Who are you voting for in the next election?

[MooseBreath]

Just out of interest, on what basis do you call the current government "selfish, self serving" given the fact that by raising the tax free allowance and reducing the higher rate threshold they've done more to help out the low and medium earners, at the expense of higher earners than the supposedly more left wing labour government did with their entire time in office?

[sphericalfox]

Just out of interest, on what basis do you call the current government "selfish, self serving" given the fact that by raising the tax free allowance and reducing the higher rate threshold they've done more to help out the low and medium earners, at the expense of higher earners than the supposedly more left wing labour government did with their entire time in office?

Nice of them to agree to one of the Lib Dem policies.

[MooseBreath]

Nice of them to agree to one of the Lib Dem policies.

Yes well the lib dems rather covered all the bases with regards to popularist economic policies, so could have claimed the plaudits for any policy the conservatives went through with in that respect. The fact is that it was a conservative chancellor who enacted the policy, and they are planning to raise it even further to £12.5k.

Another question, why do lefties support the lib dems given they're much more of a right wing party these days?

[Alf Bentley]

Just out of interest, on what basis do you call the current government "selfish, self serving" given the fact that by raising the tax free allowance and reducing the higher rate threshold they've done more to help out the low and medium earners, at the expense of higher earners than the supposedly more left wing labour government did with their entire time in office?

 

It's not "at the expense of higher earners", though, is it?

 

- Raising the tax threshold to £10k benefits everyone in employment, including higher earners

- Reducing the threshold for higher rate (40%) tax from £32,011 to £31,866 only has a tiny adverse effect on higher earners and above-average earners (median salary is about £25k, isn't it?)

- Reducing the additional rate levied on incomes above £150,000 from 50% to 45% brings large benefits for the rich and super-rich

....and all this at a time of great "austerity", which "necessitates" savage cuts to public services (used disproportionately by those on low to middle incomes) and to benefits paid to the unemployed and incapacitated, to make up for the money lost by greedy bankers, by people conned by them and by economically neo-liberal governments (Tory and New Labour alike).

 

Same old Tories: take from the poor and give to the rich....Robin Hood through the looking glass! 

 

Anyway, got to take my PC in for servicing now, so I'll probably be off-line for a couple of days and unable to contribute further. I'm sure you'll miss me!

 

Have a good weekend all! Hope it's not too, er, taxing....

[Guest MattP]

All about opinions Matt. I also think you voting Tory or UKIP is downright laughable as well.

 

Voting Tory isn't though, they have clearly done an exceptional job on the whole given the figures for the country.

 

I could get my head around greedy or selfish etc or something like that as the disabled, workshy etc can expect a buggering from them, but "illiterate" or "laughable" I'm not having.

[Guest MattP]

Nice of them to agree to one of the Lib Dem policies.

 

On the subject of the Lib Dems surely it's now time for them to think about jacking in it, I wasn't around when the SDLP threw in the towel as a single party when they started being beaten by Lord Sutch on a regular basis but the Liberals last night finished behind the "Elvis Bus Pass" party.

 

http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/07/lib-dems-beaten-by-bus-pass-elvis-party-in-clifton-north-by-election-4457529/

 

 

[MooseBreath]

It's not "at the expense of higher earners", though, is it?

- Raising the tax threshold to £10k benefits everyone in employment, including higher earners

- Reducing the threshold for higher rate (40%) tax from £32,011 to £31,866 only has a tiny adverse effect on higher earners and above-average earners (median salary is about £25k, isn't it?)

- Reducing the additional rate levied on incomes above £150,000 from 50% to 45% brings large benefits for the rich and super-rich

....and all this at a time of great "austerity", which "necessitates" savage cuts to public services (used disproportionately by those on low to middle incomes) and to benefits paid to the unemployed and incapacitated, to make up for the money lost by greedy bankers, by people conned by them and by economically neo-liberal governments (Tory and New Labour alike).

Same old Tories: take from the poor and give to the rich....Robin Hood through the looking glass!

