UK General Election Tomorrow: ME/CFS Thoughts?

[flybro]

Hung parliament would be OK if it meant

that an MP would be hung everytime they screw the public,

imagine the veiwing figures.

 

[V99]

Jace
Just to set the record straight, the high inflation of the mid '70's to early '80's was caused by the OPEC oil shock in the mid '70's. The unions also played the stupid card, and boy, they got their b*lls cut off by Maggie. The world was still adjusting to higher energy prices, I remember being issued with a petrol ration book. It was common knowledge that whoever won the '79 election would have North Sea oil revenues to play with, and at least two terms in power. No wonder things got better for a short while.

In 1988 Nigel Lawson also made the huge mistake of signalling the removal of dual mortgage interest tax relief, (it made it very tax-efficient for couples to take out a mortgage together) six months ahead of actually effecting the decision, which created first a housing bubble and then a crash. By 1989, interest rates were back to 18% or more (base at 15%) in an effort to control inflation, and the building industry was on it's knees.

I was a partner in a joinery, which could not survive the massive interest rates plus a recession in the housing market. We lost the business and the house, in the early 90's, after hanging on by our fingernails for a couple of years. Businesses that had been established for a hundred years and more folded too.

But the great evil Maggie and Co did was to increase the gap between rich and poor, partly by cutting tax rates for the better off. Exponentially. And to New Labour's great shame, they did nothing to bring society back together again by shrinking the gap between rich and poor.

Labour's main initiative in this area was not the redistribution of the tax burden, but rather to increase means-tested benefits to the poor. We now have the crazy situation that some people on means tested benefits alone are above the tax threshold. All makes work for the beaurocrats to do.

So now I hope for legislation to loosen the grip of the two big parties, who have over the last forty years proved that their vision is to narrow, their greed too great, and their hearts in the wrong place.

I agree, but the conservatives had things pretty much back on track when Labour got back into power. Also the gap between rich and poor is much larger now.

As for reform, could not agree more, the two main parties have too much power. However the three largest parties all each have utterly stupid ideas. Kind of like the Green party funnily enough.

Looks like the whole system needs ripping up. Not enough staff to get people though the door is a joke, as is keeping the stations open after 10pm. Why the staff did not know they could let voters in before 10 in order that they could vote is very concerning.

Lets hope a government is formed quickly as the economy can't take it.

 

[V99]

flybro
Hung parliament would be OK if it meant

that an MP would be hung everytime they screw the public,

imagine the veiwing figures.

:tear:

Instead of the X factor style debate, lets do the apprentice.

Sugar to Brown "Your going to raise national insurance, and cost my company jobs, well thats your job, you are fired."

 

[pollycbr125]

i wonder what the figures would be if they just did it on the parties themselves not the areas . if you know what i mean .this many voted lab, this many con etc etc ...... it will be interesting to find out the individual vote .

after all as we all know they have been very good at juggling the boundries over the years in the hope of gaining the seats they want . NO doubt there will be even more juggling of boundaries before the next election

 

[girlinthesnow]

:victory:One thing to celebrate, Esther Rantzen lost her deposit, beaten by 12,000 votes..

 

[Knackered]

:victory:One thing to celebrate, Esther Rantzen lost her deposit, beaten by 12,000 votes..

And Jackie Smith's out.

 

[pollycbr125]

And Jackie Smith's out.

and Shahid Malik now that did make my day

 

[V99]

Hazel Blears still in

 

[girlinthesnow]

Good news, finally a seat in Parliament to the Greens, congrats to Caroline Lucas, very well deserved.

 

[V99]

I like Lucas too.

 

[Sasha]

Good news, finally a seat in Parliament to the Greens, congrats to Caroline Lucas, very well deserved.

Yes, I'm v. pleased about that too - I think that a single MP from a party can make a difference in parliament.

 

[ukxmrv]

Anyone in the Brighton electorate and could get Caroline Lucas to the APPG?

 

[maryb]

I voted Lib Dem for the first time in my life, based purely on what Vince Cable and Nick Cleg said in letters to 2 MEers. Selfish maybe but what the hell, if they are serious about what they say then they may make a difference, especially now they look like hooking up with the Tories. I think we have a chance for change and wonder what people think about making a concerted effort to write to these two in particular or if you have a standing Lib Dem MP to them, we need them to realise how big this thing is and how many people are involved.WDYT

 

[girlinthesnow]

Voting Lib Dem is not selfish but sensible and intelligent, :Retro smile:

 

[Mark]

Dreaming Of Rainbows

What do you want, the moon on a stick?!

Me too.

But look at the positives:
Rantzen out
First ever Green
Parliament hanging (let 'em hang)
Clegg is now the boss while it hangs: small votes yes, but he holds the balance of power
Politics interesting!!!

No wonder Cameron wants to scare us that we need to sort something out quick for the sake of the economy.

No we don't. We need to get it right.

Clegg holds the balance and will continue to do so, and thinking that's 'undemocratic' because he's the smallest party...well, how unfair has it been to the Lib Dems all these years? Now it all comes home to roost, and the tail wags the dog. Assuming we get as far as Brown, even the Green might get to influence policy. Awesome change is still possible...

I would like to think Clegg knows enough about XMRV to be prioritising ME/CFS very highly right now, but I guess not. Regardless, he is still the only one of the 3 who impresses at all, and the same with their policies, so it's good he holds the balance of power. If he gets in bed with the Tories...well...then I think I really will give up.

Plenty of time; get it right; let 'em hang...

 

[HopingSince88]

A certain person is quoted in this AP article about the election:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100507/sc_nm/us_britain_election_science

 

[Mark]

Also:

Apologies for the patronising gumph IamME, which was indeed straw manning in the context of this thread. I think I was provoked by 'uncaring', because I agree with V99 on that one, to a point: I think they mean to mean well. Didn't express my point very well though. You're right about the correct response to duck islands, and I don't wish to claim ownership of the ground-breaking idea you mentioned. I was thinking ahead a bit too far, which I often seem to do when approaching midnight. Which we are, as you highlight most excellently - a terrifying but true assessment: (my emphasis)

Both red and blue broadly agree on making it impossible to live without working. To use a medical not-quite-metaphor, Labour favours "better living through enforced psychotherapy" while the Conservatives favour "do not resuscitate". You can bet if the Tories have a majority they will squeeze the poorest, the sick, disabled and unemployed, worse, while enriching the diet of fat cats more efficiently than Nu Labour ever could, which is not to say Labour has been increasingly fascistic about it (in order to poach as many right-of-centre votes as posisble). A society that has no safety net for the worst off has no safety net at all.

I hope you don't mind if I quote your last sentence for my new sig.

Right near the end of the coverage, someone on BBC even suggested (as a joke?) defaulting on the debt, which sounds like a start on reorganising that global financial system - at least this illustrates that anything is now possible...

All shall be well...

 

[Adam]

Right near the end of the coverage, someone on BBC even suggested (as a joke?) defaulting on the debt, which sounds like a start on reorganising that global financial system - at least this illustrates that anything is now possible...

All of the richest countries in the world are in debt. Can someone with a degree in Economics (or anyone else who just fancies having a stab in the dark) please explain to me just WHO we owe all this money to?

The only logical/rational explanation I can come up with is Aliens.

I am, however. open to any other explanations, no matter how ludicrous.

Some loon reckoned we (6 billion people?), the whole world, were in hock to a handful of Bankers. But of course, that simply does not make sense.

My money is on the Ganymedians.

 

[Esther12]

All of the richest countries in the world are in debt. Can someone with a degree in Economics (or anyone else who just fancies having a stab in the dark) please explain to me just WHO we owe all this money to?

The only logical/rational explanation I can come up with is Aliens.

I am, however. open to any other explanations, no matter how ludicrous.

Some loon reckoned we (6 billion people?), the whole world, were in hock to a handful of Bankers. But of course, that simply does not make sense.

My money is on the Ganymedians.

Investors.

If you've got a pension, governments will owe your pension fund money, etc, etc. Different governments will also invest in each others debt (China buys loads of Americas, lots of oil states are big investors in government debt too).

Definatly not aliens.

 

[Esther12]

Lib Dems down 4?

Doesn't sound right to me.

I was right - they were down five in the end. Excellent work.