TB Opinion Poll

[Singth]

You mean I'm no longer a Loony Lefty? :icon_sad: :icon_wink

:icon_bigg

 

[enderby fox]

I love politics talk i just don't really understand it much. Not sure who i'll vote for this time.

My gut feeling is to stick with Labour. I think Cameron is a bit of a smarmy twat but Brown i don't really like or dislike him really. Seen as though we have had the worst global recession since i can remember, i don't think they have done the worse job and have done the best they could of done in the circumstances.

I think things will improve over the next 3-4 years and i'm inclined to give Labour a chance to fix them or boot them out at the next election. To me the Lib Dems and any other party is just a wasted vote.

 

[RHYDAL]

IIRC, when I bought my first home in 1990, my mortgage interest rate was between 12 and 13% - my mortgage payment was almost as much as my husband's monthly salary.

This was a very temporary problem and was the result of early attempts to get parity between European currencies. We were tied to the emu or snake or some such animal. It was innovative but ultimately flawed because there was still trading between currencies. Labour missed the chance to put this straight by joining the Euro and look what's happened to the value of the pound as a result.

Couple this with the Poll Tax debacle and the fact that NHS waiting lists were ridiculously long,

I am now being asked to pay £153 a month for my council tax, which is approx twice what I was when Labour came in. Another of their stealth taxes. And at least back then you could get on a waiting list, and the ones you can get earlier treatment on these days have had labour throw money at them. And shall we discuss the £12bn NHS computer system shambles?

these are amongst the reasons why the prospect of another Tory government does not fill me with joy.

Doesn't fill me with joy either. but neither does Labour's continuing mismanagement of finances which could see us going down the Iceland / Greece road. We have to swallow the medicine sooner or later.

 

[Biff]

The shadow cabinet is full of multi millionaires, and is funded by a guy that doesn't contribute to this country (pays no tax). They are looking to give a tax break to the wealthy, by raising the inheritance threshold.

The Tories will get the finances back on track alright.......for their own.

 

[Doggie_muz]

To me the Lib Dems and any other party is just a wasted vote.

Respect your opinion enderby, but I personally don't think it's a wasted vote. I also acknowledge that one of the two main parties will win the forthcoming election, but I don't see those two sentences as paradoxical.

Firstly, neither party is likely to win a majority of seats, so the next largest party (inevitably Liberals) do have an important role to play.

Secondly, the Lib Dems and other parties will win seats in certain areas, therefore from a local point of view, it's not a wasted vote.

Thirdly, voting for other parties plays an important role in getting a voter message across (e.g. voting for the Green Party brings green issues to prominance in the main political spectrum and voting for the BNP (I'm not condoning it) shows a (in my opinion misguided) voter focus on immigration issues).

Finally, by steadily increasing their share of the vote over numerous election cycles, the Lib Dems (or others) may eventually become a genuine election contender.

It may be a two-horse race, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a two-party choice.

 

[Darth Vodka]

This was a very temporary problem and was the result of early attempts to get parity between European currencies. We were tied to the emu or snake or some such animal. It was innovative but ultimately flawed because there was still trading between currencies. Labour missed the chance to put this straight by joining the Euro and look what's happened to the value of the pound as a result.

erm...are you talking about the ERM disaster?

the ERM we joined under the Tories in 1990 and left in 1992?

the one the Tories bailed out of after spending £3.4 BILLION trying to prop up sterling? and stuck interest rates up to 15% ??

Labour didn't miss any chances, the Tories rectified it after dropping ERM!

not joining the Euro was one of Labour's better achievments

 

[Willlow]

Are people really going to continue to point out the mistakes in one political party, whilst ignorning the mistakes in others. :icon_roll

The first conversation about the election and already i am bored of it

 

[Han]

What annoys me about politics is that peoples' preferences seem to stem from dislike of a particular party, rather than a like for their preferred one. Newspapers also usually bang on about how stupid parties are, rather than how good.

I think to make a proper decision on this you really need to know the ins and out of politics, history, economics, etc. I would estimate that at least 80% of the population do not really understand what a government does. These people will rely on the media to make their decision for them.

I like to know what i'm talking about before adding an opinion to a debate, to avoid being made to look a fool.

For these reasons... I'm out!

(although i did vote in the poll, equal opportunites and all that)

 

[Matt_B]

Are people really going to continue to point out the mistakes in one political party, whilst ignorning the mistakes in others. :icon_roll

The first conversation about the election and already i am bored of it

But this is a political thread, why would it bother you that politics are discussed in here?

 

[Han]

Are people really going to continue to point out the mistakes in one political party, whilst ignorning the mistakes in others. :icon_roll

The first conversation about the election and already i am bored of it

We need to stop agreeing

 

[Matt_B]

What annoys me about politics is that peoples' preferences seem to stem from dislike of a particular party, rather than a like for their preferred one. Newspapers also usually bang on about how stupid parties are, rather than how good.

I think to make a proper decision on this you really need to know the ins and out of politics, history, economics, etc. I would estimate that at least 80% of the population do not really understand what a government does. These people will rely on the media to make their decision for them.

I like to know what i'm talking about before adding an opinion to a debate, to avoid being made to look a fool.

For these reasons... I'm out!

(although i did vote in the poll, equal opportunites and all that)

I've always said that we aren't voting for the best party, just the least bad.

In America they seem to get really passionate about who they vote for as it can make a real difference, I fear that in the UK it doesn't matter anymore, they are all middle of the road as mentioned previously.

 

[Han]

But this is a political thread, why would it bother you that politics are discussed in here?

I think he means that we might as well start a thread for quantum mechanics, as we'll probably have a similar aggregate understanding of it.

I may be wrong.

 

[Matt_B]

I think he means that we might as well start a thread for quantum mechanics, as we'll probably have a similar aggregate understanding of it.

I may be wrong.

But it seems to be annoying him, which I don't understand.

 

[Han]

But it seems to be annoying him, which I don't understand.

"don't like it? don't read it" and all that jazz?

 

[Brown Nose]

And shall we discuss the £12bn NHS computer system shambles?

You raise one of the three areas of complete mismanagement by this Labour Government.

1. Procurement - especially in terms of IT contracts. If you quantify how much we've pissed up the wall on this, you'd take a big chunk out of the National debt. However, all Governments records on this are shocking.

2. Balance of payments. In the early noughties, we should have decreased spending in some areas when we increased it in others. We didn't and this has bitten us on the arse. They got cocky - but so did 99% of the population as well.

3. Gold sale. Bad decision, cost us a fortune.

I will hammer them along with everyone else for poor decisions when they make them as above. However, they've made good calls when it comes to unemployment, inflation, interest rates, NHS, education, pensions, law and order, Europe, etc.

On balance, they have managed our 'society' really well. However, they've made some poor money management decisions. I think under Cameron and Osbourne, we'd get a poorly managed society as well as poor money management. Therefore, for me it's a no-brainer.

And despite how it may have come across, I'm a floating voter and have voted for Labour less than other parties over the years.

 

[RHYDAL]

erm...are you talking about the ERM disaster?

the ERM we joined under the Tories in 1990 and left in 1992?

the one the Tories bailed out of after spending £3.4 BILLION trying to prop up sterling? and stuck interest rates up to 15% ??

Awww, I remember fondly the days when a government would spend a mere £3.4 bn attempting to mask a problem, before admitting the mistake and correcting it properly.

not joining the Euro was one of Labour's better achievments

Really, how so?

 

[Biff]

You raise one of the three areas of complete mismanagement by this Labour Government.

1. Procurement - especially in terms of IT contracts. If you quantify how much we've pissed up the wall on this, you'd take a big chunk out of the National debt. However, all Governments records on this are shocking.

2. Balance of payments. In the early noughties, we should have decreased spending in some areas when we increased it in others. We didn't and this has bitten us on the arse. They got cocky - but so did 99% of the population as well.

3. Gold sale. Bad decision, cost us a fortune.

I will hammer them along with everyone else for poor decisions when they make them as above. However, they've made good calls when it comes to unemployment, inflation, interest rates, NHS, education, pensions, law and order, Europe, etc.

On balance, they have managed our 'society' really well. However, they've made some poor money management decisions. I think under Cameron and Osbourne, we'd get a poorly managed society as well as poor money management. Therefore, for me it's a no-brainer.

And despite how it may have come across, I'm a floating voter and have voted for Labour less than other parties over the years.

Especially the bit highlighted.

Osbourne has no idea what to do in a crisis. A do nothing approach to the recession, would not have bailed the banks out, and he wants to cut the deficit hard and fast, before we've got back on our feet. Total inept fool.

 

[drew]

Managed society well?! I beg to differ there.

 

[homer]

I think to make a proper decision on this you really need to know the ins and out of politics, history, economics, etc.

No you don't - as you say, most of the population have no inkling about this whatsoever, and why on earth should they ?

People cast their vote for a variety of reasons - mostly down to simple personal preference about a single issue or a single politician, or which party they think might make them personally better off, and sod the rest of the country.

And some (God forbid) actually make a choice based on which of their local candidates would do the best job of actually representing them, and their constituency, in parliament

Whether you agree with their choice is another matter, but everyone is entitled to make their choice based on what is important to them - such as which party Leader's wife is most likely to take it up the chutney chute (Cameron's, obviously)

There should be no snobbery about it - you don't need to know the ins and outs of politics or economics to cast your vote

 

[Hazzman]

Whether you agree with their choice is another matter, but everyone is entitled to make their choice based on what is important to them - such as which party Leader's wife is most likely to take it up the chutney chute (Cameron's, obviously)

:icon_lol: