Brexit, for once some facts.

[tillson]

Did anyone see Labour's Party Political Broadcast last night? The one with the teacher in front of a classroom full of well behaved middle class children debating education cuts?

I know education is important, but with all that is happening in government, is that really the best that the official opposition can produce? F"kc a priest!

 

[flecc]

I just cannot understand why the Tories want to break away from the triple pension lock and break from Cameron's no tax pledges just before a GE,

They have to. The problems for the NHS and Care have to be dealt with and there's nowhere to go for the additional money at present. Reversing policy into greatly increasing borrowing isn't an option.

Having more tax change flexibility and being able to take something from well-off pensioners has to be the answer, especially since it is the elderly who are responsible for so much of the NHS and Care costs problems. As distasteful as these changes will be, the electorate now understand this situation and will largely accept them.
.

 

[tillson]

They have to. The problems for the NHS and Care have to be dealt with and there's nowhere to go for the additional money at present.
.

Isn't there an untapped source of money in tax avoidance? Could they go there?

 

[flecc]

Isn't there an untapped source of money in tax avoidance? Could they go there?

There is, but I can't see it being tackled. The problem is twofold, our deep involvement in the provision of tax havens, and the large investments in and through them by foreign interests, US businesses for example.

Also any move could be self defeating, the users simply moving to existing alternative havens. And no shortage of small countries who would be only too happy to take the place of our crown dependencies for the extra income it could bring them.

There's also the black economy, but trying to tap that has always seemed impossible.
.

 

[oldtom]

As distasteful as these changes will be, the electorate now understand this situation and will largely accept them.
.

I'm afraid I have to take issue 'flecc' with your conclusion. Perhaps I read matters incorrectly but I believe that a majority of the electorate, lost and bewildered by all the months of indecision over 'Brexit' plus their annoyance at being taken for mugs by the liars who have reneged on all the promises made, will cling to the only constants that have been around all their lives, the NHS and the state pension.

I'm sure many people are uncomfortable with May as PM and cannot understand why she has chosen to interrupt the 'Brexit' process to call a GE but some will no doubt suspect that this is more to do with T May than it is about 'Brexit' or what might be in the best interests of the country.

When the Chancellor alludes to cutting back on pensioner benefits while private enterprise is continually being permitted greater access to areas of the NHS, I think those issues will be seen by many as the last bastions of our welfare state and consequently, will be regarded as sacrosanct by a large percentage of voters.

There's a lot of politicking to be done before the GE but I am beginning to believe that T May might have shot herself in the foot over this. Both she and her party are likely to come under fire from many sides in the run-up to June 8th and the voters are not stupid enough to accept, after 7 years of austerity with prices in the shops rising every week and inflation creeping inexorably upwards, that further cuts present the only way to deal with our economic problems.

As mentioned elsewhere, it wouldn't surprise me if we have a close-run election and no overall majority leading to more of the unsavoury 'horse-trading' seen in 2010. Mrs May might be very happy to lead, as her predecessor, a coalition which would permit her to retain power while keeping her safe in a perverse kind of way from the far-right elements of her party - she isn't the darling of the party that Thatcher was and she is well aware of that.

I shall return to the UK to cast my vote in June as this election will grow in importance, I'm sure, between now and then.

Tom

 

[flecc]

I'm afraid I have to take issue 'flecc' with your conclusion. Perhaps I read matters incorrectly but I believe that a majority of the electorate, lost and bewildered by all the months of indecision over 'Brexit' plus their annoyance at being taken for mugs by the liars who have reneged on all the promises made, will cling to the only constants that have been around all their lives, the NHS and the state pension.

I'm sure many people are uncomfortable with May as PM and cannot understand why she has chosen to interrupt the 'Brexit' process to call a GE but some will no doubt suspect that this is more to do with T May than it is about 'Brexit' or what might be in the best interests of the country.

When the Chancellor alludes to cutting back on pensioner benefits while private enterprise is continually being permitted greater access to areas of the NHS, I think those issues will be seen by many as the last bastions of our welfare state and consequently, will be regarded as sacrosanct by a large percentage of voters.

There's a lot of politicking to be done before the GE but I am beginning to believe that T May might have shot herself in the foot over this. Both she and her party are likely to come under fire from many sides in the run-up to June 8th and the voters are not stupid enough to accept, after 7 years of austerity with prices in the shops rising every week and inflation creeping inexorably upwards, that further cuts present the only way to deal with our economic problems.

As mentioned elsewhere, it wouldn't surprise me if we have a close-run election and no overall majority leading to more of the unsavoury 'horse-trading' seen in 2010. Mrs May might be very happy to lead, as her predecessor, a coalition which would permit her to retain power while keeping her safe in a perverse kind of way from the far-right elements of her party - she isn't the darling of the party that Thatcher was and she is well aware of that.

I shall return to the UK to cast my vote in June as this election will grow in importance, I'm sure, between now and then.

Tom

It is possible the election will be close run, and I hope it is.

Our positions on the electorate vis a vis the possible tax changes are not too far apart. By saying the electorate understand I didn't mean they liked the prospect, only that they understood why a tory government would act that way.

Of course it defies reason why the electorate would return a tory government when it's so obviously not in the interests of the majority, but I've long since given up on trying to understand that peculiarity.
.

 

[Woosh]

Cameron didn't think they were going to win a majority.
That's why they promised so much: no tax rise and a referendum.
They must have got a fair number of tactical votes from labour brexiters and (u)kippers and they were also lucky that most of the Libdem seats were in brexit territory.
I still think that the momentum is with Mr Corbyn. He started from an impossibly low rating. For him, the only way is up.
As for the LibDems, any seat they win back is one likely taken from the tories.
Mrs May can be beaten.

 

[oldgroaner]

I thought exactly the same regarding the Tories change of stance on Tax and pensions. Why announce things, which are bound to be unappealing to their core voters, in the run up to an election? Add to this, nearly half the country does not want what she is stating she will deliver, a hard BREXIT. Where is she going with this? Does she want a way out whilst retaining power in the form of leading a coalition?

I have always harboured a special kind of loathing for Tresemme and never trusted her. She was never pro BREXIT and only spoke in support of remain prior to the referendum, so what has changed her view so dramatically? I think that the only thing she craves is power and will gravitate towards whatever feeds that particular need. If she achieves a large majority, she will be very dangerous and that's why I'm leaning towards the Lib Dems in the hope that we achieve a coalition government. Someone needs to keep that dog on a short leash, because if she is unleashed in June, she will savage whatever stands in her way.

Apart from being pro EU, my main fear seems at last to have hit home, it is a dire fate to be at the unbridled "mercy" of a Tory Government that can do what it likes.
Lib Dem it has to be

 

[oldgroaner]

Cameron didn't think they were going to win a majority.
That's why they promised so much: no tax rise and a referendum.
They must have got a fair number of tactical votes from labour brexiters and (u)kippers and they were also lucky that most of the Libdem seats were in brexit territory.
I still think that the momentum is with Mr Corbyn. He started from an impossibly low rating. For him, the only way is up.
As for the LibDems, any seat they win back is one likely taken from the tories.
Mrs May can be beaten.

let us sincerely hope that you are right!

 

[oldgroaner]

It is possible the election will be close run, and I hope it is.

Our positions on the electorate vis a vis the possible tax changes are not too far apart. By saying the electorate understand I didn't mean they liked the prospect, only that they understood why a tory government would act that way.

Of course it defies reason why the electorate would return a tory government when it's so obviously not in the interests of the majority, but I've long since given up on trying to understand that peculiarity.
.

You are not alone in that!

 

[oldtom]

For a little levity.......although it could be a true story?




Tom

 

[oldtom]

The Conservative MP John Redwood has provoked derision on social media with a call to buy cars manufactured in Britain.

Twitter responded...

