The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1

Only if they buy the same amount of stuff - most people who earn more, buy more (therefore paying more VAT).

VAT is nothing more than a sales tax.

Originally Posted by foreverwar

Only if they buy the same amount of stuff - most people who earn more, buy more (therefore paying more VAT).

VAT is nothing more than a sales tax.

what i mean is vat,on a tv for example, is not proportional to ammount that person earns ,a £500 tv is still a £500 tv for someone on minimum wage as it is for someone on £50,000 so increasing vat only hurts the lower paid realy

[Peter_]

VAT will really hurt if any government decides to put it on food even if as with household fuels they only charge 8%, the impact on the lower paid will be terrible and at a time when they are promoting healthy eating.

[Osem]

I really can't see VAT being put on food - that'd be suicidal for any government. What I can see is whoever wins the next election being forced to increase VAT to 20% sooner or later. We're all going to suffer for what's been allowed to happen I'm afraid and anyone who seeks to pretend that the ordinary working man can escape his share of the pain is a fool, a liar or both.

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by Osem

I really can't see VAT being put on food - that'd be suicidal for any government. What I can see is whoever wins the next election being forced to increase VAT to 20% sooner or later. We're all going to suffer for what's been allowed to happen I'm afraid and anyone who seeks to pretend that the ordinary working man can escape his share of the pain is a fool, a liar or both.

All this has been going on well before 1997 when Labour got into power and anyone that believes it will change with another administration really needs to remove their rose tinted glasses.

Each party has its own agenda which has nothing to do with making it easy for us poor fools the voters, vote for Labour or Conservative if you must but do not expect them to do anything of any real substance that will help the country, unless it is helping them line their pockets and you will not be disappointed.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Moldova

All this has been going on well before 1997 when Labour got into power and anyone that believes it will change with another administration really needs to remove their rose tinted glasses.

Each party has its own agenda which has nothing to do with making it easy for us poor fools the voters, vote for Labour or Conservative if you must but do not expect them to do anything of any real substance that will help the country, unless it is helping them line their pockets and you will not be disappointed.

Blimey and I thought I was cynical....

I still have some faith in our politicians, however, if not our incompetent government.

---------- Post added at 17:28 ---------- Previous post was at 17:25 ----------

Originally Posted by foreverwar

You appear to be answering a question with a question, rather than answering the question...

Yes, Brown does that a lot too. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so they say....

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by Osem

Blimey and I thought I was cynical....

I still have some faith in our politicians, however, if not our incompetent government.

I have no faith in the present government or the next as within months we will be slating them regardless of who is primeminister for similar reasons as we do now.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Moldova

I have no faith in the present government or the next as within months we will be slating them regardless of who is primeminister for similar reasons as we do now.

The only way I'll definitely be slating anyone is if Brown manages to cling onto power. The next government will have a great many wrongs to put right and it won't be an easy or quick process so it'd be unfair to expect too much too soon and there'll be many losers no matter what else happens. That's the price of Brown's 'prudence' I'm afraid.

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by Osem

The only way I'll definitely be slating anyone is if Brown manages to cling onto power. The next government will have a great many wrongs to put right and it won't be an easy or quick process so it'd be unfair to expect too much too soon.

The same can be said of the Thatcher era or the Major era and the next govenment even after 3 terms will prove to be just as incompetent as the present incumbents.

[Spectato]

Originally Posted by Moldova

I have no faith in the present government or the next as within months we will be slating them regardless of who is prime minister for similar reasons as we do now.

Amen to that.

The people that so passionately believe red or blue (or yellow) will actually make any real difference worry me, I have to say.
Maybe it's something of a supporter's mentality, of wanting 'your' team to win?
Except that just as with sport, these people we support are totally self-serving and self-obsessed, and perhaps give us back 1% of what they garner for themselves.
How the poor dears cope with us being such a burden to them in the years between elections is anyone's guess.

[Cobbydaler]

It doesn't matter how I vote, my voting power is 0.015

Find out what yours is here.

Anybody on the forum in one of the most or least powerful constituencies?

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

It doesn't matter how I vote, my voting power is 0.015

Find out what yours is here.

Anybody on the forum in one of the most or least powerful constituencies?

my voting power is a big fat zero, apparently we don't exist in the north east as it returned a "no result" answer ,which i suppose answers a lot of questions

[speedfreak]

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

It doesn't matter how I vote, my voting power is 0.015

Find out what yours is here.

Anybody on the forum in one of the most or least powerful constituencies?

mines a bit lower than yours, makes me think why bother? Infact i probably wont bother now

0.326, against a UK average of 0.253.

0.03