Election Year or Fear!

[Andy_Faber]

this forum is simply becoming a microcosm of society as a whole…all sound and fury and very little reason.

From any of us

(I’ll exclude MA from that)

[ramAnag]

From any of us

…in your opinion, but I hope you’d agree to caution against such noise and rancour dominating the actual election. Maybe we could set an example on here with your help…Mr. Speaker.

[Geoff Parkstone]

I think I can remember back to about the Heath v Wilson elections with any sense of understanding the debates, and I don't think there has ever been one where "rancour and noise" did not resonate. Its the nature of party politics, left v right - neither side comes with clean hands despite Swale's uncompromising "left hand good, right hand bad" espousals. Its a dirty game, all about power grabs and and people convincing others to give them a chance to put their snout in the trough as opposed to letting another's snout in.

That rancour and noise has proliferated recently - but it was always there - largely due to the impact of social media giving every Tom Dick and Harry a chance to express an opinion, however vacuous, banal, pointless, unpleasant or downright absurd, but don't kid yourself that previous elections have not been blighted by infighting, scaremongering and falsehoods designed to win round the naive voters - eg. " River of Blood" etc.

However, it really wont matter for much longer. Gen Z wont bother with elections, they will just identify as being politicians, assume therefore that they are in charge and drag everyone down to their own level!

[SithHappens]

From any of us

(I’ll exclude MA from that)

Bit harsh on me, although I keep on with the wild predictions each week so fair enough lol

[SithHappens]

It's time for the reintroduction of ye, thee and thou so that there is a more clear distinction between you (singular) and you (plural). You, be it nominative or dative, seems a bit overused and needs to catch a break here.

And so to the budget. An odd one, don't like the NI cut as I don't benefit from it! But designed to win a few votes from those who don't think too hard about it. In a move that is a bit odd for pro enterprise Tories, it's just shifting a bigger proportion of the cost of public services onto the employer which in the long run will fuel inflation and eat up the 450 pa cut in tax burden paid by average Joe Public.

Not really a major pre election vote buying giveaway thankfully, just a few positive noises some may fall for. Do like the equity in the change to high income earners child benefit rules: been a long time coming that one.

I will admit I'm no expert but it doesn't seem a bad little budget in isolation. But it's a bit like trying to repair the hole the iceberg made in the titanic with a piece of blutac. The damage is done and they don't financially have the tools to really win people over.

The country needs a change, let's just get on with it.

[ramAnag]

I will admit I'm no expert but it doesn't seem a bad little budget in isolation. But it's a bit like trying to repair the hole the iceberg made in the titanic with a piece of blutac. The damage is done and they don't financially have the tools to really win people over.

The country needs a change, let's just get on with it.

Seems like a nothing… ‘there’s nowt we can do anymore’ budget to me. Is that right Rog?

Agree with your last sentence.

[Andy_Faber]

…in your opinion, but I hope you’d agree to caution against such noise and rancour dominating the actual election. Maybe we could set an example on here with your help…Mr. Speaker.

Honestly? I hope it’s ‘lively’, that obvious *******s is called out, that contentious assertions are fact checked and that whoever wins makes the country a better place in a sustainable manner. I’m afraid however that the noise and rancour will continue here due to the personalities involved

[Geoff Parkstone]

Seems like a nothing… ‘there’s nowt we can do anymore’ budget to me. Is that right Rog?

Agree with your last sentence.

It might make the odd impact but IMHO it's pretty bland and not your typical feel-good giveaway budget: which is a good thing. If you're a winner by a few hundred quid this time, don't spend it as Starmer will likely have it back and more next time round as a new economic model is squeezed into the space previously occupied by the last one. Don't ask me which one will work best, but neither are like to achieve green targets - that squirrel has long fled the drey.

[Trickytreesreds]

Clear as mud that, AF. A simple ‘sorry, I got the wrong target’ would suffice but heh ho.

Agree about MA’s response but the problem, imo, is that a reasonable and objective thread is being turned into an anti Muslim rant by one person in the same way as Right wingers as a whole will attempt to sidetrack away from what should be the main electoral issues by turning divisive and disproportionate attention towards Muslims and migrants.