Anyway, got to take my PC in for servicing now, so I'll probably be off-line for a couple of days and unable to contribute further. I'm sure you'll miss me!

Have a good weekend all! Hope it's not too, er, taxing....

Yes I think most sensible people acknowledged the need for cuts with our debt spiralling out of control. And yet the tories still managed to find a way of sweetening the deal for swathes of ordinary hard working people, the number of whom has just been going up and up and up under this government.

What did labour do during the easy years? They only raised the top tax rate to 50p to try to invoke a class war as they started panicking and looking for someone to blame as they were steering the economy into oblivion in 2010. On the tax free allowance, Labour barely increased it at all. In fact their scrapping of the 10p rate in 2008 was a tax increase that hit the low paid especially hard. We now know of course that this attack on the poor came at the same time as labour presided over a frantic pillaging of MPs expenses and allowances. Selfish, self serving? Take from the poor, keep it for yourself?

All in all the conservatives have provided tangible benefits to ordinary working people while in difficult economic conditions, while labour actually punished the low paid and consistently rewarded top earners with low tax and lax regulation during the easy years.

[maynefox]

Not sure. I would possibly vote Conservative because they are putting the economy in the right direction. I'd like to vote for UKIP purely as a type of protest to the 3 main parties, but a vote for the UKIP would possibly one for Labour - I genuinely fear for an economy led by Ed Balls. Still, a year to go so will have to see what happens!

[l444ry]

Yes I think most sensible people acknowledged the need for cuts with our debt spiralling out of control. And yet the tories still managed to find a way of sweetening the deal for swathes of ordinary hard working people, the number of whom has just been going up and up and up under this government.

What did labour do during the easy years? They only raised the top tax rate to 50p to try to invoke a class war as they started panicking and looking for someone to blame as they were steering the economy into oblivion in 2010. On the tax free allowance, Labour barely increased it at all. In fact their scrapping of the 10p rate in 2008 was a tax increase that hit the low paid especially hard. We now know of course that this attack on the poor came at the same time as labour presided over a frantic pillaging of MPs expenses and allowances. Selfish, self serving? Take from the poor, keep it for yourself?

All in all the conservatives have provided tangible benefits to ordinary working people while in difficult economic conditions, while labour actually punished the low paid and consistently rewarded top earners with low tax and lax regulation during the easy years.

Nothing to do with the worldwide credit crunch then! Ad the so-called recovery has nothing to do with the worldwide recovery either. Oh dear!! 

[MooseBreath]

Nothing to do with the worldwide credit crunch then! Ad the so-called recovery has nothing to do with the worldwide recovery either. Oh dear!!

Yes, the fact that Labour did nothing to help the working poor in all their time in office is nothing to do with the credit crunch. The conservatives started raising the tax free allowance while there was still a threat of a triple dip recession, so again yes, that they have helped the bulk of ordinary workers is not directly linked to a recovery, though it was certainly a display of confidence in their ability to improve the economy, confidence which history now shows was entirely merited.

[Dr The Singh]

Sad state of affairs, non of the politcal parties particularly interests me, so much if a muchness. Time for a Islamic caliphate, dictator or regime

[Zingari]

Why don't FT form a political party?

A sort of all embracing alliance party  of Conservative Unionist  Nationalist Treehugging Socialists 

[Guest MattP]

Nothing to do with the worldwide credit crunch then! Ad the so-called recovery has nothing to do with the worldwide recovery either. Oh dear!!

But they had ten years before that to do something for the working poor and didn't.

The credit crunch seems to have become a very convenient excuse for Labour to completely disregard their failings even if it had nothing to do with them.

[l444ry]

But they had ten years before that to do something for the working poor and didn't.

The credit crunch seems to have become a very convenient excuse for Labour to completely disregard their failings even if it had nothing to do with them.

I'm not contesting that the Blair Government did little for the "working poor", any more than this shower of a government or even Thatcher's merry lot. They've all done bugger all towards narrowing the gap between rich and poor. It's what you get when you have three Tory governments in succession. 

