Who would you vote for at this present time?

[Dr Nowt]

My hard earned cash.

 

It never gets any less ridiculous when I hear or in this case read that statement.

[Stu Monty]

Anyone who thinks the economy has been handled well in this term for the benefit of the nation is genuinely ignorant or being dishonest.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

My hard earned cash.

 

It never gets any less ridiculous when I hear or in this case read that statement.

It's only his cash though, mate. Our cash isn't hard earned and even if it was it wouldn't go to laxy layabouts. It's only him that's footing the bill.

[Bjornebye]

I don't particularly care, I don't draw much distinction between left-wing authoritarianism and right-wing authoritarianism. I'm not even going to pretend that I think the party of illegal wars, extraordinary rendition, the banking crisis, identity cards etc is the lesser of two evils.

Do you genuinely believe Iraq and Afghan wouldn't have happened under a conservative govt? The banking crisis wasn't a direct result of Labour either.

[Scrump]

My MP is Jacob Rees Mogg. Successfully living in the 18th Century in rural Somerset.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Source: Grauniad

 

 

Poll shows Ed Miliband's policies backed by public, particularly his pledge on the NHS

 

Over 70% of the public are in favour of Miliband’s policy to fund the NHS with extra taxes on tobacco companies and mansions, according to a new poll

 

Every one of Ed Miliband’s pledges from his speech yesterday has popular public support, according to a new poll.

 

A new Survation poll for Labour List of 1,037 people shows that 72% of the public are in favour of the policy to fund the NHS to the tune of £2.5bn extra a year, partially using taxes against tobacco companies and mansions as well as closing loopholes. Only 12% were against.

 

The polling suggests this pledge was particularly popular among Labour (81%) and Lib Dem (84%) voters from 2010, which is useful for a leader hoping to woo disaffected voters from Nick Clegg’s party.

 

 

Miliband’s pledge to raise the minimum wage to £8 an hour also was supported by the majority of the public and played even better with Liberal Democrat voters (80.1%) than Labour (78.6%).

 

His pledge to break up the high street banks was the least popular (but still had 43.9% of people in favour of it). Only a quarter of people (24.9%) said they were opposed to it with 31.4% saying they didn’t know how they felt.

 

The way this poll is structured may be flattering to Labour’s prospects. By using Labour’s own phrasing, the poll presents each policy in quite a generous light, which makes it difficult to disagree with – not many people would say creating “a “world class” health service” is a bad idea, for example

 

This has the effect of making the policies look popular – and they may well be – but it may be that if the same policies were presented differently, the poll numbers could change a lot.

 

More cleanly worded is the question on participation in the conflict with Isis, on which Miliband’s stance (wait for a UN Security Council Resolution on Syria) appears to be the most popular one.

 

 

Despite the caveats we have given for these figures, it does seem that Miliband was very much on pulse by pledging more funding for the NHS.

 

The Ipsos MORI political monitor suggests that Healthcare/NHS/hospitals is the single most important issue for 29% of voters - only beaten by managing the economy (31%), and asylum and immigration (30%).

 

Before the speech, 39% of those saying healthcare was most important to them identified Labour as the best party to deal with the issue (18 points more than the Conservatives at 21%).

 

It’s little surprise then that this is what Miliband chose to talk about.

 

Pledges in full

• NHS pledge - Create a “world class” health service. Increasing homecare visits, more nurses, GPs, midwives and careworkers - paid for by clamping down on tax avoidance, using the proceeds of a mansion tax for properties over £2mm and a windfall tax on tobacco
• Minimum wage pledge - Raising the minimum wage by £1.50 to over £8 per hour by 2020, to reward “hard work” and halve the number of people in low pay. (Slightly different to speech as Miliband clarified that it would go “beyond £8”).[
• Apprenticeships - By 2025, have as many people doing modern business apprenticeships as currently go to university. Only providing major government contracts to companies that provide apprenticeships.
• Self-employment - Granting the same employment rights for the many self-employed people in the UK that permanent employees have.
• Energy - A commitment to take carbon emissions out of the economy by 2025 and through Green investment banks to allow communities to insulate 5 million homes over 10 years.
• Decentralising Westminster power - Decentralising power from Westminster to the regions, including constitutional reform for England, Wales and Scotland.
• House building - Make house building a top priority and by 2025 “build as many homes the UK needs” doubling the number of first-time buyers.
• Breaking up high street banks - Breaking up the big high street banks in UK to allow more competition, to benefit consumers in financial services.

[PestiRed]

Above article reminds me of 1987 when Labour were clearly battering the Tories on the same issues. For ten days before the election, the Murdoch press ran scare stories on tax and Thatcher got back in.

 

What's the current mood in UK? Will they vote for what's right or for their pockets?

[Jose Jones]

Above article reminds me of 1987 when Labour were clearly battering the Tories on the same issues. For ten days before the election, the Murdoch press ran scare stories on tax and Thatcher got back in.

 

What's the current mood in UK? Will they vote for what's right or for their pockets?

 

The one thing, and obviously it's a major thing, the centre left never manages to do is communicate that it's policies make everyone better off.  Income equality is good for economic growth.  Progressive tax makes societies richer.  Spending centrally on education and healthcare makes everyone richer in the long run.  A strong safety net increases social mobility.  Education and welfare reduce crime, therefore saving the government money.  All these are proven.

 

Yet the right, low tax, low service, if you can't afford it you can't have it,  greedy bastard models are always hyped as being "good for people's pockets".  As you have just shown there (not having a go). 

 

You can vote for what is right and for your pocket - it's the same thing.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Above article reminds me of 1987 when Labour were clearly battering the Tories on the same issues. For ten days before the election, the Murdoch press ran scare stories on tax and Thatcher got back in.

