General Election 2017

[villaglint]

As an aside to this IFS debate, Osbourne promised and campaigned on the basis that the deficit would be gone by 2015 anything else was putting the country at the risk. In this manifesto it's now 2025. 

Yet the Tories are the ones to be trusted with the economy and Labour have these crazy plans which don't add up. 

I looked forward to hearing Theresa Mays team getting pressed on that again and again by interviewers. 

Oh that's right! Silly me she doesn't do interviews because she's 15 points up in the polls. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by villaglint

[dAVe80]

47 minutes ago, blandy said:

Jezza's paymaster and best bud, said much the same yesterday

 

There's a huge difference between the context in which Len and my MP made their statement though. Len has since retracted his statement also, while my MP has ploughed on, and rode rough over the howls of derision from her CLP. I honestly don't believe she cares if she gets voted back in or not. She'll have a decent job lined up with Progress, or our previous MP, who now makes millions advising companies on how to win NHS contract.

[blandy]

4 minutes ago, villaglint said:

As an aside to this IFS debate, Osbourne promised and campaigned on the basis that the deficit would be gone by 2015 anything else was putting the country at the risk. In this manifesto it's now 2025. 

Yet the Tories are the ones to be trusted with the economy..

Totally agree. Osborne was terrible as minsiter of moneying. Pretty much everything towards some semblance of "recovery" that happened was despite, rather than because of his actions.

And the 2025 thing that won't happen either - Brexit will utterly spanner it, and is another reason why Labour's and everyone else's manifestos can't be "costed" - a tanking / declining economy will wreck all the claims about taxes and stuff that will supposedly pay for stuff. Ditto businesses moving to Dublin or Frankfurt and so on...

Don't trust any of them.

[villaglint]

Yes I said the same above but for some reason no journalists seem to be asking that question. 

I'm kind of surprised there isn't more sugar in Theresa Mays teams manifesto. Nobody believes what's in these things even the party themselves I'd imagine. So why not spread a little love just for the fun of it and to lock in that majority even further. Don't need to I guess. 

[blandy]

3 minutes ago, dAVe80 said:

There's a huge difference between the context in which Len and my MP made their statement though. Len has since retracted his statement also, while my MP has ploughed on, and rode rough over the howls of derision from her CLP. I honestly don't believe she cares if she gets voted back in or not. She'll have a decent job lined up with Progress, or our previous MP, who now makes millions advising companies on how to win NHS contract.

You might think that. I think there are strong similarities. Len has just got re-elected as Unite leader, with his London home and all the priveleges paid for by the likes of me. He's alright jack. He might have "retracted" but as per the transcript, he's just basically been caught out and it's clear he knows what's what. The main thing for Len and Jezza and the other's is not to win the election, it's to win control and keep it, for the Labour party for the more left wing elements. Their enemy is, bizarrely, the Blairites as much as the tories. Sometimes the mask slips and we get a peak.

[snowychap]

1 hour ago, blandy said:

edit - the idea that things are both "costed" and at the same time "unknown" is a strange one to me

What do people mean by 'costed'? Do they mean that the costs have been worked out (which is fine and easy unless you're Abbott or Hammond)? Or do they actually mean that the cost of the policies is matched by revenue raised?

The politicians and the pundits will talk in terms of the latter and the public will demand it (balanced budget blah blah) but, as you say in your later post, it's all a load of codswallop. The government does not control the total amount of its income.

Edited May 18, 2017 by snowychap

[blandy]

21 minutes ago, snowychap said:

What do people mean by 'costed'? Do they mean that the costs have been worked out...[etc.]

I think Labour sort of offered to put their manifesto to the OBR if the tories would do the same. The tories declined.

All the caveats you mentioned apply to the OBR too, though at least that would mean an assessment of the various manifestos would be conducted by the same official body and the results could be viewed by us lot comparatively, with a sort of level field.

[PauloBarnesi]

8 hours ago, darrenm said:

 I bet I'm losing friends by the day on Facebook but what would it say about me if I let injustice slide where I see it?

You still have me as long as you post about your sporting achievements from time to time. 

 

[HanoiVillan]

3 hours ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

I'd imagine this will spark more Brits taking trips to Swiss clinics. 

Yes it's a suicide subsidy, effectively.* There will come a time in every adult's life, where they watch beloved mum and dad struggling to operate the TV remote, and think 'God I must have that difficult conversation soon . . .'

Why they think it's a vote-winner I have no idea. I guess they're far enough ahead they don't need to think about it. 

*EDIT: I should admit I stole that line, so proper attribution:

 

Edited May 18, 2017 by HanoiVillan

[Chindie]

'Mom, you're struggling to remember everyone's birthday these days.. how would you feel about tripping down the stairs? Or being hit by a bus? Or falling off a chair while you reach for the teabags we put at the back of the cupboard the night before?'

[chrisp65]

**** me, it would be funny if she came out of all this with a reduced majority.

 

Still responsible, but undermined by her own claim to need proof she's strong when negotiating with the EU, tory vultures circling every miss step, pensioners in revolt. Then we'll see what an insulting, vapid slogan strong und stable is.

[Demitri_C]

Anyone watching tv debate? Completely pointless without Corbyn and may. Pair of cowards.

I am leaning towards lib dems I must admit

[jon_c]

50 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Anyone watching tv debate? Completely pointless without Corbyn and may. Pair of cowards.

I am leaning towards lib dems I must admit

Won't stand up to a non-partisan crowd and take scrutiny, pathetic. Any politician worth their salt, should jump at the chance to persuade the public.

[darrenm]

3 hours ago, PauloBarnesi said:

You still have me as long as you post about your sporting achievements from time to time. 

 

Cheers dude. They're drying up recently. I'll let you know when I almost drown in the Severn

[darrenm]

10 minutes ago, jon_c said:

Won't stand up to a non-partisan crowd and take scrutiny, pathetic. Any politician worth their salt, should jump at the chance to persuade the public.

When May won't go on, Corbyn would be daft to. It'd just be all the opposition parties chipping bits off each other with May getting away scott free.

[jon_c]

1 minute ago, darrenm said:

When May won't go on, Corbyn would be daft to. It'd just be all the opposition parties chipping bits off each other with May getting away scott free.

A Tory free prime time slot to promote his policies. Policies which are mostly very sound, and if he couldn't debate those successfully  against the leaders of the minor parties, then he wouldn't deserve to lead the Labour party, let alone the country. It really should've been a free hit for Labour here. 

[Demitri_C]

19 minutes ago, darrenm said:

When May won't go on, Corbyn would be daft to. It'd just be all the opposition parties chipping bits off each other with May getting away scott free.

I think opposite. I think Corbyn could have got a lot of undecided voters on board. Completely idiotic move from him esp with his manifesto getting positive pr this week

[snowychap]

Just turned QT on. Priti Patel. Aaaaaaaaaaaargh! Off.

Edited May 18, 2017 by snowychap

[a m ole]

Priti Patel tries to dodge the question from the audience about allowing the costing of their manifesto to be scrutinised and then gets absolutely burned by Jonathan Bartley.

[NurembergVillan]