The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1

[punky]

Originally Posted by punky

Incidently has anyone else noticed that whenever someone confronts anyone from Labour on their policies (even on crime), they still always reply with something about Lord Ashcroft. Its really getting tedious now.

I'm just listening to Nick Clegg he's at it now.

[Ignitionnet]

Well here's Gordon Brown's thoughts on the economy in one simple paragraph.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle7090030.ece

Appearing on GMTV, Mr Brown was asked about continuing criticism from business figures of the Government’s proposed NICs rises - which the Tories have portrayed as a "tax on jobs".

He replied: “I think they have been deceived. Because the big issue is: can we sustain the economy?”

“Britain is on the road to recovery. Don’t put that at risk. The Conservative’s policy would take £6 billion out of the economy. That is a huge sum of money to take out of the economy.”

No Gordon. Leaving £6 billion in people and businesses' pockets rather than taking it in tax and having the state deal with it is not taking it out of the economy it's leaving it in the economy. The only way to think otherwise is if one's opinion is that the state is the economy which is a pretty extreme left-wing point of view. You old socialist you, finally and accidentally showing your stripes even if the previous 13 years of social engineering and state expansion didn't give it away.

So, New Labour, PM is a raving socialist, deputy is a raving extreme feminist and social engineer extraordinaire, and First Secretary of State needs no introduction.

Still of course large swathes of the population will vote for this. I am starting to doubt natural selection more and more.

[Derek]

PMQ's - Any equipment issues with the army is the fault of the army commanders seemingly...

---------- Post added at 12:12 ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 ----------

And now labour is the party to trust for policing. Not amongst any cops I know it isn't.

Originally Posted by Derek S

PMQ's - Any equipment issues with the army is the fault of the army commanders seemingly...

Yes - "the military have been given the equipment it needs"; depends on who is defining the need, doesn't it?

[Derek]

PMQ's - A full 18 minutes before Lord Ashcroft was mentioned. Gordo must be slipping.

And now he just made wild claims that he is proud to say his party supports the Industry in this Country. What a fool he is.

So which party allowed or sat back and watched what is now being considered a hostile takeover of Cadbury by Kraft? Oh that would be the Labour Party...

[Raistlin]

I think I'm more interested in the results of our polls than I am in the results of the election.

Primarily because it's interesting for me to think about how much our poll is actually a reflection of real life, and how much it is actually a reflection of the opinions of the sort of people that frequent Internet forums (or, more accurately, who have a reasonably strong online persona/presence).

I'm sure there's some correlation, but I don't believe that your average Internet 'dweller' is truly representative of today's average 'man on the street'.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Rob M

I think I'm more interested in the results of our polls than I am in the results of the election.

Primarily because it's interesting for me to think about how much our poll is actually a reflection of real life, and how much it is actually a reflection of the opinions of the sort of people that frequent Internet forums (or, more accurately, who have a reasonably strong online persona/presence).

I'm sure there's some correlation, but I don't believe that your average Internet 'dweller' is truly representative of today's average 'man on the street'.

I was going to say that from experience, polls on CF show disproportionate support for the Conservatives and other right wing parties.

Then I found the election thread/poll for week 1 2005. Results are virtually identical to this poll, but Lib Dems followed the Tories more closely. And we all know what happened in 2005.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

I look at it this way, Liberal Dems, are not worth wondering about, so that rules them out, so it is between T and L,.

Do you want a party, that will almost certainly ruin the health service, like under Thatcher, and the Tories will want to save money, they put will more pen pushers into certain areas to streamline things, to save money, they put will taxes up to help themselfs, they will cut services, they will bring in another local council tax, like the poll tax, l would not trust the tories as far as l could spit, and Cameron doesn't have the experience to run the country.

Labour, has been running the country, they have cut the recession, they have brought down the unemployment, they have defended the rights of people, other countries, even Iraq, they brought down a tryant, and this was need, he has sent troops to Afghanistan as part of the alliance that our troops are trained for, Let Brown finish the job. Otherwise If Cameron gets in, this country will be ruined within 12 months, remember Thatcher gave us promises, before look what happened after she won.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

the Tories will want to save money

Err yes. Labour have been overspending for several years and getting the country into debt with their profligacy. What's wrong with trying to save?