 

What's the current mood in UK? Will they vote for what's right or for their pockets?

It's a tough one. Miliband is like a shit version of Microsoft. Microsoft is a company absolutely packed full of brilliantly talented people, and Miliband is very intelligent, but MS have absolutely no vision or core ethos. Buying a windows computer or a zune or one of those iPad clone things they sell doesn't get your heart racing. Miliband hasn't laid out an inspirational vision of why he's running and why politics is important. That's making things much, much closer than they need to be.

 

Unless something drastic happens, I do think Labour will win a small majority, but he's not blowing anybody away as an inspirational choice. I do think, however, he'd prove to be a half-decent PM, or at least half decent in the context of the choices we have. I think the country would probably improve under a Miliband government.

[PestiRed]

The one thing, and obviously it's a major thing, the centre left never manages to do is communicate that it's policies make everyone better off.  Income equality is good for economic growth.  Progressive tax makes societies richer.  Spending centrally on education and healthcare makes everyone richer in the long run.  A strong safety net increases social mobility.  Education and welfare reduce crime, therefore saving the government money.  All these are proven.

 

Yet the right, low tax, low service, if you can't afford it you can't have it,  greedy bastard models are always hyped as being "good for people's pockets".  As you have just shown there (not having a go). 

 

You can vote for what is right and for your pocket - it's the same thing.

I agree with you. Unfortunately the majority of voters don't get it. They believe what they read in the tabloid press that lower tax equals more money for them. I do tend to believe that there is a tipping point that occurs every so many years though, where the electorate just gets sick of greedy Tories and votes more for social policy. The question is whether that point has been reached now

 

NV makes an excellent point though in that Milliband just doesn't inspire anyone. His brother would probably have walked this election.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

NV makes an excellent point though in that Milliband just doesn't inspire anyone. His brother would probably have walked this election.

I hear that a lot, mate. His brother couldn't even beat him in the leadership election which was essentially a one horse race. David Miliband is a massive Blairite. I think Ed Miliband is more canny than some people think. I just hope some cunt has a 'great dictator' speech up their sleeve so that he at least gives a bit of hope.

[stringvest]

Ouch, I think is the word here.

 

I think that perhaps should put an end to SD's protestations.  

[Guest Pistonbroke]

I think that perhaps should put an end to SD's protestations.  

He'll just put a shit load of spin on it. 

[Stu Monty]

This government has overseen the largest fall in average weekly earnings since 1923.

 

Nice even keel there.

[Rico1304]

No commitment to freeze energy prices then from Ed?

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

No commitment to freeze energy prices then from Ed?

Eh? That's the Guardian article summing up a poll. Unless there's some backtracking I haven't seen, he made that pledge already.

[VladimirIlyich]

No commitment to freeze energy prices then from Ed?

It didnt sound like did it?

From your point of view rico,if those tax loopholes were closed and somehow you lost your job,it would be simply down to the greed of your bosses and nothing else.

Not that I believe that will happen because the reality is always a watered down version of the election manifesto.

[stringvest]

This government has overseen the largest fall in average weekly earnings since 1923.

 

Nice even keel there.

 

if only it was just that.  Price rises in essentials like fuel, heating, travel, mean that very few people are not worse off than they were in 2009.  And guess what?  The vast majority of those lucky people are in the top earnings bracket. 

[Section_31]

if only it was just that.  Price rises in essentials like fuel, heating, travel, mean that very few people are not worse off than they were in 2009.  And guess what?  The vast majority of those lucky people are in the top earnings bracket. 

 

Wealth creators. For every banker there are two Nigerian cleaners who must purchase, food, clothing and lodgings.

[Rico1304]

It didnt sound like did it?

From your point of view rico,if those tax loopholes were closed and somehow you lost your job,it would be simply down to the greed of your bosses and nothing else.

Not that I believe that will happen because the reality is always a watered down version of the election manifesto.

What tax loopholes? He's talking about the green taxes we all pay in our energy bills. Cons are thinking about putting them in general er taxation to take £50 off the bill.

 

My bosses? You mean shareholders? That's good to know, at least if I do get made redundant I'll be able to rely on increased benefits.

[Tony Moanero]

Labour will just use my hard earned cash to buy votes from poor people while simultaneously trapping them into welfare dependency causing long term social and economic problems. None of the fringe parties are credible, especially not the greens who would run this country into the ground. So I'm left with the conservatives, and I suppose the government that has dragged us out of the gutter into becoming the fastest growing economy in the developed world is not a bad option to have.

Tory cunt.

[Jairzinho]

if only it was just that.  Price rises in essentials like fuel, heating, travel, mean that very few people are not worse off than they were in 2009.  And guess what?  The vast majority of those lucky people are in the top earnings bracket. 

 

You fucking what, mate?

 

Are you talking about "the government that has dragged us out of the gutter"?

[VladimirIlyich]

What tax loopholes? He's talking about the green taxes we all pay in our energy bills. Cons are thinking about putting them in general er taxation to take £50 off the bill.

 

My bosses? You mean shareholders? That's good to know, at least if I do get made redundant I'll be able to rely on increased benefits.

You just said he never mentioned energy in his speech? And if your bosses are shareholders then its the price you pay for working for a company that stole from the general public. That was you too.

[Strontium]

I think that perhaps should put an end to SD's protestations.  

 

How so? None of it changes anything I've written.

[Strontium]

This government has overseen the largest fall in average weekly earnings since 1923.

 

Nice even keel there.

 

Yeah, we've been subjected to the public sector "pay freeze" here.

 

By which I mean my salary has increased by 16% over the course of this government, and the tax I pay has dropped by £700 a year.