Vote Now : UK Leaders Debate, more real than US politics, but no less GREEDY

[IamNoah]

I'm rather disturbed by the person I find most reasonable.

 

[unloadonme]

Great question.....why are UK companies importing so many continental Europeans, when there are such a large number of UK citizens available to fill vacant positions?

You are based in the UK...perhaps you can shed some light on this conumdrum.

I'd say it's because many of the indigenous unemployed don't want the sort of low paid jobs that most or the immigrants take. They'd rather sit at home claiming benefits. If there's a job they could reasonably do, I'd force them to do it and take their benefits away if they refused.

 

[Vitamin]

I honestly couldn't tell you what the differences between the Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats actually were. I assume they're all in cohoots together; so much for parliament systems having much more diversity than the American representative system.

The two Nationalist parties seemed very populist, but that is to be expected I suppose.

Nigel Farage is an embarrassment to the UK.

Green seemed the most sensible, but if they legislate like they debate I doubt they'll inject a whole lot into the decision making.

Basically, the UK is fucked. Congrats are your soon-to-be privatized healthcare. You'll get to find out what it's like here in the States soon enough.

 

[broadshoulder]

I
Basically, the UK is fucked.

Thank you for sharing that with us (rolls eyes). Funny how an American comes in an upsets the equilibrium

Congrats are your soon-to-be privatized healthcare. You'll get to find out what it's like here in the States soon enough.

If you watch the video they discuss the NHS and how to keep it going. ALL parties including the tories discuss how to keep it going.

Of course the Welsh accent speaks to me and Leanne was an excellent speaker. Shame I am not in Wales or I would vote for Plaid Camrai?

 

[evanrick]

indeed, a vote for the tories will accelerate the UK's decline for everyday people. it will make the bankers and big corporations happy when they can import more and more laborers.

 

[Vitamin]

If you watch the video they discuss the NHS and how to keep it going. ALL parties including the tories discuss how to keep it going.

Actually, the Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Dems all supported privatiztion. Some quicker than others, but all three parties were in favor of it(just like they were with austerity too). You'll get there soon enough.

 

[broadshoulder]

Actually, the Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Dems all supported privatiztion. Some quicker than others, but all three parties were in favor of it(just like they were with austerity too). You'll get there soon enough.

We wont because it ranks as Americanisation....shudders.

 

[Vitamin]

We wont because it ranks as Americanisation....shudders.

If the UK keeps voting for it's traditional parties(Conservative/Labor), or at this point even Liberal Democrat, you will continue down the path of privatisantion with no clear pace to stop. Think about it for a minute: what is the point of the limited privatisantion that is currently in place? I noticed none of it's supporters could name a single positive thing that it has done for the UK when challenged about it.

 

[mightbe]

I can think of one backdoor benefit to BR's privatization: more public money is being spend than ever on Britain's railways, through subsidies and tax breaks to the various franchises. Technically the whole network could revert at any moment, the government simply can stop franchising services out and not renew the existing ones. But at the present such a large amount of public money is being spent on private businesses that the companies receive a great deal more now than the whole of British Rail did in the 1980s and 90s. Of course that came at the price of some awful tragedies and safety concerns, but at least mass transport is better funded now and nearly 20 years later all has settled. Private companies are of course capable of handling Britain's train services (albeit in piecemeal fashion), but it takes a lot more taxpayer money to make it work. And with Network Rail handling the infrastructure both a loss of subsidy to the operators doesn't necessarily mean a loss to network improvements. In late BR days a cut basically meant that everything was negatively affected; stock was used longer than it should've been, track improvements delayed, modifications to stations to improve capacity etc all were pushed aside at once. The current situation with the railways is a good one. Acceptable. I'd prefer that they be renationalized, but at present things are improving at a nice pace, and the ridership reflects this. In the last decade there's been a major turnaround, and I attribute this to the sudden change of climate regarding the railways' funding. In the dark days of yore the government was blamed for the railways' poor performance, and it was pressured to slash away at BR's funding. Now that it appears to be out of the government's hands they can throw money at the railways. Ironic twist methinks.

But I don't know if anything similar has happened with other privatizations.

 

[evanrick]

I'd say it's because many of the indigenous unemployed don't want the sort of low paid jobs that most or the immigrants take. They'd rather sit at home claiming benefits. If there's a job they could reasonably do, I'd force them to do it and take their benefits away if they refused.

That may be part of the explanation at the low end skill jobs but high skill jobs, its easier to import labor than to fund education with taxes.

Corporations will refuse to fund education, governments funding education will only help a few corporations, so why not just import skilled labor that had no or little cost to the country? Seems like a tidy arrangement if you don't really care about the citizens of your own country.

I think in the USA you must be employed by some means to be eligible for any kind of welfare.

laws created to encourage work just gave businesses an excuse to pay low wages.

income credits target irresponsible parents, and warp the family structure so that their children are little more than dollar signs.

corporations only contribute 20% of federal revenues of what they did only decades ago, now just 10% of all tax revenue, a 80% tax cut.

corporations have a strangle hold on the economy.