We can expect a lot more of this from the populists, the hard core Brexiteers and the extreme Right, including GBNews, when what we should really be considering are, to be ultra topical today, such matters as the future of our nation and such issues as the NHS/public spending v tax cuts, Green issues and foreign policy. To that extent this forum is simply becoming a microcosm of society as a whole…all sound and fury and very little reason.

OH RA, I know sometimes the topics you don't like crop up, simply because they are not complete Tory bashing, which suits you.
But my "rants" as you call them, erupted after, Parliament got its nickers in a twist, over Labour MP's rebelling over a ceasefire, Starmer doing the honkey cokey to avoid a riot and the SNP + Torys behaving like kids. All over an issue thousands of miles away from the country.
In the meantime, the speaker was hung out to dry, a Bye election was hijacked, all for the same reason Of Islamic sectarianism.

the rhetoric has been stepped up from crime/ grooming etc, into the push for an Islamic presence in the way the country is run. It is very relevant thank you very much- an election is coming.

You had better get used to it as well. Blair allowed the influx to begin, in the hope of swelling his electorate coffers. It is now about to blow up in Labours face, as more Independents stand and Muslim regions turn to them. It won;t be long before a proper Muslim issue party comes along , with over 5 million Muslim votes to chase.

Your last bye election. a Labour stong hold- no mention of tax/ NHS/ green/ jobs/ cost of living. GAZA, YES GAZA was the main selling point. Islam issues first?
If that isn't relevant I don't know what is. If you want to slag populists off and GB news for showing it, then do so. But don't ignore the problem, because its real, jyust the same as immigration will be a main topic in the election.

Swale calls me a xenophobe? That makes me laugh. a person having a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
I'm all over the place, had a native Canadian Indian girlfriend and currently engaged to a Thai. Yearh, I hate foreigners lol.

Fact for you- this country has taken in more people of the last 25 years, than it did over the last 2000 years.
I don't dislike immigration, but I do dislike mass immigration, it's destroying the country. The last Brexit vote was was fought on that.
Pity the Tories forgot that.


You may not like it either,

[Trickytreesreds]

It might make the odd impact but IMHO it's pretty bland and not your typical feel-good giveaway budget: which is a good thing. If you're a winner by a few hundred quid this time, don't spend it as Starmer will likely have it back and more next time round as a new economic model is squeezed into the space previously occupied by the last one. Don't ask me which one will work best, but neither are like to achieve green targets - that squirrel has long fled the drey.

He has nothing to give. We will be paying for those lock downs for a long time. Starmer will find that out very soon.

[Ramshank72]

Bit harsh on me, although I keep on with the wild predictions each week so fair enough lol

It's hard to take anyone who predicts us to score 5 goals seriously

[Andy_Faber]

Bit harsh on me, although I keep on with the wild predictions each week so fair enough lol

I was referring to the main protagonists, you and Ramshank are imo in the MA category (yes apart from some appalling predictions)

[Andy_Faber]

I will admit I'm no expert but it doesn't seem a bad little budget in isolation. But it's a bit like trying to repair the hole the iceberg made in the titanic with a piece of blutac. The damage is done and they don't financially have the tools to really win people over.

I do think the gradual removal of employee's NI is a good thing, its been decades since it lost its purpose and its just another tax on income now, and one that countless administrations have played tunes on/with, so having a single 'income tax' would help clarity going forward. And I say that as someone who has no income to which NI applies, so it doesn't even benefit me, I just think its a good idea

[Andy_Faber]

Lol! So now you’re holding up GBNews - the most politically motivated and biased broadcasting organisation of all time - as an arbiter of truth and a ‘watchdog’ for the BBC. That truly is ‘surreal’.

I did fact check this last night and GB News/TTR are in essence correct

[Trickytreesreds]

I did fact check this last night and GB News/TTR are in essence correct

I knew it was Andy. Though my point was more about why the media don't cover it. From the BBC and the papers
RA was a classic example of the ostrich syndome and die in ignorance club.

I refuse to listen/watch/ discuss anything that comes from that source. Even though no one else wants to report on it for their own political agendas.

Disgusting, it has come to this. Free speech even dictated by the news, by censorship.