weird attitude from Banks that he was only going to stand if he could stand against the MP that he previously bank-rolled.[/FONT]

 

[Uncle Leo]

[FONT="][I]The former Ukip MP [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/douglas-carswell"]Douglas Carswell[/URL] has said he will not seek re-election in Clacton, but will vote for the Conservative candidate.[/I][/FONT]
[FONT="][I]His decision prompted Ukip’s former main financial backer Arron Banks, who has recently [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/04/ukip-leader-paul-nuttall-is-weak-says-partys-largest-donor"]fallen out with the party[/URL], to say he may abandon his plan to stand in the seat, where he intended to fight against Carswell.

[/I]Bit of a weird attitude from Banks that he was only going to stand if he could stand against the MP that he previously bank-rolled.[/FONT]

Until you remember that he's a complete ****.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Until you remember that he's a complete ****.

good point well made

 

[Stuart W]

Not while there is breath in my body will I ever vote Tory.

Funny, didn't have you down as a UKIP supporter. There's hope yet.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Funny, didn't have you down as a UKIP supporter. There's hope yet.

You know there isn't.

 

[Benfleet A1]

The first car crash interview has occured. Dawn Butler MP, take a bow. Hear it on the BBC website. I'm sure there will be many more from all parties but she should really remember that old saying.

'Assumption is the mother of all **** ups'

 

[Benfleet A1]

You know there isn't.

Oh I dunno, Farage isn't standing so things are looking up already. And after his smug 'Clacton would be an easy win' remark, watch UKIP get battered by the seaside.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Are you suggesting that 153 billion level of borrowing could have been sorted any sooner?

We are now down to 49 Billion as of January 2017. That is down almost 66% from when the Tories took over.

George Osborne is the one who said it would be done sooner, then a later date, then a later date still, then he got sacked, now he has quit.

I know May is accepted as being poor at debating / explaining her policies - hence her reluctance to appear in a TV debate, but at PMQs yesterday Corbyn asked her about the Conservative current borrowing being higher than all Labour governments combined - if it is not true why did she not deny it? If she swerves TV debates the PMQs will be our only chance to see her in unedited debates - seems strange that she would let that sit there as an unquestioned fact.

 

[Benfleet A1]

George Osborne is the one who said it would be done sooner, then a later date, then a later date still, then he got sacked, now he has quit.

I know May is accepted as being poor at debating / explaining her policies - hence her reluctance to appear in a TV debate, but at PMQs yesterday Corbyn asked her about the Conservative current borrowing being higher than all Labour governments combined - if it is not true why did she not deny it? If she swerves TV debates the PMQs will be our only chance to see her in unedited debates - seems strange that she would let that sit there as an unquestioned fact.

Blair swerved tv debates with Hague if memory serves and Cameron only did them under deress so I'm not overly surprised she wants to duck out of them. Nice to see Corbyn has got a bit of fire in his belly at last. There could be some good political punch-ups coming our way.

I'm looking forward to this.

 

[superblue24]

George Osborne is the one who said it would be done sooner, then a later date, then a later date still, then he got sacked, now he has quit.

I know May is accepted as being poor at debating / explaining her policies - hence her reluctance to appear in a TV debate, but at PMQs yesterday Corbyn asked her about the Conservative current borrowing being higher than all Labour governments combined - if it is not true why did she not deny it? If she swerves TV debates the PMQs will be our only chance to see her in unedited debates - seems strange that she would let that sit there as an unquestioned fact.

He didn't say that, he was talking about debt, not borrowing. They are two different things (as is deficit something different too). Can you explain why Jeremy didn't respond to her retort? He equally failed to answer or deny her response about the fact(?) that Labour intend to borrow 500BN which would mean double income tax, double National Insurance, double council tax and double VAT. What does this mean for us all?

Also, I didn't say that it wasn't true, I said you are stating just one side of a story, a half truth. The fact remains that borrowing HAS indeed been higher, but this is principally due to the fact that Labour handed over 153 Billion worth of borrowing back in 2010. Before 2009/10, the amount of government borrowing had not been higher than 50 Billion for 20 years. How could anyone have expected a recovery any sooner.

Answer me this one question. Looking at the ONS chart, would you concede that the amount of borrowing is moving in the right direction and probably on course to recover in the next few years? Yes or No? Would you also concede that the turnaround started around the time the Conservatives came to power?

Frankly I think Corbyn has a bit of a cheek questioning finances given Labours track record and his plan to borrow 500BN.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...pledge-500bn-of-spending-in-leadership-speech

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Are you suggesting that 153 billion level of borrowing could have been sorted any sooner?

We are now down to 49 Billion as of January 2017. That is down almost 66% from when the Tories took over.

Boy George said it would be sorted by 2015.Remember?:winking:

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

I can't believe it took us 200 posts before we got to the heart of the matter.

It's relevant in that I was able to see a televised Presidential debate while there and also saw Presidential candidates interviewed nightly on the TV news.

 

[Pubey]

It's relevant in that I was able to see a televised Presidential debate while there and also saw Presidential candidates interviewed nightly on the TV news.

 

[Uncle Leo]

It's relevant in that I was able to see a televised Presidential debate while there and also saw Presidential candidates interviewed nightly on the TV news.

I went to Germany last month.

This is relevant as Gisela Stuart was born there and she is standing down as an MP.

Cheers.

 

[Uncle Leo]

The first car crash interview has occured. Dawn Butler MP, take a bow. Hear it on the BBC website. I'm sure there will be many more from all parties but she should really remember that old saying.

'Assumption is the mother of all **** ups'

Oh wow. What a listen. Treat yourself to a cuppa at Costa tomorrow Dawn!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39659304

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

He didn't say that, he was talking about debt, not borrowing. They are two different things (as is deficit something different too). Can you explain why Jeremy didn't respond to her retort? He equally failed to answer or deny her response about the fact(?) that Labour intend to borrow 500BN which would mean double income tax, double National Insurance, double council tax and double VAT. What does this mean for us all?

Also, I didn't say that it wasn't true, I said you are stating just one side of a story, a half truth. The fact remains that borrowing HAS indeed been higher, but this is principally due to the fact that Labour handed over 153 Billion worth of borrowing back in 2010. Before 2009/10, the amount of government borrowing had not been higher than 50 Billion for 20 years. How could anyone have expected a recovery any sooner.

Answer me this one question. Looking at the ONS chart, would you concede that the amount of borrowing is moving in the right direction and probably on course to recover in the next few years? Yes or No? Would you also concede that the turnaround started around the time the Conservatives came to power?

Frankly I think Corbyn has a bit of a cheek questioning finances given Labours track record and his plan to borrow 500BN.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...pledge-500bn-of-spending-in-leadership-speech

it is PMQs so the set up is that MPs ask the questions and the PM answers, if she wanted to ask questions that would be a debate - which she has been invited to be part of and has declined. I don't know if you are a regular on PMQs but her stock answer of 'Labour will bankrupt Britain' gets trotted out every week so it's not really a question being thrown back but more of a dead end baseless slight. Labour policy now to borrow at a time where debt is cheap to invest in infrastructure is not a secret it's a policy.
The doubling of various taxes is 1. made up and based on nothing and 2. Actually something to throw at the Tories - the last Labour government cut VAT to stimulate growth, it was the Tories that put it up to 20% (and tried to levy it on new items such as pasties!), and the council tax point is a bit mute as one Tory council was about to ask the public to increase it by 15% before some cenjtral government sweet heart waved a wand.

And yes debt and borrowing are confusing. We agreed that borrowing is higher under the Conservatives and then you ask me if borrowing is moving in the right direction.

I got an 'N' in economics at A Level - twice. So I think we can both admit our grasp of economics is as good as our spelling. At least we have something in common!

 

[superblue24]

And yes debt and borrowing are confusing.

I'm not confused, it sounded like you were and needed help.

We agreed that borrowing is higher under the Conservatives and then you ask me if borrowing is moving in the right direction.

Did we? Sounds like you are trying to manipulate the discussion and swerve questions again. Here they are again in case you missed them:

1. Looking at the ONS chart, would you concede that the amount of borrowing is moving in the right direction and probably on course to recover in the next few years? Yes or No?

2. Would you also concede that the turnaround started around the time the Conservatives came to power?

For visual reference:

P.s. Nothing wrong with my spelling, the extra "S" didn't come out and I missed it before posting.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

I'm not confused, it sounded like you were and needed help.



Did we? Sounds like you are trying to manipulate the discussion and swerve questions again. Here they are again in case you missed them:

1. Looking at the ONS chart, would you concede that the amount of borrowing is moving in the right direction and probably on course to recover in the next few years? Yes or No?

2. Would you also concede that the turnaround started around the time the Conservatives came to power?

For visual reference:

P.s. Nothing wrong with my spelling, the extra "S" didn't come out and I missed it before posting.

no one deliberately spells things incorrectly, don't worry about it - happens to everyone

no, borrowing is not going in the right direction, it's gone up every year under the Tories - as was said in Parliament and not denied on Wednesday (I've watched the full PMQs now, seems I was being lenient on May when I said her 'Labour will bankrupt Britain' every week - she said it three times in this week's session! Doesn't matter what the question is she gives that as the answer). She really needs to up her debating skills even if PMQs is the only time she is willing (no choice to swerve that one) to face the opposition.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Ruth Davidson got quite a kicking in the Scottish Parliament today for backing the Tory government 'rape clause'.


As all other parties are against it I feel it is a policy that may get the u-turn treatment but that the damage to the Tories reputation will have taken its toll by then. Or they may not u-turn and it will keep being brought up to embarrass them.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Blair swerved tv debates with Hague if memory serves and Cameron only did them under deress so I'm not overly surprised she wants to duck out of them. Nice to see Corbyn has got a bit of fire in his belly at last. There could be some good political punch-ups coming our way.

I'm looking forward to this.

I'm looking forward to it too, politics is much more interesting when there is something tangible and countrywide up for grabs

I'm not surprised she wants to avoid debate either, she is probably the least inspiring leader of the 3 biggest UK parties plus the LibDems, Greens and UKIP, but her hiding will be brought up constantly till Election Day.