Question Who will lead after Cameron?

[Jiggs]

The amount of bureaucratic wastage under Labour is horrific. Johnson has actually done OK as Mayor in terms of getting rid of the tonnes of crap we didn't need and keeping what we do.

I expect a Conservative government would do the same on a national level - no more people employed to help you give up smoking and other such nonsense.

One thing that is confusing me about the polls though. In contrast to previous elections I know no one who is intending to vote Labour. Now I realise that doesn't automatically mean people are voting Conservative but I think these polls are misleading and they will get slaughtered.

 

[rynnor]

The amount of bureaucratic wastage under Labour is horrific. Johnson has actually done OK as Mayor in terms of getting rid of the tonnes of crap we didn't need and keeping what we do.

Actually the office of the Mayor costs a few hundred quid on top of the normal council tax for the whole of London - I voted against it but the idiots won

But other than that I guess the Conservatives will make some cuts but I dont think they have the courage to do the real cuts we need but we will see maybe.

 

[Will]

...no more people employed to help you give up smoking and other such nonsense.

Even though people to help you give up smoking come out of the healthcare budget, and will help to keep it down over the long term? Prevention is better than lung cancer and all that.

 

[DaGaffer]

Even though people to help you give up smoking come out of the healthcare budget, and will help to keep it down over the long term? Prevention is better than lung cancer and all that.

...And reduce the amount of tax money spent on cigs, leaving a net negative effect. After all, even if people stop smoking, they'll still die of something in the end, and I doubt you can bet on an increase in "cheap" deaths versus and "expensive" deaths even if fewer people are on the coffin nails.

 

[Embattle]

I sense the presence of a die hard labour supporter

I'm with Wij, my priority is to get winky out, Cameron is the lesser of two evils tbh.

lol maybe that should be the party slogan "The conservative party, the lesser of two evils"

Not really, but you'll excuse me if I want something a little more solid than wishful thinking when it comes to either party or perhaps some solid numbers which of course no party tends to give for various reasons all of which involve blaming someone else.

Actually you mean he appears to be the lesser of two evils since you don't actually know, a government in opposition is totally different from one in power.

 

[Will]

There was a reason I said healthcare budget.

OTOH, I can't see a Tory government telling us its our duty to the nation to smoke our way out of debt. Tax on coke and weed, anyone?

 

[Wij]

UK General election results 2005 [Archive]

Tory, LibDem, SNP. Matters not to me (ok BNP and Greens can fuck off). Whomsoever is not Labour will now always get my vote.

Apart from the obviously rigged-for-Labour boundaries the fact that people have traditionally tactically voted for anyone but the Tories has helped create a totally unfair advantage for Labour (2% lead for Tories would mean Labour become the largest party with almost a majority - wtf???). Turn the tables, tactically vote against Gordon (the ****.)

 

[cHodAX]

Every goverment moves the boundaries, the tories did it twice during Thatchers time iirc.

 

[rynnor]

Even though people to help you give up smoking come out of the healthcare budget, and will help to keep it down over the long term? Prevention is better than lung cancer and all that.

Addicts are rarely cured though - the overwhelming majority will be back on cigs or develop another substitute addiction to compensate.

Edit - oh and isnt it funny hows the pounds dropping like a brick on fears Brown may not lose

 

[Tom]

I'd like to propose a radical idea. If you're not enamoured with party politics, vote for any independents in your area.

And no, it isn't a wasted vote. I haven't been able to do it yet as no indies stood in Trafford in 2005.

 

[DaGaffer]

There was a reason I said healthcare budget.

OTOH, I can't see a Tory government telling us its our duty to the nation to smoke our way out of debt. Tax on coke and weed, anyone?

A Sound Policy For A Better Britain. Smoke, Toke, Snort, Drink and Drive our way out of recession (although probably best if we don't do them all at the same time). I tell you one thing, legalise coke and you wouldn't have to worry about all the City bankers leaving for Hong Kong or whererver.

 

[Furr]

Cameron has been listening to much to the numpties around him, Steve Hilton, Osbourne etc.

If he loses I would expect him to get removed from the leadership pretty quickly and Hague would become caretaker till a new candidate is chosen.

Problem is, there's too much fluff, confusion and what the feck are they planning to do? I don't want Labour to win what so ever. But when under pressure as Labour have been minds tend to be focussed, the Tories have been under the assumption the election was in the bag, got lazy and being punished for it.

Plus you have legions of public sector workers and other Labour policy dependants who need Labour in power to keep their jobs in ethical management etc then why vote for the Tories who promise to cut the waste?

I hope Cameron gets it together, time will tell.

 

[Tom]

Cameron has clearly been pulling punches at PM's Q's. Brown is the Conservative's most powerful weapon, and they don't want him being kicked out before the election. I have no doubt that the moment the date is named, the gloves will be off.

 

[ilaya]

what do they have against brown exactly to use as a weapon? a recession? tis global, and since the UK economy is based on finance as opposed to manufacturing, was bound to take longer to come out of it.

tories are losing votes coz of that sweaty little shit of a schoolboy George Osbourne...

 

[Tom]

Tyneside, I'd never have guessed.

 

[- English -]

what do they have against brown exactly to use as a weapon? a recession? tis global, and since the UK economy is based on finance as opposed to manufacturing, was bound to take longer to come out of it.

tories are losing votes coz of that sweaty little shit of a schoolboy George Osbourne...

Brown is his own worst enemy.. look at all the cockups he does, look how scruffy he appears on PMQS / other media presentings.

I however dont want labour back in, sadly i dont want the tories in either :s

 

[ECA]

and since the UK economy is based on finance as opposed to manufacturing, was bound to take longer to come out of it.

