The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 3 - Page 8

danielf · 23-04-2010, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slyder

I apologise, it was me being sarcastic. I only ask as I find it disgusting in a country where "equal opportunities" means so much to the bigwigs, then how the hell do they justify leaving them out ? The whole thing is a farce and the winner, decided weeks before the general public is told.

And ironically, due to the inclusion of Lib Dems in the debates, it seems that this year's election is the first genuine opportunity in years to do something about it.

DocDutch · 23-04-2010, 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

And ironically, due to the inclusion of Lib Dems in the debates, it seems that this year's election is the first genuine opportunity in years to do something about it.

CAn you vote then for the General Election Daniel? I'm only for locals as a EU citizen.

danielf · 23-04-2010, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocDutch

Can you vote then for the General Election Daniel? I'm only for locals as a EU citizen.

No, I can't. I'd have to get a British passport, which would mean giving up my current passport, which I'm not prepared to do (yet).

Tezcatlipoca · 23-04-2010, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Sitting at home?

... while eating "Hatey-Yum" sandwiches...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slyder

I apologise, it was me being sarcastic. I only ask as I find it disgusting in a country where "equal opportunities" means so much to the bigwigs, then how the hell do they justify leaving them out ? The whole thing is a farce and the winner, decided weeks before the general public is told.

If they included the BNP, then what about the Green Party? UKIP? The English Democrats? The Pirate Party? The Science Party?.....They can't have them all, & they couldn't only add the BNP but not any others (e.g. the Greens have local councillors & a couple of MEPs, like the BNP have, while UKIP have the same no. of MEPs as Labour).

The debates include only the leaders of the Tory, Labour, & Lib Dem parties because they are the three largest parties in the UK as a whole, with the most MPs in Westminster, and because they are therefore the only leaders who have any chance of becoming PM after the General Election.

---------- Post added at 19:34 ---------- Previous post was at 19:31 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocDutch

CAn you vote then for the General Election Daniel? I'm only for locals as a EU citizen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

No, I can't. I'd have to get a British passport, which would mean giving up my current passport, which I'm not prepared to do (yet).

I think that's rather unfair, myself. If you live here, work here, pay taxes here, etc. etc. etc., then why shouldn't you be allowed to vote in the General Election? The outcome does affect you, even though you're not a British Citizen.

On the flip side of that, I think it's a bit strange that (AFAIK) British Ex-Pats can still vote in UK General Elections... If they are not living here, not working here, not paying taxes here, etc. etc. etc., then why should they have a say in who runs the country?

**Maggy** · 23-04-2010, 19:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by foreverwar

Wow - that's really impressive; they did all that in a year.

You're right, course - no Government could equal the accomplishments of the last 13 years of New Labour. (you know, the Iraq War, diminishment of civil liberties, highest unemployment for 15 years, lowest growth, etc etc)

There have to my certain knowledge been a lot more teachers trained in the last 10 years.I have to say that was not the experience under the conservatives under Mrs Thatcher and John Major.Indeed in 1974 I stood in a hall of over 100 probationary teachers being welcomed to the City of Portsmouth by the LEA.6/7 years later there were only 5.

Agreed there are still shortages in key areas such as Maths,Science and IT but education has benefited where new teachers are concerned.

A small point but one I feel compelled to point it out.

danielf · 23-04-2010, 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D

I think that's rather unfair, myself. If you live here, work here, pay taxes here, etc. etc. etc., then why shouldn't you be allowed to vote in the General Election? The outcome does affect you, even though you're not a British Citizen.

On the flip side of that, I think it's a bit strange that (AFAIK) British Ex-Pats can still vote in UK General Elections... If they are not living here, not working here, not paying taxes here, etc. etc. etc., then why should they have a say in who runs the country?

Yes and No. I can get a British passport, and I don't have to give up my current citizenship under British law. It's just that Dutch law requires me to give up Dutch citizenship if I take on another nationality. So in effect it's Dutch law that prevents me from voting here (but I can still vote in General Election in Holland). Having said that, I would like to be able to vote in country where I've worked and paid my taxes for 10 years now. I guess it's just one of them thingamabobs.

DocDutch · 23-04-2010, 19:55

Ditto here Daniel, its a bit annoying really as what I pay roughly 23% of my wages in tax and not allowed to vote national only bloody locals which are most of the time worthless as its not the council civvies that you can get rid of (ie chief exes etc) who just are useless most of the time and waste of money

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oh and like Daniel I dont want to lose my dutch citizen ship just yet.... all depends on what happens really...

**Damien** · 23-04-2010, 19:59

My Mums the same, can only vote in local elections. It is a rubbish idea that people who live here, pay taxes, and use public services cannot vote while people who have long left the country can. I think voting should be for all residents of the United Kingdom and remove the vote from ex-pats who have been gone for x number of years.

DocDutch · 23-04-2010, 20:02

oh Daniel with regards to Dual Nationality the UK or any EU country is the same you cant hold 2 EU passports anymore (been like that since 1996 only know that from working for the Dutch Immigration service)

danielf · 23-04-2010, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocDutch

oh Daniel with regards to Dual Nationality the UK or any EU country is the same you cant hold 2 EU passports anymore (been like that since 1996 only know that from working for the Dutch Immigration service)

Ah. Fair enough. In that case I'm royally ****ed off that I can't choose to vote in General Elections here after, say living here for 5 years

**Hugh** · 23-04-2010, 21:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slyder

Out of curiosity, where is the bnp during these "live" debates?

Putting together their manifesto.....

---------- Post added at 21:12 ---------- Previous post was at 20:14 ----------

Mmmmmm - interesting.... BBC

Quote:

At his news conference this morning the prime minister said that he had had to flush out Tory promises to maintain benefits for pensioners and that "It is right to ask questions and to get answers".
Taking this as an invitation I asked him to tell the electorate "the scale of the spending cuts that you will introduce if you are re-elected and to give the public some indication of what they will mean for ordinary families?"
Gordon Brown responded by listing the figures set out in the Budget for, amongst other things, efficiency savings, and then to illustrate his point he claimed that plans to pay child benefit over the internet "will save Â£1bn in the administration of child benefit" (see full transcript below).
Thanks to the Economic Editor of the FT, I can now reveal that the annual administrative cost of child benefit is, in fact, just Â£74m.

Ignitionnet · 23-04-2010, 21:49

Are you seriously suggesting that Gordon Brown's maths doesn't make any sense?

Who'd have thought, after getting the maths so right for so long, he'd start getting it wrong by a factor of 14 now.

Not that it matters of course, even though he's obviously talking out of his hindmost, either through being intensely incompetent or just plain lying, people will still lap it up. He's a man of substance, Gordon. That substance is bovine excreta.

EDIT: Bwahaha

Osem · 23-04-2010, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by foreverwar

Mmmmmm - interesting.... BBC

Brown's been making it up as he goes along for so long now he can't differentiate between facts and fiction, truth or lies. To think that some people around here and the likes of Ed Balls still reckon Brown has huge credibility when it comes to matters financial.....

**Damien** · 23-04-2010, 22:07

Who will The Guardian back?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...mment-guardian

Clue. It's not the Tories

danielf · 23-04-2010, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Who will The Guardian back?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...mment-guardian

Clue. It's not the Tories

Apart from the fact that, imo, newspapers should objectively report the news and leave opinion to the opinion pages, and that therefore the concept of a newspaper backing a party in an election seems an odd concept to me: good choice!

On a related note: Sky should be banned from ever hosting a leaders' debate again.