question time!
Discussion
They were too nice to Kennedy, bearing in mind he basically told everyone they'd get screwed over with taxation if they got in and there'd be no point aspiring.
Isn't it a shame, though, that every time anyone right of left turns up on a TV debate they always get shouted down by militant lentilists. I mean - that bloke trying to equate Howard and the Conservatives with Hitler and the Nazis FFS!
Glad they made Blair squirm. I love it when his 'sincere' act falls apart under duress and he has to desperately defend his position. He's had his banter worked out on Iraq for ages, but I bet he wasn't expecting to be blindsided by the top-up fees fiasco. That really got his bottom lip trembling.
Isn't it a shame, though, that every time anyone right of left turns up on a TV debate they always get shouted down by militant lentilists. I mean - that bloke trying to equate Howard and the Conservatives with Hitler and the Nazis FFS!
Glad they made Blair squirm. I love it when his 'sincere' act falls apart under duress and he has to desperately defend his position. He's had his banter worked out on Iraq for ages, but I bet he wasn't expecting to be blindsided by the top-up fees fiasco. That really got his bottom lip trembling.
if it were not for thier policies on motorists and the eu. i would vote liberal, purely for thier policy on proportional representation! 2001 labour 10.2m votes 413 seats,conservative 8.9m votes 160 seats, the liberal policy would be much fairer and much more democratic than the current labour wins anyway system!
v8 westy said:
if it were not for thier policies on motorists and the eu. i would vote liberal, purely for thier policy on proportional representation! 2001 labour 10.2m votes 413 seats,conservative 8.9m votes 160 seats, the liberal policy would be much fairer and much more democratic than the current labour wins anyway system!
That's why proportionality would be a good thing - everyone would have to work together and with any luck you'd get the best from each party. For example:
-The Tories policies on law and order, transport and education
-The Labour policies on immigration (IMO the tories are too harsh and the LD's too lenient)
-The Liberal Democrat policies on the electoral system and prison reform.
...and so on. The problem we have in this country is that one party, and therefore ideology, rules at a time, and as a result spends more time trying to consolidate its position, rather than keeping the country ticking over.
Twincam16 said:
That's why proportionality would be a good thing - everyone would have to work together and with any luck you'd get the best from each party.
Hmm, the cynic inside me thinks we'd just end up with a parliament that spent all it's time bickering instead of getting things done. Plus we'd lose the fact that your local MP has to support the local area in parliament and hence it's less likely places are "forgotten". Under a system of proportional representation they'd be more tempted to just lure the big votes from the city and
everyone else. I do understand your point though, but i don't think proportional representation is a sufficiently better alternative to warrant the risk of change.
Cheers,
Rob.
Well, in order to counter the Tories attack, Labour have a new immigration policy for the next term, and, I'll be honest, I find it more acceptable. The Tories are too rigid on this issue. labour are now suggesting that, if they get in again, they will introduce a registration system for immigrants so they can be more closely monitored, and ramp up port security.
The Tories system of capping immigration would hurt our hospitals and service industries IMHO.
The Tories system of capping immigration would hurt our hospitals and service industries IMHO.
Twincam16 said:
... but I bet he wasn't expecting to be blindsided by the top-up fees fiasco. That really got his bottom lip trembling.
That was great, top marks to the chap who asked the question and refused to get barged onto Tony's 'safe script' - "you said you weren't going to introduce top-up fees and had legislated to prevent it - where is the legislation Tony?" Haha!
Rob_F said:
That's why proportionality would be a good thing - everyone would have to work together and with any luck you'd get the best from each party.
Hmm, the cynic inside me thinks we'd just end up with a parliament that spent all it's time bickering instead of getting things done. Plus we'd lose the fact that your local MP has to support the local area in parliament and hence it's less likely places are "forgotten". Under a system of proportional representation they'd be more tempted to just lure the big votes from the city andeveryone else.
I do understand your point though, but i don't think proportional representation is a sufficiently better alternative to warrant the risk of change.
Cheers,
Rob.
