The 2015 General Election

[Demitri_C]

Greens work with other countries? Yeah try tell the us and China to reduce their pollution. I'll eat my hat of they manage to do that. Not gonna happen

Also with labour the major part in their manifesto is to increase tax to fund their over spending not just this stupid mansion (or should I say London tax) tax that won't work

[lapal_fan]

 

if it hasn't already come up yet: yet another thingy to do: https://uk.isidewith.com/

 

highly suspicious of the 99% siding with Labour. 

 

siding with 

labour 99%

green 92%

lib edm 92%

plaid 89%

tory 28%

ukip 15%

 

your score along with some of the others I'm finding quite surprising  (even my own to a degree)

 

I think its widely accepted there is very little difference between Labour and Tory policies and yet the results we are seeing from everyone show a huge gap  one way or another

 

That's because people sort of know who the questions are geared for, so they don't tell the truth because they're more worried they'd be 100% UKIP or something.  It's naff.

[tonyh29]

So what does everyone think of the manifestos recently released?

 

My thoughts (main points provided by the Beeb http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/manifesto-guide#tab=issue!issue=priorities!party=con!nation=uk)

 

Tories

Eliminate the deficit and be running a surplus by the end of the Parliament - Impossible.

Extra £8bn above inflation for the NHS by 2020 - Don't believe you. You said no top down reorganisation yet you flog every bit off to the highest bidder. The £8bn will probably just filter through private companies anyway.

Legislate to keep people working 30 hours on minimum wage out of tax - OK but not enough

30 hours of free childcare per week for working parents of 3&4-year-olds - Only affect a small amount of people.

Hold a referendum on Britain’s EU membership - OK

 

Green

End austerity and restore the public sector, creating jobs that pay at least a living wage - Good

End privatisation of the National Health Service - Excellent

Work with other countries to ensure global temperatures do not rise by more than 2C - Why 2C? Is that really the best metric?

£85bn programme of home insulation, renewable electricity generation & flood defences - Excellent. We waste far too much energy.

Provide 500,000 social homes for rent by 2020 and control rent levels

Return the railways to public hands - Absolutely

 

 

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

 

as for their target of not rising by more that 2c ... it's only risen  0.04 since 1998 and even one of it's recent peaks 90 -98 was 0.18  or so so i think they are trying to hoodwink a few people with that one 

(it also dropped between 1945 -75 )

[KHV]

90% conservative

87% ukip

69% bnp

67% lib dem

67% labour

55% democratic unionist

23% SNP

20% sinn fein

19% plaid

13% green

 

I am a conservative voter btw

Edited April 14, 2015 by KHV

[darrenm]

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

 

 

If I saw that I would have quoted it as I fully agree with it. The money's got to come from somewhere, may as well be the people who won't miss it as much.

[tonyh29]

 

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

 

 

If I saw that I would have quoted it as I fully agree with it. The money's got to come from somewhere, may as well be the people who won't miss it as much.

 

currently top rate applies at £100k

 

you can argue it's a lot of money , but I wouldn't beleive for one minute that those people wouldn't miss it

 

Also , why hammer a single income family with one earner of say £120k when a couple both earning £80k aren't hit with the 60%

 

there seems to be this confusion with those that want to tax the rich that they are taxing millionnaires ... but it's not really the case

[choffer]

Bit of football-related stuff from the Labour manifesto. No idea how they propose to make it work but can't knock them for trying.

 

[Milfner]

And they'll make Premier League clubs commit 5% of domestic & overseas TV money to grassroots football.

[terrytini]

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

If I saw that I would have quoted it as I fully agree with it. The money's got to come from somewhere, may as well be the people who won't miss it as much.

currently top rate applies at £100k

 

you can argue it's a lot of money , but I wouldn't beleive for one minute that those people wouldn't miss it

 

Also , why hammer a single income family with one earner of say £120k when a couple both earning £80k aren't hit with the 60%

 

there seems to be this confusion with those that want to tax the rich that they are taxing millionnaires ... but it's not really the case

Hmmm.

That means roughly speaking a person on 100 k brings home about 72000 per year, about 6 grand per month. A majority of people net around 18-24 k, or 2 grand a month at best.

Yet we all pay the same for food, he's, water, homes, travel.

I think those n 100 k can manage......

And I often hear the argument about a single ncome family with a high earner getting hammered, yet oddly I've never yet heard it applied to the other end of the scale, where a family with one earner of say 20 g pay tax on half of it, yet if two earn 10 g each neither pays.

Never heard that single earner described as ' hammered'.

[darrenm]

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

If I saw that I would have quoted it as I fully agree with it. The money's got to come from somewhere, may as well be the people who won't miss it as much.

currently top rate applies at £100k

you can argue it's a lot of money , but I wouldn't beleive for one minute that those people wouldn't miss it

Also , why hammer a single income family with one earner of say £120k when a couple both earning £80k aren't hit with the 60%

there seems to be this confusion with those that want to tax the rich that they are taxing millionnaires ... but it's not really the case

On tax over £100k, so not quite as bad as it sounds.

