Quote:
Originally Posted by Damien
I don't think the Tories 'started' the demise of the country and nor do I think Labour continued it. I think both did good and bad things, but thiscountry is not "going to hell in a handcart".
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how about this.
list of things tories started and labour allowed to continue or get worse.
1 - privatised utilities
2 - selling off of council housing stock
3 - shift of taxation from income tax to other taxes (mostly done under labour tho)
4 - legislating practices that allow businesses to keep wages down (although labour intruced the min wage there is various other things going on keeping wage inflation at a minimal)
5 - lowering taxes for the elite
6 - outsourcing government jobs/roles to private companies who make vast profits out of it, PFI is one such thing but there is others.
7- low interest rates to promote debt spending and a unsustainable housing market.
8 - short term policies for short term gains, tories did it with north sea oil, closure of coal mines, private pensions, selling of council houses, importing cheaper products. Labour continued it with allowing mass immigration, starting PFI, raid tax on pension funds, borrowing money during good times so they looked better then they are.
Both parties do have many things in common, they going after the middle class family voters and pensioners, they both are complying with banks and big corporates needs, allowing tax loopholes to continually exist, both want first past the post to stay, both refuse a eu referendum, both want the war in iraq, both want a continuing housing boom regardless of the consequence.
When the tories come in the end of the bad part of the economic cycle will happen during their first 4 years and they will look like economic genuises to the fickle population, what will they change? I expect not much. I expect the nhs budget to drop alongside other public services and tax breaks for the rich and middle class. They will still try and save the housing market before it naturally recovers and continue the attacks on benefits claimants.
The only party talking any sense is lib dems, they recently said what needed saying that we are a nation obsessed with owning property and we need to get over it. Of course they can say what they think openly as they know they will never be in power to action it.
The harsh reality from stripping the country of its wealth (we now quite a poor country with a few wealthy individuals), is we now dont produce anything, massive trade defecit, taxed heavily, in masses of debt, no natural resources, a population that is broke, and no national pride.
9 - perhaps the most damaging one, allowing banks to have less and less regulation and to break the law.