Busaholic
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 7 Jun 2014
- Messages
- 14,091
Not going to happen, though.There needs to be a pact between them and Labour to make a real difference.
Not going to happen, though.There needs to be a pact between them and Labour to make a real difference.
I see Jeremy Corbyn has promised to remove hospital parking fees. This may seem laudable but will encourage car use and remove a revenue source for the NHS and would seem to go in the opposite direction of net zero carbon and climate change emergency and encouraging public transport.
Based on the average of the last 8 polls the Tories are looking at a majority of a 100+ - its going to take some massive shift by Labour's famous electioneering machine or for the Brexit Party to make serious inroads into the Tory vote to prevent a Boris win.
The average of the 8 polls has
Con 39% Lab 27% Lib Dem 16% Brexit Party 10% Green 3%
Scotland and Northern Ireland excluded as usual
Which European countries outside the UK have free hospital parking?
You confuse legitimate tax planning with tax avoidance. Tax planning as in an IS A is arranging your affairs in line with the way the laws was intended. Avoidance is taking advantage of loopholes is unintended consequences of the legislation. Evasion is failing to pay the tax due.
There needs to be a pact between them and Labour to make a real difference.
There is no magic money tree for any political party.
There is no magic money tree for any political party.
Theresa May seemed to find one no problem
That wasn't an electoral pact though. More like the 'confidence and supply' agreement the government currently has with the DUP.Some of us are old enough to remember the last Lib/Lab pact - it didn't end well for "Chicken Jim" and David Steele !!
The Tories have lowered taxes for low earners and lowered taxes for high earners
Whilst printing money devalues the pound, it is nothing compared to the devaluation wrought by Brexit ... 10 years of austerity and misery for absolutely nothing.
And we haven't even started about charging to park at work!!The hospital car parking charge issue was interesting but definitely starting to wander off from the topic of the General Election so I've moved the last few posts on that issue to a new thread which can be found here.
As for the NHS and social care for the elderly; it's a pity it's only just started to be of concern to the parties when they have been wasting over three years on an ego-trip which, if we have a hung parliament, may still mean we vote to revoke Brexit.
Last time (2017) there were numerous carers like me threatened with losing the roof over our heads to pay for the care of our parents - a worry none of us should have had.
OMG the Daily Mail have actually cloned a human newspaper (loosely termed I admit) hybrid.1/ Sort Brexit
2/ Sort HS2 ie scrap it
3/ Sort NHS through monies from HS2
4/ Sort Policing through monies from HS2.
Admittedly the 2nd one I don’t think will happen which casts a cloud on both 3 & 4.
Not everyone wants HS2 however so there is hope.
I’ll vote for it to be scrapped as long as I’ve air in my lungs.
If Labour win then taxes will go up to pay for the NHS & policing & people will be encouraged to spend what they can’t afford & it’ll be a slippery slope to recession.
And we’re back to square one.
Whilst printing money devalues the pound, it is nothing compared to the devaluation wrought by Brexit ... 10 years of austerity and misery for absolutely nothing. Well done, Tories.
Would be nice to know how high the £ would be now if Brexit had never even been discussed, let alone voted on. In 2015 I think I was getting over 1.20 euros to the £ as a tourist, so one would suspect that it would be 1.25 at least now, compared to parity in 2008. We'll never know; but tourists will have to fork out about a tenner just to fill in an ETIAS form + possibly increased health insurance costs to travel abroad (EU/EEA) and nearly £80 for a full-on visa if they want to stay longer than 90 days in 180.The pound collapsed against the Euro in 2007-2008, and right now is at a rate equivalent to before anybody thought Britain would ever leave the EU (which we haven't, in case you hadn't heard. As for the Tories, you mean the pro-EU Tories who campaigned to stay in the EU?
But let's not let facts get in the way of a rant.
The pound collapsed against the Euro in 2007-2008, and right now is at a rate equivalent to before anybody thought Britain would ever leave the EU (which we haven't, in case you hadn't heard. As for the Tories, you mean the pro-EU Tories who campaigned to stay in the EU?
But let's not let facts get in the way of a rant.
Indeed, the pound in real term did fall. It would also be worth looking at the rise of precious metal price (gold / platinum) againist pound. Even CAD / CHF/ AUD's rate has risen agaisit GBP.Yes. Let's select the facts we would like to believe instead.
I would have thought it self-evident that the GBP-EUR exchange rate isn't the one to be watched ; trade is (currently) so intertwined between Britain and Euroland that there is bound to be a big correlation. In fact, your whole point on 2007-2008 GBP against the EUR collapsing is null since it was a time when not even banks knew what the financial security of each other was and to what extent they would need state intervention - so exchange rates reflected best guesses rather than being rooted in any kind of reality. In fact, the stability of the EUR / GBP conversion rate since the euro's inception is the best possible argument for the UK joining the euro (something which would apparently be the worst of all evils).