If you're lucky enough to earn over £100k you can help out a bit more.

[tonyh29]

 

 

 

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

If I saw that I would have quoted it as I fully agree with it. The money's got to come from somewhere, may as well be the people who won't miss it as much.

currently top rate applies at £100k

 

you can argue it's a lot of money , but I wouldn't beleive for one minute that those people wouldn't miss it

 

Also , why hammer a single income family with one earner of say £120k when a couple both earning £80k aren't hit with the 60%

 

there seems to be this confusion with those that want to tax the rich that they are taxing millionnaires ... but it's not really the case

Hmmm.

That means roughly speaking a person on 100 k brings home about 72000 per year, about 6 grand per month. A majority of people net around 18-24 k, or 2 grand a month at best.

Yet we all pay the same for food, he's, water, homes, travel.

I think those n 100 k can manage......

And I often hear the argument about a single ncome family with a high earner getting hammered, yet oddly I've never yet heard it applied to the other end of the scale, where a family with one earner of say 20 g pay tax on half of it, yet if two earn 10 g each neither pays.

Never heard that single earner described as ' hammered'.

 

I'll have your accountant ... its more like £65k

[tonyh29]

 

 

 

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

 

If I saw that I would have quoted it as I fully agree with it. The money's got to come from somewhere, may as well be the people who won't miss it as much.

currently top rate applies at £100k

you can argue it's a lot of money , but I wouldn't beleive for one minute that those people wouldn't miss it

Also , why hammer a single income family with one earner of say £120k when a couple both earning £80k aren't hit with the 60%

there seems to be this confusion with those that want to tax the rich that they are taxing millionnaires ... but it's not really the case

On tax over £100k, so not quite as bad as it sounds.

If you're lucky enough to earn over £100k you can help out a bit more.

 

 

£35k tax a year says you already are doing a bit more  ...

 

 

but lets say you earn over £100k and feel that you would like to put your children into a private school  , why not ,you work hard and want to try and give your children every advantage if it's good enough for Diane Abbots children it's good enough for yours and all that ... that's £13,000 + per year  per child  which you can't even offset with your child support money because it's already been stopped  ( so already helping out a bit more) ... like I say the flaw is confusing high earners with millionnaires

 

but ..... I'm probably wasting my breathe arguing becuase you probably want private schools scrapped anyway 

[blandy]

Top rate applies at 150K, not 100K doesn't it?

 

And it's not like they pay the top rate on all their earnings, just those over 150K.

 

£150K is 12.5 grand a month - that's one heck of a lot of money.

[tonyh29]

Top rate applies at 150K, not 100K doesn't it?

 

And it's not like they pay the top rate on all their earnings, just those over 150K.

 

£150K is 12.5 grand a month - that's one heck of a lot of money.

I thought i'd heard the G`reens saying £100k ..my bad

 

but £150k a year is still giving the tax man £60k  ....that's one heck of a lot of money

[Condimentalist]

 

So what does everyone think of the manifestos recently released?

 

My thoughts (main points provided by the Beeb http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/manifesto-guide#tab=issue!issue=priorities!party=con!nation=uk)

 

Tories

Eliminate the deficit and be running a surplus by the end of the Parliament - Impossible.

Extra £8bn above inflation for the NHS by 2020 - Don't believe you. You said no top down reorganisation yet you flog every bit off to the highest bidder. The £8bn will probably just filter through private companies anyway.

Legislate to keep people working 30 hours on minimum wage out of tax - OK but not enough

30 hours of free childcare per week for working parents of 3&4-year-olds - Only affect a small amount of people.

Hold a referendum on Britain’s EU membership - OK

 

Green

End austerity and restore the public sector, creating jobs that pay at least a living wage - Good

End privatisation of the National Health Service - Excellent

Work with other countries to ensure global temperatures do not rise by more than 2C - Why 2C? Is that really the best metric?

£85bn programme of home insulation, renewable electricity generation & flood defences - Excellent. We waste far too much energy.

Provide 500,000 social homes for rent by 2020 and control rent levels

Return the railways to public hands - Absolutely

 

 

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

 

as for their target of not rising by more that 2c ... it's only risen  0.04 since 1998 and even one of it's recent peaks 90 -98 was 0.18  or so so i think they are trying to hoodwink a few people with that one 

(it also dropped between 1945 -75 )

 

 

You don't really understand how this works do you? 

[blandy]

I thought i'd heard the G`reens saying £100k ..my bad

but £150k a year is still giving the tax man £60k  ....that's one heck of a lot of money

It is, and so is the 90 grand they get to keep.

Thing is, these people got a tax cut a while ago. Anyway, people who earn whatever tend to do so because of the roads, education, hospitals, trains, airports, national grid, workforce and all the rest that are by and large paid for by the nation, that exist for them to use to help get their income. Why shouldn't they pay well for that? They're fortunate to be in a position to make use of all those things and more to do their business. It's not (just) their hard work and genius that put them into a position to make pots of money.