Don't you think that in the three terms labour have been in office they could have, oh I dont know, tried to expand our manufacturing base and broaden the economy as much as possible ?

You think an awesome chancellor would have done that.....

 

[Bugz]

Don't you think that in the three terms labour have been in office they could have, oh I dont know, tried to expand our manufacturing base and broaden the economy as much as possible ?

You think an awesome chancellor would have done that.....

But we're in a world of globalization. UK doesn't hold a comparative advantage in manufacturing except in small niche areas.

Unless you want Brown to invest billions into a sector that will never be fully competitive internationally.

 

[rynnor]

But we're in a world of globalization. UK doesn't hold a comparative advantage in manufacturing except in small niche areas.

Unless you want Brown to invest billions into a sector that will never be fully competitive internationally.

He could have invested in a top rate internet backbone for the UK, he could have invested heavily in Science and Research, he could have resisted the urge to dilute GCSE/A levels to the point where they are becoming worthless in technical subjects just so that even thick kids can pass em.

Kids dont even study seperate sciences anymore - its pathetic.

 

[Bugz]

He could have done and indeed should have done in re: to some of those.

Top set sciences in comprehensives still do the three science gcses separately I hope?

 

[rynnor]

Top set sciences in comprehensives still do the three science gcses separately I hope?

I think its pretty much private schools doing seperate science gcse's now 68% of schools didnt offer chemistry/physics/biology as seperate subjects in 2008.

Thats because of the obsession with results and league tables. I shall be personally educating my kids in sciences because I think its important.

 

[Bugz]

That's tragic.

Another reason to add to the many as to why we should keep grammar schools - at least they perform near on par with their private counterparts.

 

[Wij]

what do they have against brown exactly to use as a weapon? a recession? tis global

But the facts that our economy was already mortgaged up to the hilt even in the good times, we had no gold reserves and two of our banks made up their balance-sheets with lying and pretending made the recession far worse than it would have been. Brown should not have let the country get into that state.

Saying the recession is 'global' is being treated as 'therefore it's not our fault at all.' Quite the reverse is true. The UK had a big part to play in causing the recession.

 

[Chilly]

...And reduce the amount of tax money spent on cigs, leaving a net negative effect. After all, even if people stop smoking, they'll still die of something in the end, and I doubt you can bet on an increase in "cheap" deaths versus and "expensive" deaths even if fewer people are on the coffin nails.

No matter the cost, a healthier population is good in the long run. More (useful) work can be done and doctors can spend time mending broken legs and infectious disease rather than illnesses brought upon yourself cos you cant sotp smoking or stop eating pizza every night.

I'm 100% behind prevention.

 

[DaGaffer]

No matter the cost, a healthier population is good in the long run. More (useful) work can be done and doctors can spend time mending broken legs and infectious disease rather than illnesses brought upon yourself cos you cant sotp smoking or stop eating pizza every night.

I'm 100% behind prevention.

Only if said healthier population carries on working until much later in life, which most old 'uns don't really want to do, and youth-obsessed society doesn't want.

I really don't think you can say "no matter the cost", because in purely economic terms that simply isn't true.

 

[Chilly]

People die of heart attacks/lung shits in their 40s, 50s, 60s all the time. That's 30 years of taxable, useful work we're missing out on. I wager that (assuming we swallow the short term cost) if we reduced the illness rate from booze and fags by 50% it would be a vast win for the country - economically & socially.

 

[yaruar]

He could have invested in a top rate internet backbone for the UK, he could have invested heavily in Science and Research, he could have resisted the urge to dilute GCSE/A levels to the point where they are becoming worthless in technical subjects just so that even thick kids can pass em.

Kids dont even study seperate sciences anymore - its pathetic.

The education system was fucked long before labour. League tables are to blame and also the current funding system. The whole system needs an overhall.

Exams will always get easier as long as exam boards are competing for schools to use their exams. It's been common knowledge that different exam boards set their exams at different levels, so why would a school pick difficult ones if they need to rise up the league tables in order to secure pupils to secure funding. Therefore every year the boards are competing to make their exams more appealing and therefore easier... It's a joke, the same is true of degrees to a certain extent, even when i was a student i worked for a year up at sheffield hallam and lived with students up there and the quality of work they were handing in as third years was not even up to a-level standard and they were getting 2:1's for it..

Rant over.

 

[mooSe_]

That's tragic.

Another reason to add to the many as to why we should keep grammar schools - at least they perform near on par with their private counterparts.

I wasn't allowed to do seperate sciences at gcse at my school even though I got one of the highest year9 SATs grades for science in my year. I can't remember their excuse now, but I did complain about it.

 

[Chilly]

my mum complained about me not being able to do the triple science gcses too. I look back at it and say to her "if you wanted me to get good grades, you shouldnt have sent me to a shit school" (which she did, and could easily afford any private school around)

 

[Furr]

Most independent schools have abandoned GCSE's and gone iGCSE I know my old school has. it also means that the top schools in the country now come at the bottom of league tables because Labour refuses to acknowledge their existence, even though if you go to uni and have iGCSEs and Diplomas etc you are more qualified than people coming form the state system who weren't even given an option to compete even though they are most likely more than capable. Independent schools used to be a place where it was a choice for a style of living, now they are viewed as something that parents have to bust balls over to give their children a chance at an education system that works. We have after all some of the best schools in the world, it's the management from Whitehall that is ruining kids.

Labour is a busted flush, they spend so much bloody cash because it was available and what has it achieved? nothing, we have lots of shiny crap than we can't afford to run any more and we've plummeted in pretty much every world ranking there is....