Politics General Election 2017

If the General Election was today, how would you vote?

  • Conservative

    Votes: 19 35.2%
  • Labour

    Votes: 15 27.8%
  • Liberal Democrat

    Votes: 10 18.5%
  • Ukip

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Green

    Votes: 5 9.3%
  • SNP

    Votes: 3 5.6%
  • Other

    Votes: 2 3.7%

  • Total voters
    54

Job

The Carl Pilkington of Freddyshouse
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
21,652
No image of Corbyn on the Labour battlebus...says it all.
 

Gwadien

Uneducated Northern Cretin
Joined
Jul 15, 2006
Messages
19,914
In regards to the fox hunting thing...

I'm extremely oppositional to it, much like any other recreational sports which causes the needless harm to animals.

However...

Kudos to Frau May for making the Tories approach clear.

I'd imagine it's to do with the Tories being able to sacrifice babies and still get voted in, but it's good to see politicians actually being honest and not just announcing it when they get elected
 

Job

The Carl Pilkington of Freddyshouse
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
21,652
Seems strange for it to be brought up so early in the campaign...the voter analysis must be a fine art these days..they probably play out policy effects in some virtual country algorithm , push out fox hunting, then watch social media go wild.
Politics is going to be reduced to a party based on an app soon.
 

Raven

Fuck the Tories!
FH Subscriber
Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
44,800
So, the labour manifesto has been leaked.

Admirable but absolutely unworkable and slightly insane. Student union thinking at its finest.
 

Bodhi

Once agreed with Scouse and a LibDem at same time
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
9,345
I've had a look through it, and I am happy to vote Labour - as long as they let me know when I can expect my free car. I'd quite like a 4 Series this time, preferably a 440i Gran Coupe with Pro Nav and a Heads Up Display.

But seriously, punishing firms which pay their staff too much money? So asking people who already pay a large amount of income tax to pay even more, becuase they're paying too much in the first place? Wtf?

Bringing everything back under public ownership? 1) How much is that going to cost then? 2) What precisely is that going to fix?
 

Raven

Fuck the Tories!
FH Subscriber
Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
44,800
Some people within Labour are now comparing Corbyn to Clement Attlee.


Roflcopter
 

Raven

Fuck the Tories!
FH Subscriber
Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
44,800
Bringing everything back under public ownership? 1) How much is that going to cost then? 2) What precisely is that going to fix?

Actually, with regards to trains, I am not sure how they can get any worse in private hands. They might be slightly worse if they offered a complimentary stab in the thigh with a rusty screwdriver I suppose. Removing the need for increased profit year on year and ploughing money back into improvements would be a good thing.

That being said, any spare cash just ends up paying for extra comfy pillows so the drivers can have a nap between pressing stop/go every hour, under a public rail network.

Really they just need to tarmac the railways and allow cars on.
 

Bodhi

Once agreed with Scouse and a LibDem at same time
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
9,345
Actually, with regards to trains, I am not sure how they can get any worse in private hands. They might be slightly worse if they offered a complimentary stab in the thigh with a rusty screwdriver I suppose. Removing the need for increased profit year on year and ploughing money back into improvements would be a good thing.

That being said, any spare cash just ends up paying for extra comfy pillows so the drivers can have a nap between pressing stop/go every hour, under a public rail network.

Really they just need to tarmac the railways and allow cars on.

It's easy to see how they could get worse - just go back in time to the 80's and try using British Rail. You'll get to where you're going - eventually.

Only real problem I see with Private Ownership is the number of companies involved, so natural law of averages means you're going to get some good operators, and some shite ones. For instance here in Stafford service is pretty good, depending on where we go there is a choice of 3 operators (Virgin, Cross Country and London Midland), and only real time there are problems are due to the West Coast Maniline being near capacity, so if something breaks, carnage ensues. In fact that's the only benefit of HS2 I can see, is to take traffic off the WCML.

On the flipside, even though I 've never used them I gather Southern Railways are a bit of a joke, and normally on strike due to the wrong type of biscuits being servied at a meeting. So just like British Rail then, really.

Public Ownership works OK on the continent becuase they aren't really run as your standard public service - the operators are still expected to make a profit, have boards etc - basically a public owned business. If we could do that over here then great! But do we really think this is what Comrade Corbyn has in mind? As it probably isn't, I'll stick with what we have. The OH uses the train every day to get into Birmingham, odd weather related delay aside, not really an issue. Certainly less issues than I have on the M6 anyway....
 

DaGaffer

Down With That Sorta Thing
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
18,498
You don't have to privatise the rail companies, but network rail (or whatever its called now) is a natural monopoly; its the kind of thing that should never have been privatised in the first place.
 

Raven

Fuck the Tories!
FH Subscriber
Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
44,800
Careful now, some people think Viz news stories are real.
 

Job

The Carl Pilkington of Freddyshouse
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
21,652
The biggest problem with the railways...apart from the fact they are shite...is the ticketing system us quite simply the biggest pile of bolaks ever forced on humanity, the rain stations with everyone running around not knowing where to go.
Seriously I could fix 90% of the problems myself with a few hundred sign boards and a marker pen.
Like the buses, the trains are run like a members club, where everyone us in a routine and newcomers are sent on a wild goose chase of queuing in the wrong line,.asking other passengers if this train stops at a certain station.
It needs to be publically run and invite the Japanese for a year to sort it out.
 

