Britain - The Official Thread

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How will you vote in the 2024 UK General Election?

  • Conservative Party

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Green Party

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Labour Party

    Votes: 14 48.3%

  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Other (Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland)

    Votes: 1 3.4%

  • Other Independents

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other Parties

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Spoiled Ballot

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Will Not/Cannot Vote

    Votes: 8 27.6%
  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
No, mocking stroke victims doesn't do huge amount of damage to the economy. It just makes you look like an insensitive berk and Ed Miliband even more popular when people hear about it.
 
Unfortunately the Tories have a major image problem (can't think why). Stunts like that push people to vote Labour just because they feel sorry for Ed or hate Tories. A purely emotional decision.
 
This is why posh boys should stay away from football altogether. This includes Ed unfortunately.

They should leave us working class to our game and concentrate on lying to us about something less important like the NHS.
 
KSaiyu
Unfortunately the Tories have a major image problem (can't think why). Stunts like that push people to vote Labour just because they feel sorry for Ed or hate Tories. A purely emotional decision.
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Why is that the favourite argument of the conservatives - that people only ever vote for someone else based on emotion or protest, and not because they feel that someone else actually has a credible policy platform?
 
I think it's just denial, myself. There's always been a bit of a born-to-rule attitude among them (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), but they can't stand the idea that their policies aren't the very best thing for the country.
 
prisonermonkeys
There's always been a bit of a born-to-rule attitude among them
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Well it is one of the fundamental principles of Conservative ideology. There are some people at the top and some at the bottom and if you try and change that then you cause problems.
 
prisonermonkeys
They can't stand the idea that their policies aren't the very best thing for the country.
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That does sound a lot like the Tories to me. There have a fair few occasions where they've made decisions clearly rooted in trying to have a consistent ideology rather than what's actually best for the country, and messed things up as a result.

Not necessarily saying the Blair years were any better either way in that regard, but I really feel that the UK needs a Labour lead government now. A broad church where bad ideas can be more easily shot down would do the country well.

If none of that made sense it's because I'm trying to talk politics while sleep deprived.
 
Roger the Horse
That does sound a lot like the Tories to me. There have a fair few occasions where they've made decisions clearly rooted in trying to have a consistent ideology rather than what's actually best for the country, and messed things up as a result.
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I think this is something rooted in conservative ideals in general - I think a lot of conservatives struggle with the idea that a new way of doing things has some merit, because that paves the way to changes in societal values. And if societal values change, then conservatives will lose their connection to the social identity. They resist change because they feel threatened by it, and because they feel that society is threatened by it.

We have a conservative government (ironically one who were elected on the very protest vote that they detest), and they have made some rotten policy decisions that are rooted in their ideology. But when they back down on it, they never admit that it was a bad policy - they insist that the old policy was good, but the new policy is better. And as a result, we get a government that taxes the poor and gives tax breaks to the rich.
 
My background is in Health and Education, hence the Tory leaning attitude on the forums. Welfare cuts are something I approve of too to stop people being reliant on the State, but there has to be a safety net for those people affected, something that should come from the rich - you can't just set up food banks to absolve yourself of the misery you're creating.

Basically I'd sum up my political leanings as those South Park creators said:

“I hate conservatives, but I really ******* hate liberals."
 
KSaiyu
My background is in Health and Education, hence the Tory leaning attitude on the forums.
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I'm re-reading the recent tangent of this discussion and I don't see anyone asking what your personal politics are, so I'm hard-pressed trying to figure out why you're telling us.
 
KSaiyu
My background is in Health and Education, hence the Tory leaning attitude on the forums. Welfare cuts are something I approve of too to stop people being reliant on the State, but there has to be a safety net for those people affected, something that should come from the rich - you can't just set up food banks to absolve yourself of the misery you're creating.

Basically I'd sum up my political leanings as those South Park creators said:

“I hate conservatives, but I really ******* hate liberals."
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KSaiyu
:rolleyes: OK dude.

Super-rich have doubled their wealth since economic crisis
John Arlidge Published: 26 April 2015


RECESSION? What recession? Britain’s super-rich have powered through the economic crisis and are now more than twice as rich as they were in 2009 when the economy was on the rocks, The Sunday Times Rich List 2015 reveals.

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1548931.ece
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OMG OMG OMG! He's one of those awful populists!! Fartage and that dangerous gang of smallfolk who've somehow learned to read. A greater threat to the realm cannot be imagined!!
 
Dotini
OMG OMG OMG! He's one of those awful populists!! Fartage and that dangerous gang of smallfolk who've somehow learned to read. A greater threat to the realm cannot be imagined!!
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Basically. If there was a UKIP that was more libertarian and less immigrant hating sign me up.