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

they put will more pen pushers into certain areas to streamline things

I think you're very confused here - Tories are constantly complaining about the enlarged public sector, and you're confused as to the pen pushers, Labour installs them just for fun.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...rontline-staff

Originally Posted by Guardian

NHS management increasing five times faster than number of nurses
• Number of NHS managers in England rose 12% last year

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

they put will taxes up to help themselfs

Had you said they'd lower them I might get you. As it is their main policy on taxation is a partial reversal of a Labour NI increase.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

they will cut services

Probably some non-key ones will suffer. In case you hadn't noticed we're in rather a lot of debt at the moment thanks to Labour spending the past several years spending money they don't have. Something has to give. Or you could believe Labour's diatribe about how they won't cut services at all.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

they will bring in another local council tax, like the poll tax

There is absolutely no basis in fact or any indication that this is the case. I have no idea where you get this from at all, even Labour haven't claimed the Tories will do this.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Labour, has been running the country, they have cut the recession,

With huge deficit spending, not to mention we went into said recession in one of the weakest positions of all developed nations due to Brown's deficit spending. They are a large part of the reason we were the last major economy out of recession despite their prodigious spending..

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

they have brought down the unemployment,

Simply wrong. You don't read the statistics much do you Arthur? Do.

Last updated at 12:02 PM on 17th March 2010
The number of people who do not have a job and are not even bothering to look for one today soared to a new record.New official figures reveal an astonishing 8.16million - more than the entire population of Greater London - are now ‘economically inactive’. The rate is now 21.5 per cent of the working age population - up 0.9 per cent on last year and the highest since records first began in 1971

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

they have defended the rights of people,

Are you having a laugh?

Privacy in the UK has been increasingly eroded under the current Labour government with the growth of computer databases, surveillance cameras and DNA testing, and individuals' data has been put at risk by numerous large-scale data losses in the public sector.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...rity.terrorism

The government wants to change the period a terrorist suspect can be held without charge from 14 days to 90.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/ja...se-stop-search

The home secretary, Alan Johnson, appears to be in serious trouble over a ruling today by the European court of human rights against the unlawful police use of counter-terrorism stop and search powers on peace protesters and photographers.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

other countries, even Iraq, they brought down a tryant,

Without a clear mandate, lying to us about an imagined threat of weapons of mass destruction based on a report plagiarised from a PhD thesis.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

and this was need, he has sent troops to Afghanistan as part of the alliance that our troops are trained for,

While by all accounts, apart from Labour's own, not equipping them properly. Soldiers have died due to this. Brown couldn't even be honest with the Chilcot enquiry and had to issue a correction to them by letter after being caught telling a cynical, politically motivated and calculated lie.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Let Brown finish the job.

Which job? The one of running the country to the point of needing another IMF bailout in the style of the previous Labour administration? Having unions running mass strikes which Labour can only offer an impotent response to due to the unions supplying the overwhelming majority of their funding, kinda like the previous Labour administration?

I respect that you are entitled to your opinions, I do however find the rationale behind them utterly baseless and frankly ridiculous.

EDIT: As an aside shame Gordon sold the gold when he did and indeed announced the fact. Thanks to the pound being so weak due to the job he's done so far it hit a record price recently.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE62001V20100301

Indeed it looks like business people, those people who are probably far more qualified to discuss economics than you or I, appear to disagree with your upbeat assessment of Brown and Darling and the job you want them to finish.

http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundame...US_Dollar.html

In the meantime, markets have become very sensitive, seemingly moving on every opinion poll as the prospect of anything less than a decisive conservative victory seen as broadly negative for the UK’s fiscal health and its sovereign credit outlook.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Labour, has been running the country,

Hmm - is there a letter out of place there? - I am sure that should say 'Ruining'.

[Osem]

Gordon's clearly relying on people like Arthur to keep him in power....

Anyway, it's time for all those promises about parliamentary accountability and electoral reform to be wheeled out again and Brown's promising referenda now, having denied us a very importanat one that'd previously been 'promised'...

I've got a new slogan for Brown:

"Same Old Promises, Same Old Lies, Same Old Labour"

[Will21st]

Arthur,thanks for the laugh!

anyways,I am quite stuck on who to vote for....

Liebour is totally out of the question.

Normally I would have to say Lib Dem,but I dislike their talk of equality and fairness (life isn't fair,so get over it).
I'm a Libertarian at heart,so..... on some policies Libs are ok,but their economical profile is not for me!

and finally,the blue team.... I could vote for them,but some of their policies are utter pants (crime).
I thought David Cameron was on good form at todays PMQs,however I just don't think much of him or Osborne;both are lightweights and do not really stand for anything,other than the policies that bring in the votes.

I shall reserve my judgement until the last day,and then I'll vote Monster Raving Looney


as long as the ruling Stalinist,Communist party is gone I'll be happy,at least for a while

I'm curious to hear, from the 11 people who so far have voted Labour in our poll, just exactly how much worse things would have to get before they would consider withdrawing their support from that party ...