Poll: Which party will get your vote in the General Election?

[scorza]

There will be some pain, the spending in the past has been excessive and counterproductive, so when the public sector is cut back, it will employ less people. Of course, the issue there is that the public sector shouldn't have been employing them in the first place, but that is often ignored, just as failure to reform and modernise in the past was ignored when Thatcher was blamed for creating unemployment...

The real answer to this problem would have been to not run up massively excessive debts during the boom period in the first place... Unfortunately, Labour doesn't understand the idea of fiscal responsibility.

Which is what britboy was saying.

Prior to the recession we had a debt appropriate for the size of our economy. The global recession has been a severe one, and one made in an industry that has a sizeable presence in the UK, hence why it has been particularly severe for us and why the deficit is so large. Cutting public spending will only make things worse for us, however not cutting public spending will be even worse than that.

 

[Dolph]

Which is what britboy was saying.

No, it really isn't.

Prior to the recession we had a debt appropriate for the size of our economy. The global recession has been a severe one, and one made in an industry that has a sizeable presence in the UK, hence why it has been particularly severe for us and why the deficit is so large. Cutting public spending will only make things worse for us, however not cutting public spending will be even worse than that.

The issue was not specifically the size of our debt, but the speed of our debt increase and the timing of it. That is what is making the markets nervous, especially given our unwillingness to stop spending the money we don't have.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/uk-economy/uk-national-debt/

It is especially important to read the part about the true scale of our national debt...

 

[Technics]

Looks like Labours run has come to an end.

 

[Gaidin109]

Dolph is correct, deficit and debt are different things. Our national debt is lower than some other European countries, but the deficit, or level of borrowing the Govt has to do to maintain spending is frankly out of control. This is what is causing the markets to get nervous. Now if this continues then the cost of borrowing for the UK goes up, which in turn makes servicing the debt more expensive adding to the deficit. So bringing down that deficit would lessen the nervousness of the markets controlling the rate of interest and thus benefiting the economy. Also you need to take outside investment into consideration, the more nervous the Market, the less investment is attracted to the UK.

The trick is to balance the effects of public spending cuts against that of increased deficit and debt servicing costs.

 

[scorza]

The issue was not specifically the size of our debt, but the speed of our debt increase and the timing of it. That is what is making the markets nervous, especially given our unwillingness to stop spending the money we don't have.

I think you and Gaidin will find I chose my words correctly. The issue is the deficit as I said, which is why the government have a plan to cut it to an appropriate level once the economy picks up.

 

[Gaidin109]

I think you and Gaidin will find I chose my words correctly. The issue is the deficit as I said, which is why the government have a plan to cut it to an appropriate level once the economy picks up.

It remains to be seen what that plan is exactly. When the UK run a deficit in January, I get a little nervous so I would expect prospective foreign investors will also. I will admit I am not as well versed in current fiscal policy as I should be, but it does seem superficially at least that the Govt seem to be dodging the explanation of this plan.

I will research further methinks.

 

[Dolph]

I think you and Gaidin will find I chose my words correctly. The issue is the deficit as I said, which is why the government have a plan to cut it to an appropriate level once the economy picks up.

And if the size of the deficit is part of the problem preventing the economy picking up?

 

[Spetznaz]

Not really sure any of them deserve it, Conservative I suppose *sigh* only appathy can save "Labour", which is a distinct possibility I guess..

 

[Gaidin109]

And if the size of the deficit is part of the problem preventing the economy picking up?

I think Scorza and Britboy are ignoring the effect Market confidence has on external investment in the economy. It's all very well pumping more and more money into public services thus driving the internal economy, but as this drives the deficit increase, external investment begins to dry up because of a lack of confidence in the Govt's fiscal policies. As we also have a collapse in the tax revenue, the uk economy becomes more reliant on foreign investment to drive it's spending or it relies on more borrowing in it's absence. This turns into a viscious circle of rising debt and an ever growing deficit with ever decreasing confidence leading to a lowering of our AAA rating, making borrowing more expensive and so on.

The Govt need to be SEEN to be tackling the deficit, not just talking about it.

 

[robgmun]

Seriously, i just looked at the polls. 5%

I give up, i truely do, if you lot want to **** up you country and let Labour back in then it's your lookout. I'll do what i can to protect myself while commies can live in a sea of ****

 

[PermaBanned]

Seriously, i just looked at the polls. 5%

I give up, i truely do, if you lot want to **** up you country and let Labour back in then it's your lookout. I'll do what i can to protect myself while commies can live in a sea of ****

Better than letting the Tories in... i'd vote Green if i was over 18.