If you want to look at an exchange rate, look at the GBP - USD or JPY and what happened on the referendum result and what the recovery has been (if any , i.e. there hasn't). The GBP has fallen (and will probably fall further on Brexit itself).
So no, I don't mean the pro-EU Tories. Tories said we needed austerity in 2010 to balance the books. They could have tried a public spending programme to stimulate growth by printing money but didn't and decided that the nation's finance were best regarded as a piggy bank so simpletons could pretend they understood economics. After impoverishing many, the GBP has fallen to levels (against the USD and JPY) probably far below what they would have been had they printed a bit more money because of the prospect of Brexit.
Not a rant - just rationalisation of the facts. Sorry if it doesn't suit.
I think the outcome of this election will be...hard to predict. But it will be interesting to watch...
How confident are you with your predictions?Conservative win, barely scraping a majority - Leadership challenge
Labour second with cries of Jeremy screwed it up - Leadership challenge
Brexit party gets a few seats, still fails miserably but enough to split the vote - Party dissolved after Brexit
Lib Dems - LOL - Swinson quits, Chuka Umunna, loses seat, fails at Leadership challenge, changes party again.
Change UK - Er... who are they, get zero seats.
Green - 1 seat (maybe)
Brexit delayed again, Brexit delayed again, Brexit delayed again. December referendum.
Or Boris spanks it home and we leave in March after another delay but Conservative Majority pushes it through after pandering to the rest of parliament, backbenchers, and remainers. 2yrs of complete misery, another General Election.
Interesting, we shall have to wait and see!A Gentlemans wager with a friendly £5 voucher of your choice. (come back in 6 months)
Top 2 I'm relatively confident in.
Caroline Lucas is a pretty solid bet for the Greens.
Brexit Party and Change UK still feel like a protest vote but their overall impact has seriously diminished and their supporters that come from the more 'radical' side may remain and gain them a couple of seats. I'm not confident in what will happen with them but I think they will still split the vote or at least have the power to if they made an effort.
Lib Dems have put a lot into playing for the remain vote. It's a huge risk and personally I think a stupid one. Jo Swinsons head is on the block for it and I'd be stunned if they make any real impact. Jo will have little choice but to step down and the Lib Dems will have to fight to become relevant after Brexit. Even if Labour/Lib Dem were to win or form a majority I don't think the country would survive another referendum and more chaos would ensue. That would still cost her and she would be forced to step down as she would have to back Brexit.
Chuka Umunna - Never liked him, total snake. No real prediction and more there for the luls. Personally I hope he loses and bows out of politics. I think they have put him into a pretty safe Conservative seat (not that I'm a cynic) When he loses, I reckon he will jump ship again.
Even though Conservative is ahead in the polls, they rarely represent the final outcome and people will hold their cards close. Boris appeals to the masses but he is marmite to the establishment. I think he is the face of Brexit so they have him as Leader and the second Brexit is done there will be a leadership challenge. Corbyn has survived the chop before but again, I think his head is on the line and its time to put up or shut up.
Conservative win, barely scraping a majority - Leadership challenge
Labour second with cries of Jeremy screwed it up - Leadership challenge
Brexit party gets a few seats, still fails miserably but enough to split the vote - Party dissolved after Brexit
Lib Dems - LOL - Swinson quits, Chuka Umunna, loses seat, fails at Leadership challenge, changes party again.
Change UK - Er... who are they, get zero seats.
Green - 1 seat (maybe)
Brexit delayed again, Brexit delayed again, Brexit delayed again. December referendum.
Or Boris spanks it home and we leave in March after another delay but Conservative Majority pushes it through after pandering to the rest of parliament, backbenchers, and remainers. 2yrs of complete misery, another General Election.
Lib Dems have put a lot into playing for the remain vote. It's a huge risk and personally I think a stupid one. Jo Swinsons head is on the block for it and I'd be stunned if they make any real impact. Jo will have little choice but to step down and the Lib Dems will have to fight to become relevant after Brexit.
They will campaign for the post-deal relationship with the EU to be as close as possible. Eventually they will want to rejoin the EU or at least the single market.
I genuinely believe once Brexit is all over its back to normal, politics will fall from public consciousness once again. Trust is at its all time low and I think people have seen their MP in their true colours. I also believe, like many commentators do and numerous politicians. If we don't leave, there will be huge uproar.