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/apr/21/john-redwood-mocked-for-telling-people-to-buy-non-existent-british-cars



Tom

 

[Kudoscycles]

To justify calling this election May cannot just win with a similar majority,she has to win with a landslide. Their are some good Liberals coming back who obviously smell an opportunity to hold the balance of power,especially with Labour and the SNP,they don't need a formal coalition just a pact to be anti Tory.
It seems that May will take some seats off Labour but lose some seats to the Liberals,the net result could be the same as current.
A lot of old people voted Leave,these could be replaced by new young voters who are pretty much all Remainers. The polls give May a massive advantage,but the polls don't look at marginal seats where even a small swing can change the party.
I don't think May did the individual constituency maths,more looked at the overal polls,but these can be misleading.
The elimination of UKIP should be to Mays advantage.
KudosDave

 

[oldtom]

I'm not sure we're getting the whole story of the recent machinations from tory central office. I'm starting to think Mrs May is out on a limb at the moment. If her ambition ends on June 8th, the hawks will very quickly kick her into touch and her politcial career will be ended prematurely.

Originally, I thought this would be a tory walkover and an endorsement for May's 'Brexit' strategy but as the days have passed, it becomes clearer that all is not well within the parliamentary Conservative Party.







Tom

 

[homemoz]

Have just recieved this email from LibDems. It seems that Tim Farron feels he can have more influence in opposition than in coalition with the Tories. As a LibDem supporter, this sits more comfortably with me and in many ways helps clarify the LibDem message i.e. You are voting for us to provide a strong opposition to hard Brexit. Sounds fair enough to me! Hope that there are enough voters out there who agree.

"The Liberal Democrats will not enter into any coalition deal with either Theresa May’s Conservatives or Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party.

On Thursday 8th of June, every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to change the direction of our country and stop a hard Brexit.
The reasons for this decision are simple.

Under no conditions can we sign up to Theresa May's Hard Brexit agenda; a hard Brexit will be a disaster for Britain. It risks crashing our economy and leaving us isolated on the global stage.

AndJeremy Corbyn would be a disaster for the country- he has no plan for the country, our economy and offers no leadership – and as Labour leader, every time it has mattered he has given Theresa May a blank cheque on Brexit."

 

[Croxden]

So a coalition with the SNP & Greens, perhaps. Trump wasn't thought to be a winner either.
I'm also thinking Liberal Democrats, Lord Such isn't with us anymore.

 

[Kudoscycles]

I would vote for the Monster Raving Loony Party if it stops May increasing her majority. The electorate are very fickle ,A few days ago May was said to have a 25 point lead over Labour,since May announced breaking the pension triple lock and the possibility of raising taxes that lead is supposedly halved.
I could not vote for Corbyn as PM...May is a much stronger PM,unfortunately she is using her strength to move in a direction,of far right and dictatorial,that I cannot stomach.
It appears she and Hammond understand how bad effect Brexit and the general economy is having on the public finances and that she needs to have a GE whilst all the bad news is still hidden and the Brexiters haven't yet woken up to the great Tory stitch up called Brexit,will of the people.
If May gets in with power,we are looking at right wing Brexit,tax rises and savage austerity,that would not be a good background to have entered a GE in 2020.
KudosDave

 

[Woosh]

French election: Emmanuel Macron is leading the first roound, Le Pen second. French establishment is swiftly lining up urging voters to now back Macron: Fillon conceded and now backs Macron. In all probability, Macron is going to be next French President. He is a pro EU liberal. After brexit, the EU's economy is 90% eurozone.
I think it will be tough for our economy in the next five years or more.

 

[oldgroaner]

From the Independent
"
UK financial firms seek to use Brexit to roll back employment protections for UK workers
Almost one in three companies are pushing for a cap on the amount employment tribunals can award people in discrimination and equal pay cases"

Goodness Flowing from Brexit soon available to all.

 

[oldtom]

This is the reason why so many people who really need a socialist government in the UK fail to vote Labour. The people listed here are responsible for the mass brainwashing of generations of British people:



Tom