 

Governments have an absolute duty to make sure that all of our money that they take from us is effectively and efficiently spent, and that it benefits us collectively. But We all also have a responsibility to pay our fair share towards all the things that help us earn that money to start with, and to make sure it's there for the next generation of workers and employers.

 

No one likes paying tax, but given the choice between shafting the sick and poor or a comfortably well off person paying (say) 50% tax on all their earnings over 150K per year it's an absolute no brainer (unless you're a baby chomping vermin  )

[snowychap]

but £150k a year is still giving the tax man £60k  ....that's one heck of a lot of money

The people who ought to be complaining about the tax/NI system are those earning between £31786 and £42.5k (approx) as they're the ones with the highest marginal rate of withdrawal (save for those caught in the poverty trap around the personal allowance level and the ones dealing with the withdrawal rates of tax credits).

[tonyh29]

 

 

So what does everyone think of the manifestos recently released?

 

My thoughts (main points provided by the Beeb http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/manifesto-guide#tab=issue!issue=priorities!party=con!nation=uk)

 

Tories

Eliminate the deficit and be running a surplus by the end of the Parliament - Impossible.

Extra £8bn above inflation for the NHS by 2020 - Don't believe you. You said no top down reorganisation yet you flog every bit off to the highest bidder. The £8bn will probably just filter through private companies anyway.

Legislate to keep people working 30 hours on minimum wage out of tax - OK but not enough

30 hours of free childcare per week for working parents of 3&4-year-olds - Only affect a small amount of people.

Hold a referendum on Britain’s EU membership - OK

 

Green

End austerity and restore the public sector, creating jobs that pay at least a living wage - Good

End privatisation of the National Health Service - Excellent

Work with other countries to ensure global temperatures do not rise by more than 2C - Why 2C? Is that really the best metric?

£85bn programme of home insulation, renewable electricity generation & flood defences - Excellent. We waste far too much energy.

Provide 500,000 social homes for rent by 2020 and control rent levels

Return the railways to public hands - Absolutely

 

 

you missed the bit where Greens are going to raise the top rate of tax to 60%

 

as for their target of not rising by more that 2c ... it's only risen  0.04 since 1998 and even one of it's recent peaks 90 -98 was 0.18  or so so i think they are trying to hoodwink a few people with that one 

(it also dropped between 1945 -75 )

 

 

You don't really understand how this works do you? 

 

 

 presumably you're are about to enlighten me or does it not work like that  ?

[snowychap]

Oh and as for Cameron's extension of Right to Buy to HAs - am I going barmy but didn't he announce this as policy soon after the coalition came to power?

Edit: No - not barmy. From The Torygraph in November 2010 (though the minister in question was one Grant Shapps! )
 

Ministers to extend 'right-to-buy' policy

The old “right-to-buy” rules will be extended, the Coalition will announce, so that social housing tenants – those who are in housing association homes as well as those in council houses - can buy their homes after five years of renting them.

In return local associations will be forced to plough the money they receive back into providing new homes.

The move is part of a package of measures designed to radically alter housing policy. New council house tenants will no longer be given a council house for life.

Instead, they will get a flexible tenure contract for as little as two years and be given six months notice if an assessment reveals they no longer need the house.

Because of the new flexible tenures it is crucial to “right-to-buy” that people are allowed to accrue time even if people have moved home.

Currently some tenants in housing association homes do not get full “right-to-buy” rights for a variety of reasons. Ministers will today say to housing associations, if you build a home using the new Flexible Rent – that is up to 80 per cent of the market rent - then you must also offer right to buy.

Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister said last night: “You will acquire the right to buy at a discount from housing associations. The present system is too muddled.

“Councils can only charge more rent if they use the extra cash to build more affordable homes. Even in these tough times this Government is determined to find ways to support the hopes and dreams of hard working people who want to own their own home.

“That's why we'll build in ways to help people move from renting to home ownership when the time is right. This will be a new era.”

David Cameron is determined to push ahead with the plans despite concerns from some Liberal Democrat MPs about the affect it will have. But ministers claim that Labour has fundamentally failed those most in need and point to a housing waiting list of five million people.

Some local authorities will use their new powers to decide who goes on their council house waiting lists to give priority to those who are low-paid and struggling to get a home, rather than automatically allow the jobless and those on benefits to be housed first.

The changes to the way councils allocate social housing are likely to be the most controversial. They will be able to decide who qualifies for social housing in their area- taking away the “unrealistic” requirement to accept applications from anyone.

Landlords will now be able to raise funds to build more social housing for those who need it – on top of the £4.5 billion the Government will invest in building up to 155,000 new affordable homes.

Edited April 14, 2015 by snowychap

[Mantis]

Just did that position dial thing:

 

66% Conservative

54% UKIP

7% Lib Dem

-11% Labour

-65% SNP

-72% Green

Edited April 14, 2015 by Mantis