And who would want to leave the island where you can bump into perfume sellers that you may have seen on TV once upon a time

20150422_185130.jpg
 
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KSaiyu
Basically. If there was a UKIP that was more libertarian and less immigrant hating sign me up.
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Douglas Carswell, one of the Tory defectors from last year is probably closest to fitting that bill. I think he only really joined because of his euroscepticism - he is pretty liberal and pro-immigration by Tory/UKIP standards. If Farage doesn't win his seat and resigns as he's said he would, I imagine Carswell would go for the leadership - could be interesting to see if that would change the party and/or lead to greater divisions within it.
 
KSaiyu
:rolleyes: OK dude.

Super-rich have doubled their wealth since economic crisis
John Arlidge Published: 26 April 2015


RECESSION? What recession? Britain’s super-rich have powered through the economic crisis and are now more than twice as rich as they were in 2009 when the economy was on the rocks, The Sunday Times Rich List 2015 reveals.

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1548931.ece
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As was the case with every economic crisis. The rich sit on their money and sell loads of stock because they don't trust the market and thus none of it is moving and thus you have an economic problem because no money is moving.
 
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KSaiyu
:rolleyes: OK dude.

Super-rich have doubled their wealth since economic crisis
John Arlidge Published: 26 April 2015


RECESSION? What recession? Britain’s super-rich have powered through the economic crisis and are now more than twice as rich as they were in 2009 when the economy was on the rocks, The Sunday Times Rich List 2015 reveals.

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1548931.ece
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Not entirely surprising, but at the same time, it's not always a given that everyone will struggle thanks to a recession.
 
Carbonox
To all fence-sitters out there - Ed Miliband doesn't sound very supportive of freedom of speech:

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/newspap...obia-says-miliband-in-an-exclusive-interview/
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It isn't just about speech though is it? It is about people being violent against Muslims and the fact they are still more likely to be stopped randomly by the police. It also goes beyond freedom of speech when the press team up on them as well. It then becomes like propaganda as the press have so much power.

Besides. Are the Tories going to say how well they will run the country at some point or is their entire campaign about how bad Labour is in their eyes?
 
haitch40
It isn't just about speech though is it? It is about people being violent against Muslims and the fact they are still more likely to be stopped randomly by the police.
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Well, he's clearly got his priorities wrong then. I'd be a lot more concerned about Muslim violence against unbelievers, which they can sometimes get away with for political correctness' sake. "Islamophobic" native Britons are already now being lynched by the media and justice system.
 
haitch40
It isn't just about speech though is it? It is about people being violent against Muslims and the fact they are still more likely to be stopped randomly by the police. It also goes beyond freedom of speech when the press team up on them as well. It then becomes like propaganda as the press have so much power.

Besides. Are the Tories going to say how well they will run the country at some point or is their entire campaign about how bad Labour is in their eyes?
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Don't you already have laws on the books about hate speech, violence etc? What is special about Islamophobia that it requires separate legislation? IMO this is nothing but pandering to special interests to garner votes.
 
haitch40
Besides. Are the Tories going to say how well they will run the country at some point or is their entire campaign about how bad Labour is in their eyes?
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This election campaign has been depressingly negative on all fronts in my opinion - I don't think any of the parties are coming out of it with more positive vision than negative attacks.

In fact I'd say Jim Wells' statement "I'm resigning" is the first really positive message to come from a politician this campaign...... :D
 
An article about the conventions in the sitting Speaker's constituency; the main triumverate have an agreement not to field opposition. UKIP and the Greens (those last bastions of fringe madness) are still canvassing in Buckingham, home of John Bercow, Lib/Lab are not. Some interesting views from voters in the constituency... do they get a fair deal under this arrangement?

BBC.
 
I watched a bit of the Question Time leader's special last night... who's brilliant idea was it to have the leader's standing on a Q-shaped platform?? I was waiting on one of them to fall off it and make a spectacular tit of themselves... Ed Miliband (almost) duly obliged...

MilibandSlips_3287702g.gif

It didn't start too well for Ed either... I captured this shot of his reaction to his first question of the night...

FFRxp4c.jpg

​
 
Touring Mars
It didn't start too well for Ed either... I captured this shot of his reaction to his first question of the night...

FFRxp4c.jpg

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He seemed to have the hardest time of it out of the three. He probably expected that given they were in Leeds, the crowd would be a little more on his side than they actually were..
 
Yeh, they ripped into him, and he didn't do a very good job of answering the question of how Labour could be trusted not to overspend, despite being asked the same question by several people. I turned over before Nick Clegg because the snooker was on the other side.
 
Touring Mars
Yeh, they ripped into him, and he didn't do a very good job of answering the question of how Labour could be trusted not to overspend, despite being asked the same question by several people. I turned over before Nick Clegg because the snooker was on the other side.
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I got the impression he was saying the last labour government didn't spend enough, which really can't have helped him much.
 

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