 

[robgmun]

Better than letting the Tories in... i'd vote Green if i was over 18.

Seriously, you lot must be brain dead. But then you must love hand outs

 

[drew64]

i voted conservative.
and through sixth form i was one of the socialist cheer leaders, till our media teacher ran for parliament as the Respect candidate, and i started to think about everything in the bigger picture.
If they live upto their promises to modernise, looking at thier policy site, i'll be very happy.
Ive not known anything other than a labour government (Family moved back here in 1994) and i wasnt aware of things at that time, and all through my edumacation and teens its been labour, so i dont really get the whole "all politcians are the same, they dont get my vote) as we/I've only seen one side for 13 years.

i see it as the current Government is refusing to modernise, or limit the size of itself.
if they get in again it's FUBAR
if someone else does, it 'might' not be.
and as the Lib Dems dont seem to like nuclear power, or really know what they actually are.
Although the lib Dem MP for cambridge city seems like a pretty cool guy.

 

[Naffa]

Seriously, i just looked at the polls. 5%

I give up, i truely do, if you lot want to **** up you country and let Labour back in then it's your lookout. I'll do what i can to protect myself while commies can live in a sea of ****

Seriously, you lot must be brain dead. But then you must love hand outs

Oh for Christ's sake... Can you please post something even remotely constructive or interesting? ALL of your posts in this thread have been absolutely pointless and incredibly detrimental to the standard of debate.

Obviously one is allowed to air one's opinion, that's the whole point of forums, but please don't speak like that.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Relentless ideological reforms have misappropriated billions away from care - British Medical Association

Doctors at the BMA’s (British Medical Association) annual meeting of representatives in Belfast have blamed the government for the financial crisis inthe NHS, saying that it has taken a record amount of money away from the care of patients and “squandered” it on unproved reforms.

It’s a result of [the] government’s own making - with relentless ideological reforms that have misappropriated billions away from patient care,” said a Middlesex GP and a member of the General Practitioners Committee of the BMA, Chaand Nagpaul.
“[It is] lamentable that this once in a lifetime investment opportunity is being squandered in front of our eyes, leaving the NHS with cuts in services and staff and unable to afford cancer treatments available in other countries,” he added.

He said that an estimated £1.5 billion had been spenton “perpetual reorganisation” within the NHS, £1 billion had been paid to private management consultants, such as those called in to help debt ridden NHS trusts, and £14 billion had been overspenton the NHS information technology programme.

Spending without reform doesn't work. This is how and why Labour squander money. Without reform, bigger budgets breed bigger demand for budgets, provide quicker diminishing returns and build sprawling bureaucracies.

http://futurefairforall.org/post/417476266/relentless-ideological-reforms-have-misappropriated

 

[mrbios]

This might sound a bit daft, i know nothing and care little for politics but my manager has been filling my mind with worry that if the torries get into power we're ******, i work in a government funded school, apparently there plans would screw us over

What exactly does he mean by that? what are the torries plans for the education sector?

This poll does little to reassure me

 

[scorza]

This might sound a bit daft, i know nothing and care little for politics but my manager has been filling my mind with worry that if the torries get into power we're ******, i work in a government funded school, apparently there plans would screw us over

What exactly does he mean by that? what are the torries plans for the education sector?

This poll does little to reassure me

They haven't said exactly what their plans are, however they are said to favour swingeing public spending cuts. Which will inevitably have an effect at government funded schools.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

they are said to favour swingeing public spending cuts

Make no mistake, Labour are too

 

[robgmun]

This might sound a bit daft, i know nothing and care little for politics but my manager has been filling my mind with worry that if the torries get into power we're ******, i work in a government funded school, apparently there plans would screw us over

What exactly does he mean by that? what are the torries plans for the education sector?

This poll does little to reassure me

He's filling your head with Labour properganda that he's fallen for hook line and sinker. Wake up and use google to find out, i'm sure you're more intelligent then he is

 

[britboy4321]

Conservative lead now down to 2 points. I am, for the first time, starting to think Labour might pull off the coup of the century

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5i_wz0jT3EEy3wiuVDodSxtKVNYeg

2 points! 2! Closest gap in 2 years, at the start of the election campaign!!! That's as good as nothing -- Cameron and his Etonian chums just seems to be blowing the whole gig completely :\ Conservatives should start thinking about a new leader if you ask me.