 

I was referring to a worldwide recovery from the credit crunch as being the reason why Britain is recovering also. It has nothing at all to do with Coalition policies, which have excluded many from this so-called recovery. Britain is more in debt than it ever was under the last government.

[MooseBreath]

So it's not really about helping the poor for you then, it's about "narrowing the gap between rich and poor", in other words helping the poor is not enough, we must also drag the successful down for some reason. What you're basically saying is that you're envious and jealous of successful people while also being selfish and greedy enough to think you deserve to steal some of what they have earned. What a wonderful caring sharing leftie you are.

As for your second paragraph, pure nonsense

[ADK]

I can't see any good reason for voting Tory at all. The only question is whether to back the lib dems or labour.

[Jon the Hat]

I can't see any good reason for voting Tory at all. The only question is whether to back the lib dems or labour.

 

I am increasingly amazed that half the country can take the benefit of Conservative led recovery while giving them no credit whatsoever.

[Strokes]

I am increasingly amazed that half the country can take the benefit of Conservative led recovery while giving them no credit whatsoever.

Its a global recovery, didn't you know

[FoxyPV]

The recovery only seems to be taking place in the greater London area.  Things are still shit almost everywhere else.

[RobHawk]

I am increasingly amazed that half the country can take the benefit of Conservative led recovery while giving them no credit whatsoever.

That's maybe because most of us feeling any benefit! The figures banded around about recovery don't mean an awful lot to many people who are still struggling. The cost of living continues to rise so a few extra £'s in the pay packet aren't going very far. 1 weekly shop and its gone again!

[l444ry]

So it's not really about helping the poor for you then, it's about "narrowing the gap between rich and poor", in other words helping the poor is not enough, we must also drag the successful down for some reason. What you're basically saying is that you're envious and jealous of successful people while also being selfish and greedy enough to think you deserve to steal some of what they have earned. What a wonderful caring sharing leftie you are.

As for your second paragraph, pure nonsense

This is why I don't waste any time on you Moose.  You persistently misrepresent someone's post the offer some half-cocked response. Stick to debating with your own kind mate, or take a leaf out of Jon the Hat or MattP's book. At least they stick to the point.  

[MooseBreath]

This is why I don't waste any time on you Moose. You persistently misrepresent someone's post the offer some half-cocked response. Stick to debating with your own kind mate, or take a leaf out of Jon the Hat or MattP's book. At least they stick to the point.

You keep dodging my questions by pretending you don't like the way I ask them sonny jim. Just dont fool yourself into thinking about buys it. You've never been anywhere near my level in any debate, hence why youve failed to answer any question I've ever put to you.

[MooseBreath]

That's maybe because most of us feeling any benefit! The figures banded around about recovery don't mean an awful lot to many people who are still struggling. The cost of living continues to rise so a few extra £'s in the pay packet aren't going very far. 1 weekly shop and its gone again!

Last years increase in the tax free allowance raised average take home pay by about 2%. Didn't you feel the benefit of that?

What about the record numbers of people in work, don't you think they are feeling the benefit?

Personally I've never been so busy, and can take my pick of the jobs available at the moment.

[RobHawk]

Last years increase in the tax free allowance raised average take home pay by about 2%. Didn't you feel the benefit of that?

What about the record numbers of people in work, don't you think they are feeling the benefit?

Personally I've never been so busy, and can take my pick of the jobs available at the moment.

Given the raise in food, energy, council tax prices etc, no i've not. Its just been confirmed that council tax is going up another 5% in my area! That 2% rise isn't going to get very far is it! 

 

It is good that more people are out working but as long as outgoings are going up as much as they are, Even people in work are struggling financially. But as long as your alright ay!

[ADK]

I am increasingly amazed that half the country can take the benefit of Conservative led recovery while giving them no credit whatsoever.

 

I'm not receiving any benefit of the so called "recovery" and as wages are set to rise below inflation again this year, I imagine not many are. There's really nothing to give credit for.