Is there any opposition in this country ?

[* ORM *]

Taken from another thread

I think safe standing is something that the Germans in general (not just Hamburg, Dortmund as well unless I'm mistaken) do incredibly well and I really hope that it won't be long until we see similar designs in this country. Although if Cameron is the one to initiate it I'll be more than a little surprised.

Sadly this meal ticket isn't one that will work for the Tories. They need some other policies as well rather than the wishy-washy PC **** that Cameron is spouting on about. What are their views on Iraq, the state of the nation, the nanny state stealth tax & 'fine this, that and the other' nation that we have now become, health, tax, crime, education, immigration, racism, human rights, oppressed minorities etc ? Do they have any ? None that I'm aware of.

I thought the point of opposition was to oppose ! That doesn't mean bloody minded voting against every new policy but it would be nice to have an alternative view sometimes. I'm not a voting man but I suspect the Tories have never won an election by hankering for the middle ground so why have they spent the last 10 years chasing it ?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I'm not a voting man but I suspect the Tories have never won an election by hankering for the middle ground so why have they spent the last 10 years chasing it ?

I rather suspect the Tories have won a lot of elections hankering after the middle ground, including for example the last general election they won (under Major). You could class Heath and a whole load of others as middle ground as well, going all the way back to Disraeli's "One Nation" Tories.

Besides issues, political parties and the electorate have all changed substantially since the 80s. You might want them to stand on an anti-socialist, anti-miner ticket but thats not going to get them very far. The salient issues of today are protecting public services not tax cuts, hence the change in emphasis.

 

[Stanbridge]

This country is slowly being crippled by rising taxes and OTT regulations.

We need a strong opposition that is in favour of slashing taxes (a flat rate of income tax would be a good start) and a reduction in the size of the Public Sector.
There is so much waste that could be eradicated over night.

We need to reduce the size of the welfare state to encourage people to get up of their backsides and look for work. If non-English speaking immigrants can do it in five minutes flat, it can't be that difficult.

 

[Firestorm]

Taken from another thread



I'm not a voting man ?

Then, IMO, you have surrendered your right to political comment.

There is only one way to realistically change policy and that is by the ballot box.

 

[Firestorm]

This country is slowly being crippled by rising taxes and OTT regulations.

We need a strong opposition that is in favour of slashing taxes (a flat rate of income tax would be a good start) and a reduction in the size of the Public Sector.
There is so much waste that could be eradicated over night.

We need to reduce the size of the welfare state to encourage people to get up of their backsides and look for work. If non-English speaking immigrants can do it in five minutes flat, it can't be that difficult.

Cutting jobs and decreasing the welfare state may well have a detrimental effect on Crime figures as the number of people below the poverty line increases.
unfortunately the bulk of the jobs given to "non-English speaking immigrants " are in the black economy, poorly paid and would be used to top up benefits as opposed to replacing them.

Increase the number of taxation bands, so that those on , say , 100k a year plus are paying 50 % . Not to the levels of the old days where there was a 98% tax level.
Also within that new tax level make private health insurance compulsory, and withdraw NHS treatment

 

[Fiftyone]

Then, IMO, you have surrendered your right to political comment.

There is only one way to realistically change policy and that is by the ballot box.

Ha,ha,ha - "the only way to change policy........is by the ballot box", you surely don't believe that. The politicians don't give a t*ss what you and I think and do what suits them.

I say that as a person who has never been a member of any political party and who has voted at EVERY election since I was 18 but now realises the futility of it and won't be voting again.

 

[Napster]

Also within that new tax level make private health insurance compulsory, and withdraw NHS treatment

An awful idea, making healthcare a two-tier system- would only attract the best doctors to go private, making NHS less effective

 

[Napster]

This country is slowly being crippled by rising taxes and OTT regulations.

We need a strong opposition that is in favour of slashing taxes (a flat rate of income tax would be a good start) and a reduction in the size of the Public Sector.
There is so much waste that could be eradicated over night.

I don't believe that cutting taxes will do much apart from get people spending more, increasing inflation and hence prices. Sure, employment goes up in the short-term, but we need big ideas, not fiscal plugs.

waste in the public sector is always an issue

:(

 

[Slipperduke]

Power comes from the barrel of a gun, unfortunately.

Poll Tax + 10,000 violent protesters = No poll tax

Iraq Invasion + 2,000,000 peaceful protesters = Iraq invasion

Until those on the left start to grow some bollocks, stop bickering amongst themselves and get stuck in, there will be no change. Just a steady movement slightly left and slightly right has power moves between the same old ****s.

The Lib Dems could have cemented themselves in the running if they'd properly opposed that war. They didn't, they chickened out when it all got started.

If John Kerry could get 49.8% in the US on an anti-war ticket, then why couldn't the Lib Dems pull it off?

God, the total lack of choice and opposition isl so frustrating that I'm perilously close to losing interest in absolutely everything and leaving that pack of ****s to continue ****ing up the country.

 

[Firestorm]

Ha,ha,ha - "the only way to change policy........is by the ballot box", you surely don't believe that. The politicians don't give a t*ss what you and I think and do what suits them.

I say that as a person who has never been a member of any political party and who has voted at EVERY election since I was 18 but now realises the futility of it and won't be voting again.

When was the last time not voting changed anything ?

If one party has a majority of 99 and 50 people disagree with their policies and they don't vote next time , the party stays in power with a majority of 49.
If the 50 decide to vote for the opposition there is a change in power.

Not voting does nothing !

 

[Firestorm]

An awful idea, making healthcare a two-tier system- would only attract the best doctors to go private, making NHS less effective

Doesn't that happen already. I was thinking more along the lines of reducing the queues by getting rid of those who do not need welfare as they have enough money to pay for it themselves.

 

[Napster]

Doesn't that happen already. I was thinking more along the lines of reducing the queues by getting rid of those who do not need welfare as they have enough money to pay for it themselves.

I appreciate that, but the NHS is one part of the UK we should be proud of - free health for all - regardless of status. Once we go down the insurance route we turn into America

;)

 

[Firestorm]

The trouble is that Personal issues always win through. For every voter who puts Law and order, the NHS, Education first there are dozens who will vote for whoever is promising them more (ie lower taxation)
Mrs T got in the 2nd time because she was offering Lower tax, windfalls due to De-Nationalised company shares being offered cheap. Council houses being sold cheap so people could make a quick buck, despite unemployment, Inflation etc soaring

 

[Firestorm]

I appreciate that, but the NHS is one part of the UK we should be proud of - free health for all - regardless of status. Once we go down the insurance route we turn into America

;)

True, but as there already is a large number of people who "go private" when the desire takes them, I was extending that a little further so that they don't use the already stretched NHS for the day to day bits (If they had to claim for every medical visit it would soon put thier premium up, they are just using the NHS to save themselves a bit of money)