Well I've already said what I think should happen in the ministries - they should be run by experts, not politicians. The politicians may have the plans so far as direction for the country and money goes, but in terms of running our military, schools, transport etc goes, I want the country to answer to an experienced general, headteacher, advanced driver/railway executive etc. The politicians are just the gloss on the substance.
Proportionality is one answer. IMO we need more expert, politically neutral institutions to make decisions for this country. We'd still get to vote them in and out, but it would be like a parliament of independants with no ideological baggage to blindly argue for.
does your mp represent your view or toe the party line ? our mp is just floating along on his 75k or whatever they get and assuming a labour victory!
waste of space to anyone who is not a civil servant or otherwise dependant upon an expanded state for thier income!
he even had the arrogance to admit that the waste of time to ban hunting was purely class warfare!
someone so petty that thinks like that does not deserve to be an mp! there are more important issues than hunting and revenge for an industrial strike 22 years ago!
waste of space to anyone who is not a civil servant or otherwise dependant upon an expanded state for thier income!
he even had the arrogance to admit that the waste of time to ban hunting was purely class warfare!
someone so petty that thinks like that does not deserve to be an mp! there are more important issues than hunting and revenge for an industrial strike 22 years ago!
Twincam16 said:
Well, in order to counter the Tories attack, Labour have a new immigration policy for the next term, and, I'll be honest, I find it more acceptable. The Tories are too rigid on this issue. labour are now suggesting that, if they get in again, they will introduce a registration system for immigrants so they can be more closely monitored, and ramp up port security.
The Tories system of capping immigration would hurt our hospitals and service industries IMHO.
Actually, I don't think that's quite the case - I haven't found the Tories to be rigid on the issue; what they're saying, insofar as I understand, is that there needs to be a limit that takes into account and balances the need to bring in skilled workers to support the industries you mention, and others, and the duty to provide refuge for genuinely endangered aslyum seekers, plus the desire for families to be reunited, against the ability of Britain to cope with the numbers and potential burden on the taxpayer of those who could not readily find work and fill a skills gap.
And, importantly, to combat illegal migrant traffiking and to clamp down on those who are refused residence from disappearing into the ether.
Seems reasonable in theory to me.
v8 westy said:
does your mp represent your view or toe the party line ? our mp is just floating along on his 75k or whatever they get and assuming a labour victory!
waste of space to anyone who is not a civil servant or otherwise dependant upon an expanded state for thier income!
he even had the arrogance to admit that the waste of time to ban hunting was purely class warfare!
someone so petty that thinks like that does not deserve to be an mp! there are more important issues than hunting and revenge for an industrial strike 22 years ago!
Our local MP is the worst possible combination.
She listens to the locals, is very public and interactive. She makes pledges to the local community based on what they have asked her to provide.
She then takes the promises and feeds them into the'ACME Liberal Democrat Ideolog-o-matic policy transformerator'. A machine that translates, say, 'our roads need resurfacing because they look like the moon on a clear night' into '30 mph is far too fast for us and our chassis aren't quite damaged enough, please put speed humps and a 20 zone in our cul-de-sac'.
twincam have you tried to emigrate? do you know the policies of countries that british people try to emigrate to?
the conservative policy is to equalise us with the likes of australia,usa, canada etc.
if britain continues to be seen as easier than other countries we will continue to be the main port of call for people intending to live off the taxpayer!
if labour are so bent on the eu. why are they not pushing for eu. wide policy on asylum seekers and an equivalent level of benifit and support in each eu. member state? thus rendering us no more or less attractive a destination than france or germany and imposing the un rule that asylum should be sought in the first safe country?
this would be a useful objective for the redtape fans in brussels and strasbourg!
the conservative policy is to equalise us with the likes of australia,usa, canada etc.
if britain continues to be seen as easier than other countries we will continue to be the main port of call for people intending to live off the taxpayer!
if labour are so bent on the eu. why are they not pushing for eu. wide policy on asylum seekers and an equivalent level of benifit and support in each eu. member state? thus rendering us no more or less attractive a destination than france or germany and imposing the un rule that asylum should be sought in the first safe country?
this would be a useful objective for the redtape fans in brussels and strasbourg!
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