General Election 2015

[BLOCK F]

I do wonder why people vote tory, that is unless you are first very very rich and then primarily concerned with how much more rich you can be.

I realise there is more to them than this, but IMO, this is what they represent. They are a party in the pocket of the oligarchs with the prime concern of keeping the oligarchy happy, yet try to portray themselves as being for everyone.

I can appreciate how some of the tories secondary policies may be appealing to voters, yet struggle to understand why someone would still chose to vote for them. If you are hungry and someone offers you food laced with poison you wouldn't eat it.

I'm not saying any of the other parties are much, if any better, but the tories are the biggest wolf dressed in sheep's clothing going, and I'm not saying they go around acting in a conspiracy, it's just who and what they represent, that naturally leads to this. It surprises me that people, normal people, consider voting for the tories most likely to improve their life?!

Fair enough,that is your view.
Conversely, I sometimes wonder why people,these days, vote for the Labour Party, when they always tax and spend too much, believe they know best how to spend everybody's hard -earned and then have to be voted out of office to let The Tories put matters right.
The Labour Party was a very necessary political movement in the dark old days; I am all for a political balance in the country and believe in a strong Opposition,whoever is in power,but just feel that Ed's crew are too left wing for the long term good of the country.

 

[Silk]

Fair enough,that is your view.
Conversely, I sometimes wonder why people,these days, vote for the Labour Party, when they always tax and spend too much, believe they know best how to spend everybody's hard -earned and then have to be voted out of office to let The Tories put matters right.
The Labour Party was a very necessary political movement in the dark old days; I am all for a political balance in the country and believe in a strong Opposition,whoever is in power,but just feel that Ed's crew are too left wing for the long term good of the country.

Which particular policies do you believe are too left wing?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Fair enough,that is your view.
Conversely, I sometimes wonder why people,these days, vote for the Labour Party, when they always tax and spend too much, believe they know best how to spend everybody's hard -earned and then have to be voted out of office to let The Tories put matters right.
The Labour Party was a very necessary political movement in the dark old days; I am all for a political balance in the country and believe in a strong Opposition,whoever is in power,but just feel that Ed's crew are too left wing for the long term good of the country.

IMHO they're not left wing enough. I'm hoping the SNP can help out here.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Fair enough,that is your view.
Conversely, I sometimes wonder why people,these days, vote for the Labour Party, when they always tax and spend too much, believe they know best how to spend everybody's hard -earned and then have to be voted out of office to let The Tories put matters right.
The Labour Party was a very necessary political movement in the dark old days; I am all for a political balance in the country and believe in a strong Opposition,whoever is in power,but just feel that Ed's crew are too left wing for the long term good of the country.

The complete opposite can be true though. You can reverse your whole statement and say the Tories get voted out of office because they don't spend enough, neglect our services and Labour have to come in to spend a bit to repair it all and put it right again.

If people felt the Tories were spending enough, they'd be reelected no question. If people felt Labour could be trusted completely with spending, they'd be elected. They're neck and neck because neither completely convinces the electorate either way.

 

[melias shoes]

IMHO they're not left wing enough. I'm hoping the SNP can help out here.

Oh God.

 

[ROSM]

How many people are actually dumb enough to fall for the Tory story that the snp are the devil incarnate?

This is one big tory plan that has backfired. They thought that by bigging up the snp they could ensure labour was not in a position to form a government. They got their sums wrong and now realise that a labour minority government is very possible with support from lib dems and a supply and confidence agreement with snp. So now they need to backtrack and present them as some threat. To do so they will stir up more anti English feeling and damage the union....so much for the conservative and unionist party!

Of course the tories can't really believe the snp are a threat or they wouldn't have backed them in 2007 to 2011scottish government. That act alone made many tories in Scotland think it was okay to support snp to keep labour out.

 

[BLOCK F]

The complete opposite can be true though. You can reverse your whole statement and say the Tories get voted out of office because they don't spend enough, neglect our services and Labour have to come in to spend a bit to repair it all and put it right again.

If people felt the Tories were spending enough, they'd be reelected no question. If people felt Labour could be trusted completely with spending, they'd be elected. They're neck and neck because neither completely convinces the electorate either way.

Yes indeed, you can reverse my statement; but to put it into context, I was replying to the guy who said 'I can't understand why any ordinary person would vote Tory '.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yes indeed, you can reverse my statement; but to put it into context, I was replying to the guy who said 'I can't understand why any ordinary person would vote Tory '.

Yeah, tends to happen on this thread a bit. Who needs context eh!?

 

[BLOCK F]

How many people are actually dumb enough to fall for the Tory story that the snp are the devil incarnate?

This is one big tory plan that has backfired. They thought that by bigging up the snp they could ensure labour was not in a position to form a government. They got their sums wrong and now realise that a labour minority government is very possible with support from lib dems and a supply and confidence agreement with snp. So now they need to backtrack and present them as some threat. To do so they will stir up more anti English feeling and damage the union....so much for the conservative and unionist party!

Of course the tories can't really believe the snp are a threat or they wouldn't have backed them in 2007 to 2011scottish government. That act alone made many tories in Scotland think it was okay to support snp to keep labour out.

The SNP are not the devil incarnate, but they do wish to break up the UK and they would want to tax and spend way beyond what Ed and Ed and most sensible politicians of Con and Lab persuasion would consider sensible.

 

[ROSM]

The SNP are not the devil incarnate, but they do wish to break up the UK and they would want to tax and spend way beyond what Ed and Ed and most sensible politicians of Con and Lab persuasion would consider sensible.

The ultimate irony being that the tories have done more to further Scottish independence in the last two weeks than the snp have ever achieved

 

[n1 gull]

Which particular policies do you believe are too left wing?

Taxing the highest paid just to tell them off, it has not been proven to create more money for UKplc - and if it does it will be marginal.

We should be creating an environment of wealth creation. The last Labour government had the highest rate of tax at 40% this lot want 50%

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Taxing the highest paid just to tell them off, it has not been proven to create more money for UKplc - and if it does it will be marginal.

We should be creating an environment of wealth creation. The last Labour government had the highest rate of tax at 40% this lot want 50%

Despite deciding to vote Labour, I agree with this 100%. The hike to 50% tax at the top rate has proven not to work. It's a populist policy & it does Labour a disservice

 

[Bold Seagull]

Interesting take on the Tory tactic of scaremongering about the SNP by Tory peer Lord Forsyth.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/20/tories-playing-dangerous-game-scotland-lord-forsyth

 

[Iggle Piggle]

hamster I am having a quick google search for history of uk debt
at the moment the furthest I can go back on yearly deficits
is on UK National Debt | Economics Help
shows a graph back to 1956
in the last 58 years there have been 6 years of surplus
graphs going back longer showing total debt to GDP levels
show a peak in the 19 th century
I think it is fair to say that the uk government has run deficits
the vast majority of the time

Worst Poem ever.

 

[BLOCK F]

The ultimate irony being that the tories have done more to further Scottish independence in the last two weeks than the snp have ever achieved

Don't know about that, but it must be said that the SNP have a very articulate leader who comes over pretty well in the media ; and of course, ,the likely closeness of the GE result has given her a fantastic platform to put forward her views and get a sniff of more power.
Think this has got a lot to do with it.

 

[Mr Bridger]

How many people are actually dumb enough to fall for the Tory story that the snp are the devil incarnate?

This is one big tory plan that has backfired. They thought that by bigging up the snp they could ensure labour was not in a position to form a government. They got their sums wrong and now realise that a labour minority government is very possible with support from lib dems and a supply and confidence agreement with snp. So now they need to backtrack and present them as some threat. To do so they will stir up more anti English feeling and damage the union....so much for the conservative and unionist party!

Of course the tories can't really believe the snp are a threat or they wouldn't have backed them in 2007 to 2011scottish government. That act alone made many tories in Scotland think it was okay to support snp to keep labour out.

Probably about the same amount of people that think the SNP hold out a hand of friendship to the English.

 

[BLOCK F]

Which particular policies do you believe are too left wing?

Can't be arsed to go into too much detail,but market intervention worries me and although it is not a policy, his general attitude towards business and profit also worries me.
We've got to have a strong economy in this country to support all the spending that both parties wish/have to undertake. I can see business confidence shrinking pretty fast if Ed has his way.
Watch out for fuel and alcohol tax revenue accelerators raise their ugly heads again and I reckon Council Tax will let rip.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

How many people are actually dumb enough to fall for the Tory story that the snp are the devil incarnate?

This is one big tory plan that has backfired. They thought that by bigging up the snp they could ensure labour was not in a position to form a government. They got their sums wrong and now realise that a labour minority government is very possible with support from lib dems and a supply and confidence agreement with snp. So now they need to backtrack and present them as some threat. To do so they will stir up more anti English feeling and damage the union....so much for the conservative and unionist party!

Of course the tories can't really believe the snp are a threat or they wouldn't have backed them in 2007 to 2011scottish government. That act alone made many tories in Scotland think it was okay to support snp to keep labour out.

They want to scrap Trident

They want more funding for Scotland

They want to break up the UK

They want push spending through the roof


Not the devil incarnate but all very good reasons not to want them in a position of influence on the UK government.

And when have the Tories "bigged up" the SNP?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Interesting take on the Tory tactic of scaremongering about the SNP by Tory peer Lord Forsyth.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/20/tories-playing-dangerous-game-scotland-lord-forsyth

They want to scrap Trident

They want more funding for Scotland

They want to break up the UK

They want push spending through the roof


Not the devil incarnate but all very good reasons not to want them in a position of influence on the UK government.

And when have the Tories "bigged up" the SNP?

See the link above from a Tory peer...

Forsyth claimed the Tories were partly responsible for the rise of the SNP after helping to prop up Alex Salmond’s minority government from 2007 to 2011, a move that gave Tory voters “permission” to support the SNP to keep out Labour.

 

[pb21]

Fair enough,that is your view.
Conversely, I sometimes wonder why people,these days, vote for the Labour Party, when they always tax and spend too much, believe they know best how to spend everybody's hard -earned and then have to be voted out of office to let The Tories put matters right.
The Labour Party was a very necessary political movement in the dark old days; I am all for a political balance in the country and believe in a strong Opposition,whoever is in power,but just feel that Ed's crew are too left wing for the long term good of the country.

Its a valid argument that Labour tax and spend too much, I'm not sure if they do though, or what the correct or best level of taxation and spending is. However I think this is a matter for debate and is a grey area with no right answer.

However to me it is clear that a Tory government has as its primary underlying ethos one of benefiting the already very rich, at the expense of the vast majority and the rest of the population. Again I'm not saying that's all they are about, they wouldn't get elected if they were, but that's effectively what we get.

Why people are prepared to get something the tories offer at the expense of everything else they do and don't do baffles me!