Bodhi

Once agreed with Scouse and a LibDem at same time
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
9,345
You don't have to privatise the rail companies, but network rail (or whatever its called now) is a natural monopoly; its the kind of thing that should never have been privatised in the first place.

It never really was? It's owned by the DoT.
 

Bodhi

Once agreed with Scouse and a LibDem at same time
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
9,345
It was - Railtrack. Then it was taken back into public ownership in 2002. I didn't realise that had happened.

Every day is indeed a school day, as I wasn't aware Railtrack were privately owned back in the day.
 

Gwadien

Uneducated Northern Cretin
Joined
Jul 15, 2006
Messages
19,914
National Rail being publicly owned is an issue.

Because if a train company is like ohh there's a problem with... Oh wait, blame national rail, they'll pick up the bill!

Tis all or nothing.
 

Job

The Carl Pilkington of Freddyshouse
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
21,652
Is everyone trying to make the Tories win?
Latest from the dems...let in 50K refugees at 4 billion price tag .

Ok, that'll bang in the votes.
 

BloodOmen

I am a FH squatter
Joined
Jan 27, 2004
Messages
18,112
So, the labour manifesto has been leaked.

Admirable but absolutely unworkable and slightly insane. Student union thinking at its finest.

As opposed to the alternative - Tories? not a hard choice which to vote for tbfh, I'd rather give the mental Labour manifesto a go over Tories who are just going to fuck anyone who isn't earning above a certain pay level.
 

Bodhi

Once agreed with Scouse and a LibDem at same time
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
9,345
As opposed to the alternative - Tories? not a hard choice which to vote for tbfh, I'd rather give the mental Labour manifesto a go over Tories who are just going to fuck anyone who isn't earning above a certain pay level.

Bang on. That's why the Tories raised the tax free allowance, bringing millions of lower earners out of Income Tax. And raised the minimum wage. In fact the only people who have seen their taxes go up recently have been the well off.

Those evil Tory bastards!
 

BloodOmen

I am a FH squatter
Joined
Jan 27, 2004
Messages
18,112
Bang on. That's why the Tories raised the tax free allowance, bringing millions of lower earners out of Income Tax. And raised the minimum wage. In fact the only people who have seen their taxes go up recently have been the well off.

Those evil Tory bastards!

Yes, because the minor raise has clearly kept up with inflation.. oh wait! clearly these people just want to keep that small pay rise and that's why foodbank use is at record levels (which might I add only happened SINCE the tories came to power)
 

Raven

Fuck the Tories!
FH Subscriber
Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
44,800
As opposed to the alternative - Tories? not a hard choice which to vote for tbfh, I'd rather give the mental Labour manifesto a go over Tories who are just going to fuck anyone who isn't earning above a certain pay level.

Yes, but at least we can afford the Tory plan (sort of)

This drivel from Labour is completely and utterly mental when you look at the numbers.

Nationalise the railways and energy companies - where exactly are we going to get the money to buy that back? Not going to happen.

Tax the rich a bit more - would make virtually no difference in the bigger picture, its like saying stopping the workshy from claiming the dole would make a difference, the numbers are so small it wouldn't actually make much difference at all. The problem isn't people on 80k+ it is companies avoiding tax (actually encouraged in the EU) but even then a couple of windfall tax raids wouldn't pay for half the stuff Labour have earmarked.

Other than that, its a load of wishy washy nonsense with no sums to back it up.

Like I said, admirable but a complete crock of bollocks. Unfortunately you cannot run a country on hopes alone.
 

Gwadien

Uneducated Northern Cretin
Joined
Jul 15, 2006
Messages
19,914
Is everyone trying to make the Tories win?
Latest from the dems...let in 50K refugees at 4 billion price tag .

Ok, that'll bang in the votes.
Dunno if you've noticed, but the Lib Dems are going down the 'fuck the populist vote' route.

I like this.
 

Bodhi

Once agreed with Scouse and a LibDem at same time
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
9,345
Yes, because the minor raise has clearly kept up with inflation.. oh wait! clearly these people just want to keep that small pay rise and that's why foodbank use is at record levels (which might I add only happened SINCE the tories came to power)

Must admit I don't look on increased use of food banks as a bad thing, in fact quit the opposite.

Good read on the subject, based on experiences of people using them/staffing them. Note only 1 in 5 claim too low wages as a reason to use them (or 1 in 6 for those on benefits).

Why it’s wrong to be ashamed of Britain’s food banks | The Spectator
 

Raven

Fuck the Tories!
FH Subscriber
Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
44,800
I should also add that I will not be voting Tory either, I am going to have a look at the indies, see what they are about but if they are just as useless I will be spoiling my ballot.
 

Raven

Fuck the Tories!
FH Subscriber
Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
44,800
Yes, because the minor raise has clearly kept up with inflation.. oh wait! clearly these people just want to keep that small pay rise and that's why foodbank use is at record levels (which might I add only happened SINCE the tories came to power)

Before the Tories got in, those in the public sector enjoyed raises well above inflation. Private sector very close to inflation. Austerity is working, less people out of work, less small business going to the wall. You cannot borrow your way out of debt, spending more than we earn will not make the deficit smaller. The hugely bloated public sector needed cutting back and still needs cutting back, not from the front line but the middle and top.

As for those claiming benefits (While not trying to belittle them) most don't even bother voting, they are unimportant from a political stand point. Aside from illness or a disability there is absolutely no excuse for being out of work and hasn't been for the last 5 years.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom