General Election, June 8th

[DJ Barry Hammond]

 

I give Labour and Corbyn some credit here... the 'draft' manifesto has got people talking and it gives them something positive to sell.

 

It also gives the Tories some food for thought, because the limited sound bites of policy coming from that side has been rather dull and uninspiring (reinstating fox hunting, removing the triple lock, probably raising taxes) put alongside Labours Willy Wonka offering of proposals, they look even worse.

 

However, there is a big problem for Labour... and that's the people who are trying to sell these ideas. Corbyn isn't so bad when you compare him to some of the shadow cabinet which says a lot - but a word on Barry Gardner, who I've grown to like and was on Newsnight just a moment ago and made Emily Matliss look rather narrow and silly in her line of questioning and came out of it much the better.

 

 

[Sharpe's Fox]

3 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

but a word on Barry Gardner, who I've grown to like and was on Newsnight just a moment ago and made Emily Matliss look rather narrow and silly in her line of questioning and came out of it much the better.

 

 

Saw that. Maitliss was just trying to label people. Very rude woman.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

3 minutes ago, Sharpe's Fox said:

Saw that. Maitliss was just trying to label people. Very rude woman.

 

Yes, she had an agenda, which understandably Barry didn't want to go down. He wanted to talk up the virtues and merit of the policies, she wanted to point score on meaningless buzz words.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

 

For a very stage managed campaign, May's made a mistake putting this guy out for the Conservatives in front of an Edinburgh audience (Ben Wallace)

[The Floyd]

Merryn Somerset Webb coming across really well on QT, probably the best on the panel for me.

[Sharpe's Fox]

27 minutes ago, The Floyd said:

Merryn Somerset Webb coming across really well on QT, probably the best on the panel for me.

Apart when she flew off the handle after that Nat cow dared to interrupt her. She looked like a right basketcase.

[The Floyd]

2 minutes ago, Sharpe's Fox said:

Apart when she flew off the handle after that Nat cow dared to interrupt her. She looked like a right basketcase.

Ah gutted, I only tuned in roughly halfway through. She seemed very articulate and well balanced from what I saw.

[Foxxed]

5 hours ago, LiberalFox said:

 

From 1992..

Who's the one in the middle? I'm not sure who he she is but my vote needs to go somewhere.

[Foxxed]

I thought Labour were going to pay for renationalisation with their tax on anyone earning over 80k?

 

If they nationalise a line at a time, with 208 million profit from east coast, it's very likely they can borrow the money - it's not like they're going to nationalise rail and then abolish ticket prices.

[The Doctor]

10 hours ago, Wookie said:

I'm not against the re-nationalisation of the railways but it's not very practical at least in the short term.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39886998

 

I'm not sure if it's feasible but wouldn't it make sense to open up the railways so all operators can operate on all lines so actual competition occurs?

That wouldn't really be feasible, you've still got to consider having the trains on the line and the platform space to run competiting services. 

 

Who said it'd be a quick jobby anyway? Simplest thing is to let the franchises expire and undercut the bidders with a publicly owned company. Given the taxpayer ends up subsidising repairs to the infrastructure while profits get funnelled away, renationalising makes a lot of sense anyway. We're paying for it, profits might as well come back to the exchequer.

[Guest]

I know a couple have discussed above.

 

Theresa May faces angry NHS workers during LBC radio phone-in

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/11/theresa-may-grilled-over-state-of-public-services-during-radio-phone-in

[Rincewind]

1 hour ago, toddybad said:

I know a couple have discussed above.

 

Theresa May faces angry NHS workers during LBC radio phone-in

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/11/theresa-may-grilled-over-state-of-public-services-during-radio-phone-in

Its been going on quite a while. Something else she will avoid j n the future along side live debates and factory visits.

I cannot see reintroducing fox hunting being top priority for NHS staff, teachers and low and part time workers.

Sorry if I will upset her admirers on here but she does not come across as a people friendly person. I would not want to share a pint or two at my local. To even it up I would feel the same about Blair. They are the sort of politicians that put me off politics and make a lot of people apathetic. Over 30% do not vote. It would be a great coup and cause a few surprises if a party could capture those votes. TBH I cannot see May appealing to those disillusioned non voters. 

[Guest]

I hope when she does qt somebody lays into her record of negotiating as they did on the lbc call in. It would ruin her argument about her negotiating powers 5 minutes later!

[Guest]

I'm not die hard one side or the other but looking at Labor manifesto it appears that Labor do not want anyone to vote for them and are trying to ruin their own party. who wants to natonalise all those services ?

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Soundman said:

I'm not die hard one side or the other but looking at Labor manifesto it appears that Labor do not want anyone to vote for them and are trying to ruin their own party. who wants to natonalise all those services ?

It's pretty clear ill vote labour so I'll say that first. 

I personally would like to see nationalisation. Think about hinckley point - the planned new nuclear power station. The UK have tendered with guaranteed pricing well above current pricing and the winners are edf - a largely state owned company - and then also a chinese state owned vehicle. We privatise and then allow other countries to take the cash via their own nationalised or part-nationalised systems. It's madness. I can see no benefit to privatisation as it usually involves workers losing out which the state has to mop up via benefits etc and costs increasing as, although taxes go down, everybody has to pay more as customers to give companies their profits. 

[Guest MattP]

I'm up for nationalisation the railways, the only thing puts me off it is the power the Corbyn would give to the unions, you just know exactly where it would end up, the whole nation like Southern with the public again being held to ransom.

 

Did anyone on here vote Remain and agree with the corporation tax rise to 25% in Corbyn's manifesto? 

 

This is policy that to me see the most ill-thought out, we have been told for months it's going to be difficult to keep big companies here post Brexit and last Sunday Macron won the French election that contained a promise to reduce corporation tax to 15%.

 

Given the reduction from 20% to 19% raised money for the treasury is anyone remotely confident a massive rise would increase it with the other factors at play?

[Guest]

My understanding is that corporation tax is difficult to predict in terms of revenue. There's a bit of me that thinks it wouldn't be the end of the world to lose of few big corporations as it would mean new businesses setting up to fight for the money that was previously spent in that space. It isnt really a leave/remain issue - it may be for you personally - as on the brexit thread many remainers gave the eu's corporation first attitude as a reason to leave. The world existed before multinationals and it will still exist after. I am aware that this tax doesn't only affect multinationals and it is actually the smaller businesses that are more likely to pay tax! Perhaps the better way would be to have the higher rate of corporation tax but to have it kick in at a certain point - perhaps profits over £xmil, with a lower rate for smaller businesses. With a straight fight between high or low rates though i can't really say which i think is best but it isn't going to be the issue that determines my vote - my primary concerns are the NHS, education (and the idea of an NES, free tuition and lifelong learning are huge vote winners for me) and public services.

[Nick]

The Labour manifesto is ideologically compelling - no doubt.

 

The taxation issues are of course the biggest floor - if Labour want to base things around equality and fairness they need to be careful not to go too far as large earners paying well over 50% tax on portions of their salary over a certain level is most definitely a tad unfair.

 

Corporations need to be offered deals to come and base themselves here proportionate with what they bring to the country and there needs to be an equilibrium for all - no freeloading non tax paying corps just because they bring jobs. Sardinian Govt when a small local food place starting with 'Mc' decided that when McDonalds sued them, they kicked out their Restaurants leaving only drivethroughs across the whole country - we need to stand on some principle and do the same and be seen to be a country of equality and fairness to rich and poorer people alike. Theres not enough depth in the Labour manifesto for me but I like its general ideals.

[Guest Col city fan]

I've always voted Tory...but not this time.

Quite simply, any party who want to bring back fox hunting can go to Hell.

Why on earth grown men and women would want to get dressed up like cvnts and ride round the country with the aim of letting their dogs rip a fox to bits, is beyond me.

Its beyond me....

The problem is I don't think Labout offer anything like a viable alternative.

I might just not vote this time. 

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, toddybad said:

It's pretty clear ill vote labour so I'll say that first. 

I personally would like to see nationalisation. Think about hinckley point - the planned new nuclear power station. The UK have tendered with guaranteed pricing well above current pricing and the winners are edf - a largely state owned company - and then also a chinese state owned vehicle. We privatise and then allow other countries to take the cash via their own nationalised or part-nationalised systems. It's madness. I can see no benefit to privatisation as it usually involves workers losing out which the state has to mop up via benefits etc and costs increasing as, although taxes go down, everybody has to pay more as customers to give companies their profits. 

But then nationalisation relies on funding and decisions being made by people who tend to not know about the area. The Railway needs huge amounts of investment, where would that money come from...either borrowing or taxes 

[Guest MattP]

I don't think we can judge the Labour wish list/manifesto until we see the costings on Tuesday, it does appear to be a push but we'll see who they have got to independently verify it.

 

It does appear it is staying the same so my theory from yesterday looks dead, maybe the leak was to get all the policies out into the press before we could see the finances with it? If it was it has worked.

[LiberalFox]

3 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

I've always voted Tory...but not this time.

Quite simply, any party who want to bring back fox hunting can go to Hell.

Why on earth grown men and women would want to get dressed up like cvnts and ride round the country with the aim of letting their dogs rip a fox to bits, is beyond me.

Its beyond me....

The problem is I don't think Labout offer anything like a viable alternative.

I might just not vote this time. 

 

Vote Lib Dem mate, help us keep our deposit.

 

(Not sure how you can vote Tory your whole life if you are that fussed about fox hunting though.)

[Guest MattP]

3 minutes ago, LiberalFox said:

(Not sure how you can vote Tory your whole life if you are that fussed about fox hunting though.)

I thought that. I'd be very surprised if the Tory manifesto did put this in now, they must know what the public view is on foxhunting (I think 80% oppose) and why would you rock the boat of such a great poll lead for such a minimal gain in rural seats you don't even need to do anything to win.

 

There are at least 50 anti-Foxhunting Tory MP's now so even with a huge majority it would still struggle to pass the house, utter madness if that goes in.

[Guest Col city fan]

1 minute ago, LiberalFox said:

 

Vote Lib Dem mate, help us keep our deposit.

 

(Not sure how you can vote Tory your whole life if you are that fussed about fox hunting though.)

Literally mate, with age I've just thought about stuff more I guess. Like most? I think it was New Labour who got fox hunting banned wasn't it? 1997?

And then when Cameron got elected, I don't think much was spoken about the issue?

For the Tories to now what to bring fox hunting back is just disgusting in my eyes and for that one issue, they will lose my vote.

[Nick]

Just now, MattP said:

I thought that. I'd be very surprised if the Tory manifesto did put this in now, they must know what the public view is on foxhunting (I think 80% oppose) and why would you rock the boat of such a great poll lead for such a minimal gain in rural seats you don't even need to do anything to win.

 

There are at least 50 anti-Foxhunting Tory MP's now so even with a huge majority it would still struggle to pass the house, utter madness if that goes in.

Yeah yesterdays Independent said 78% of the country opposed - really daft thing to stick in ones manifesto I'd have thought!