 

[Mitchymo]

I'd say it's because many of the indigenous unemployed don't want the sort of low paid jobs that most or the immigrants take. They'd rather sit at home claiming benefits. If there's a job they could reasonably do, I'd force them to do it and take their benefits away if they refused.

Oh i quite agree, screw freedom, there are jobs to be done. Its not like slavery is problematic. Nor is it like we could get machines to do work for us. The most important thing above all else is that everyone is revolving their lives around work so that those born with silver spoons in their mouths can continue life as they know it.

You speak the myopic view of the typical Tory, yet its concerning that you intend to vote UKIP. Exudes extremity if you ask me.

I'm inclined to believe that like most voters who intend to vote UKIP, you've been sucked in to the belief that all our ills rest in Europe. They don't. The problems lay firmly at the incompetence of both Conservatives AND Labour governments whom have held power alternately for decades, to do what is right for the country.

Conservatives care only for themselves. They are typically born into affluence, and insist that for those born into poverty, the way out is to be determined and work hard, as if simply by doing so, all 10 such shelf stackers could occupy the same managers job. Its a complete disregard of the pyramidical structure which negates many people's attempts to better themselves, whilst at the same time never having to worry about such things themselves, since they inherit their wealth, and they buy their opportunity, and they employ elitism. Even those Tories who WERE born into poverty and were lucky to 'make it' show themselves for what they are, taking things for granted and giving themselves a clap on the back for all their effort whilst forgetting about any strokes of luck, or help along the way.
Conservatives insist we are in this together, but what they mean is that the poor should serve the rich.

As for Labour, they are sheer incompetents. They take the populist view. Its easy to oppose Conservatives, since the Tories serve the few, at the expense of the majority. So Labour come along and stand up for the majority, get into power, and then procede to screw everything up.

Their time in government consisted primarily of growing our economy. That would have been a good thing if it wasn't for the fact that they did it at the expense of a stable economy. You remember who for months they criticized the Coalition over our flat-lining economy, as if growth was the most important thing. That speaks volumes. They are far too focused on meeting targets and achieving results that they can reap applause for, than they are ensuring the stabilty of our nation. Then when the shit hits the fan and they left the country's coffers empty, ensuring a lengthy recovery without any surplus to help alleviate austerity measures, they have the audacity to blame the current government for the effect those measures are having. Its like watching someone kick over a cleaners waterbucket, and then criticizing that the wet flaw is a safety hazard, whilst they stand watching it being cleaned up.

They also created the class known as the working poor. Sucking up to corporation, they decide the answer to the cost of living crisis was to put tens of thousands of working people onto tax credits instead of raising the minimum wage. This was a sticky plaster on a broken leg scenario. The benefit helps put money back in the pocket of the poorest workers, but at the expense of the taxpayer. This leaves government short on revenue, and when cuts have to be made (like they do now), its the poorest that suffer the most. So it doesn't actually help much at all, not to mention undermine the pride a person should have from paying their own way. I was told i qualified for tax credits, i've never applied for them because a full time worker should be earning a sufficient wage not to need welfare.

It suits both those parties, who want power, fighting with each other for it, to facillitate the illusion that its Europe's fault, shifting the blame from themselves. Their only concern now is that a vote for UKIP may see their opponent in power depending on who they steal votes from. But UKIP is useful to them too, as it offers a disillusioned public an alternative to their usual vote, and replaces their only real challenge, that of Liberal Democrats as the 3rd biggest party. The lack of support for the likes of Lib Dems and Greens will ensure politics in this country remains exactly where they want it, authoritarian and capitalist, taking it in turns in power. It prevents real change from happening in this country.
Ukip may get their wish and have a referendum, but neither Conservatives or Labour are stupid enough to buy the phallacy that we are better off outside the EU.
Ukip serves a useful purpose, but they won't achieve their goals.

The best thing that anyone could do is vote for Greens or Lib Dems, because that is the only way to kick the biggest two parties into touch, and realise that the power to decide who governs is in the people's hands, NOT as they would have you believe, that ONLY David Cameron or Ed Milliband could be the next prime-minister. That only happens when people can't be bothered to think about things on a deeper level......which unfortunately means for those of us who aren't Tory or Labour supporters, are likely to remain very under-represented for a long time to come....people are mostly sheep.

 

[bankside]

Bennett - a complete nutter about the economy. Right about NHS. Right about environment. The sort of person who could be a cabinet minister but not PM/in charge of government.
Farrage - a complete nutter about europe, immigrants, economy...
Clegg - "not a good pretender," apparently. Many adjectives. MANY POSITIVE-SOUNDING ADJECTIVES. Bravo, sir, nothing said but said so beautifully.
Sturgeon - go swim up your own river. Why is this person in a debate for the prime ministership? She wants to invest scarce resources in scotland's children? NOOO, she wants to borrow money that those children will have to pay back, and then spend it today on things that will make her look popular.
Cameron - the plan that was working? He gets a C.
Wood - Congratulations on being Welsh. Why is this person in a debate for the prime ministership?
Milliband - pandering to "working people." If I never hear the term "working people" again it will be too soon. Ugh. What a choice.


I think my preference would be another minority.