Question time tonight

[TankRizzo]

Fittster said:

TankRizzo said:

Quite. Many people are deluded at the moment about what needs to be done. There are those with the viewpoint that if we "tax the bankers" and "get rid of MP's expenses" then this will magically plug the massive multi-billion deficit we currently have.

Funny indeed that a member of the audience made the point about living in an "I'm alright Jack" society, and then shortly afterwards someone else said "I work in the public sector, why should I have to endure pain for the bankers' mistakes?", as if having a 12-month pay freeze is the worst thing on the planet.

Hmm, if it's all about independence and looking after yourself why should the banks be spared the consequences of capitalism?

As I've said before I'd love a much smaller state (no welfare state, armed force brought home, etc) but that also means no bail outs for any industries. I can't see how you can support both smaller government and banking bailouts.

I see your point, but is it really feasible that a bank like RBS for example can be allowed to fail? It's a nice thought to just let failing organisations weed themselves out, but you're talking about companies whose operations are woven into the fabric of daily life in the UK.

Edited by TankRizzo on Friday 9th October 10:30

[JagLover]

Fittster said:

As I've said before I'd love a much smaller state (no welfare state, armed force brought home, etc) but that also means no bail outs for any industries. I can't see how you can support both smaller government and banking bailouts.

It was in the Victorian age, the high water mark of Laissez Faire Capitalism in this country, that Bagehot developed the policy of the BOE as lender of last resort in the event of a banking crises.

[limpsfield]

chris watton said:

Hislop one side, Starkey on the other!

Starkey was fantastic on last week's Question Time - i have never seen him on it before. Like Hislop, he just ripped through waffley arguements.

Edited by limpsfield on Friday 9th October 10:55

[unrepentant]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

Entertaining viewing last night.
Labour and that Cooper woman were really the butt of some jokes - all self induced.
WTF is she on about that revised IHT will only affect 3,000 people ?

I was trying to work that out as £1 million is not a lot these days given the price of property. I think what they are saying is 3,000 estates as opposed to individuals. That still sounds low but maybe it's not. Do more than 3,000 people die each year in the UK and leave estates of more than £1 million? I'd have thought so but I'm sure they fact checked it.

[Trommel]

If it will only affect 3000 people the costs of implementing the changes will be greater than the increased revenue.

I really dislike that woman.

[unrepentant]

Trommel said:

If it will only affect 3000 people the costs of implementing the changes will be greater than the increased revenue.

I think you've missed the point. It's the tories who are proposing to lift the limit, to make the changes. Therefore there won't be any increased revenue, there will be less revenue.

[king arthur]

wiffmaster said:

This hatred of success seems to be a relatively new thing

I don't think it is, it seems to be woven into the British psyche. I don't know where it comes from but I suspect the British "class" system has a lot to do with it.

[F i F]

Spiritual_Beggar said:

EdJ said:

Following Cameron's speech and now Osborne on QT, I feel for the first time in a while that the Tories are not so focused on spin and are serious about what needs to be done.

There still seems to be a view from the general public (or at least the general public as defined by the BBC) that it should be the "rich" who get the country out of this mess. I think this is partly the fault of big government where so many people are dependent / reliant on the state that they no longer understand the concept of responsibility. Comments like "what are the government going to do about it?" are symptomatic of this.

That 'Engineer' in the audience made the most sensible comment of the night...and as someone has already mentioned, it largely got ignored!

The socialist audience there bang on about making the 'private' sector pay for getting us into this mess; well, the financial sector may have got us there, but the manufacturing sector, construction sector, retail sector had nothing to do with it....so why should they suffer.

Fact is, Private sector brings in money, the public sector spends it. If one of those two had to take cuts, you damn well better believe it should be the Public sector! Public sector provides a 'Service', & a service makes our lives easier, but is not a necessity. It's about time the people in the public sector realised this.

If they had to try and find a job in the Private sector, and realised how hard it was, then maybe they'd look at their job and be thankful that they have one, and take the damned pay freeze so that they and their colleague's can keep their jobs!!!!

They may not be high paid jobs.....but at least they have fricking jobs. This is the type of thinking that 12 years of Labour's 'free ride for the lazy' has produced!

Sorry for the quote fest but editing posts on a phone is a 'mare.

Some of these public sector workers are deluded. One acquaintance works for that Carbon Trust mob, the quango totally funded by Government solely to badger everyone into producing less CO2.

This guy genuinely believes he works in the private sector. Genuinely. Completely deluded.

[Jasandjules]

Eric Mc said:

Jasandjules said:

Sounds like I missed a good one.

Will be on iPlayer.

Good point, I may boot the PS3 up for that.

[Spiritual_Beggar]

F i F said:

Sorry for the quote fest but editing posts on a phone is a 'mare.

Some of these public sector workers are deluded. One acquaintance works for that Carbon Trust mob, the quango totally funded by Government solely to badger everyone into producing less CO2.

This guy genuinely believes he works in the private sector. Genuinely. Completely deluded.

And this is a problem that has spiralled out of control under the Labour government. The 'Public' sector does not realise it's place. We should not encourage growth in the Public sector when the Private sector is shrinking.

The public sector have been pandered too under Labour, and are starting to get too big for their boots. Just look at all the threats of strikes. Although we won't see things get as bad as they did in the 80's, the Unions are still holding us all to ransom; take the Bin strikes in Leeds, and the current postal mess! No Xmas post this year people!



The one thing that really has me listening to the Tories atm is all their talk about; Cutting the size of parliament, cutting MP's salaries. At least they have come out and said they are willing to cut their salaries. haven't heard that from anyone else.