Conservatives

[Chie]

Which is patently unfair, as they are bestest friends with people of all colour.

If they're particularly wealthy, that is.

But why is their wealth an issue? Most of their policies are great, in my opinion. They just happen to be wealthy people, and to be honest, I don't care. I'm certainly not going to cut my nose off to spite my face by saying 'I like their policies but they've got more money than me, so I'm not voting for them!'

A lot of people won't even give their policies a second glance. When you hear people say they don't know what the Conservatives' policies are, it's usually because they don't *want* to know. All the information is available on the Tory website, so there's no excuse for not knowing. It's because they've already made their mind up that the Tories are 'toffs' and that's that.

It's just another form of prejudice.

[Gavin Scott]

Which is patently unfair, as they are bestest friends with people of all colour.

If they're particularly wealthy, that is.

But why is their wealth an issue? Most of their policies are great, in my opinion. They just happen to be wealthy people, and to be honest, I don't care. I'm certainly not going to cut my nose off to spite my face by saying 'I like their policies but they've got more money than me, so I'm not voting for them!'

Name three of these amazing policies. Its not for me to go seeking these - if you think they are winning ideas, lets hear them.

As an aside - didn't you say you wouldn't pay for a filling as you thought you were being ripped off? That sums up cutting off one's nose to spite one's face, I would have said.

A lot of people won't even give their policies a second glance. When you hear people say they don't know what the Conservatives' policies are, it's usually because they don't *want* to know. All the information is available on the Tory website, so there's no excuse for not knowing. It's because they've already made their mind up that the Tories are 'toffs' and that's that.

It's just another form of prejudice.

Chie, you can argue that with someone who isn't 38, and had a mother who was a Tory candidate. Been there, seen it all: fully aware, ta.

The question about Tories favouring those with money is entirely valid. Tax breaks for the wealthy, inheritance tax cuts for the super rich - and so it goes on. The low paid stay low paid (abolition of minimum wage) and the middle income folk get squeezed.

The already wealthy are protected - which is handy for the party given that large swathes of them come from money.

Like Cameron and his heiress wife, and their billionaire private backers.

Private Eye this month has a fascinating dossier of all of their investors. Makes for eye watering reading.

[Beep]

Chie, are you employed? Are you paid above £9 an hour? if neither of those apply to you, the Tories can't help you. At the end of the day, the Tories are just looking to keep the super rich, super rich. They can promise what they want, but jobs won't be made, the economy won't recover and the sheep that vote for them will end up poor and with no money or jobs to feed their families, if you want to vote in a government that won't help you you just want to seem 'posh' (which is the only reason I can see), then fine, it's your mistake when you are homeless. I know I'm stating the obvious, but some people clearly don't understand David (sorry 'Dave') Cameron's agenda.

[Sput]

I have a big problem with the massive change of economic direction that the Tories want to bring in and shall now attempt to explain it with what some very fair handed people on CNBC (I recommend it, it's amazingly apolitical and quite informative!) said:

The labour way and the conservative way of "fixing" things are apparently both valid but have different downsides: The labour way hurts sterling and the conservative way hurts jobs/downturn. Now, neither is desirable but surely if we change to conservative then there's going to be a period when we have BOTH and that's even worse? The other interesting thing someone smarter than me said is that Britain historically has a different set of economic priorities to, for example, Germany. We traditionally value jobs, many others value their currency. That being the case, the labour way seems more sensible and aligned with british culture.

Thoughts?

[barcode]

To be fair I did say the last one would be the last one but some people said that I should do another:
and to make this MUCH MUCH more positive, here are some nice up beat posters!





see upbeat, shame it will be the last ones .....

[James H]

Pure tosh and conjecture, borrowed from various other sources. Well done, Beep, for showing your age and mentality.

For me, particularly given my background and my hometown, Labour have fucked me and my family over. While David Milliband was minister for education in a constituency near me, he claimed to make education his priority - yet in one particular year, a number of schools in the region closed, one of which my sister was a pupil at. A few years on and that school now has classes with nearly 40 students, requiring a teacher and a classroom assistant. Labour are FAILING working-class and middle-class children.

Coincidentally, one of the schools they closed due to lack of pupils (there were 15 students per class in an infants' school) has been lying derelict for four years now, and none of it has been taken down. One of the finest schools in the region, and a wonderful family atmosphere, in a caring environment, is left to rot. And Miliband doesn't give a shit - because he's only in the constituency one day a week. A local reporter told me that he used to go with a photographer to all of Millipede's gatherings on one day of the week, and they were released incrementally in the local rag to make it look like he was in the region more than he is.

I was fortunate enough to have a private school education, because my parents felt the state school system was failing me, and I was bullied for being smart. Why should that happen? Why are smart children made to feel like the anomaly? When I look back on the few years I spent in state education, they were awful, and boring, and I learned far more and developed far more through independent school. I also feel ready to give more back to the community at large, because that particular community did so much for me.

I don't mind toffs or posh people. It's when toffs or posh people pretend to be socialist - a la New Labour - that's what I can't stand. Tony Blair was as socialist as a lemon with a blue rosette, and the current bunch of lunatics don't even know whose side they're on. Beep, I suggest you look at OTHER policies rather than just the ones you don't like. One thing's sure though - I can't vote for a party that will siphon my funding for the arts off towards the Olympics; therefore I don't know where I stand any more.

EDIT: Sput, is there really a "perfect" way to recover the economy? Each party will be lambasted for their efforts but it seems to me like a pessimistic view generally in the UK from consumers is hurting in equal measure.

EDIT 2: barcode, please piss off.

[Sput]

No James, I don't think there's a perfect way. From what I can tell either way will work in the long run, but it's a needless transition between the two that I'm saying seems like a bad idea.

[James H]

Forgive me for being thick, but how do we avoid the transition period?

[Pete]

see upbeat, shame it will be the last ones .....

thank fuck for that

[Gavin Scott]

James, refrain from telling people to piss off until they really get your goat. Its early days yet.

I've been reading the BBC's guide to the main thrust of policies for each of the major three parties.

The tories want to remove most of the current deficit within 5 years. Labour's objective is to cut it in half within four years.

Now, as we can safely assume that the vast majority of us won't see a taxation decrease (and if anything it will increase fairly significantly); it follows that tories intend to spend nothing on services for the next half decade to achieve their goals, while pummelling my not massive pay packet. I simply can't afford to gain *no* value for my taxes until I'm in my early 40s.

Of course I want the deficit to be cleared - but hitting Britain so hard in the next 5 years when we're barely emerging from recession seems just bonkers to me, and counter-productive, surely?

[Beep]

Pure tosh and conjecture, borrowed from various other sources. Well done, Beep, for showing your age and mentality.

Kindly show me where I have borrowed this from.