Poll: *** 2010 General Election Result & Discussion ***

[sammo62]

Student loans do not cover the cost of university, by a long shot.

definitely true.

 

[meghatronic]

Student loans do not cover the cost of university, by a long shot.

Well they did for me, with a poorly paid summer job.

EDIT - maybe I'm out of date, uni 2003-2006.

 

[Strife212]

Yes they do, I get just under 10,000 pounds a year :S

 

[mollymoo]

Being childless myself, and from a 'broken' family (so no financial support for muggins here), I do not understand any parent in the UK saving for their children's education... Student loans more than cover it, and paying them back is an important part of life. I wouldn't've liked free money in retrospect - it would've cheapened my degree and hard work.

Yeah I understand what your saying but come back to me when you've had kids and see what you would do for them.

My point here is making degree level education something that is difficult to obtain (in respects of raising the standards of a pass mark) and also making them comparitively rare (for want of a better word) so that a degree in england (britain if the rest want it) a valuable qualification, something that will help the more educated, something as a parent to a bright young girl actually interests me, like I say and this isn't spoiling for a fight but come back when you have had kids. I'm more than prepared to pay for my kids education by forgoing any luxuries in life if it means it will actually help them in life, the current system means to me that if you have a degree it's pretty much meh.

 

[SiD the Turtle]

Well they did for me, with a poorly paid summer job.

EDIT - maybe I'm out of date, uni 2003-2006.

Gotcha. I was 2002-2005 and the loan + summer job covered it as well, but my little bro who is in his first year and the parents are being shafted by the increase in fees that came in under Labour.

 

[meghatronic]

Yeah I understand what your saying but come back to me when you've had kids and see what you would do for them.

My point here is making degree level education something that is difficult to obtain (in respects of raising the standards of a pass mark) and also making them comparitively rare (for want of a better word) so that a degree in england (britain if the rest want it) a valuable qualification, something that will help the more educated, something as a parent to a bright young girl actually interests me, like I say and this isn't spoiling for a fight but come back when you have had kids. I'm more than prepared to pay for my kids education by forgoing any luxuries in life if it means it will actually help them in life, the current system means to me that if you have a degree it's pretty much meh.

I agree university education should be more difficult to obtain, and am touched you would pay for it. Although as you concede, so, most likely, would I. But that's for another thread.

Gotcha. I was 2002-2005 and the loan + summer job covered it as well, but my little bro who is in his first year and the parents are being shafted by the increase in fees that came in under Labour.

But, on the antithesis, don't they have a separate loan just for the fees? Whereas we had to find the ~£1k up front? So it's arguably better for them than us?

 

[izzy eckerslike]

If the Conservative win I predict:-

scrapping the proposed employers increase of Nat insurance & passing it on to the employees instead

Raise VAT to at least 20% which will instantly increase cost of living inc. petrol price

repeal the hunting with dogs act

Try their hardest to find something else to sell off & privatise

 

[mollymoo]

I agree university education should be more difficult to obtain, and am touched you would pay for it. Although as you concede, so, most likely, would I. But that's for another thread.

True but hey it's why I'm voting for a party that won't make higher or further education easy to obtain, there is a lot to be said for putting a huge amount of responsibility back onto parents. Oh and don't be touched, when you have kids you will see it purely instinct.

 

[mollymoo]

Raise VAT to at least 20% which will instantly increase cost of living inc. petrol price

Yeah that will be something that only the tories would do.

Close your eyes and put a cross wherever you want and that will happen, it has to.

 

[meghatronic]

We *are* going to have economic hardship.

There are various people to blame, us, Labour, Brown specifically, bankers but it's largely meaningless. The choice is a party that wants to stem the haemorrhage or merely massage it?

 

[Chris1712]

If the Conservative win I predict:-

scrapping the proposed employers increase of Nat insurance & passing it on to the employees instead

Raise VAT to at least 20% which will instantly increase cost of living inc. petrol price

repeal the hunting with dogs act

Try their hardest to find something else to sell off & privatise

The **** is going to hit the fan regardless of who gets, anyone closing their eyes and thinking otherwise is living in a dreamland. We are in HUGE amounts of debt, we are really not far off Greece (infact some sources calculate higher than Greece) and we need huge cuts and tax raises to get us out of it. I think whoever gets in, VAT will go up to 20%, we may well see 2-6% ontop of income tax, there will be huge cuts in public service.
We have been overspending for years and years and now we need to sort it the hell out. Its going to get a whole lot worse until it gets better again.

The only choice we're left with is where we want to be taxed.

Labour - Loads straight out of your pocket and then spent on pointless waffle.
Conservative - Out of your services and out of your disposable.
LibDem - Out of your services and your income. Deeper than anyone else.

 

[TheMightyTen]

Did anyone else vote for one party for General election and a candidate from another party for their local elections?

I did, it felt quite strange but the local candidate who represents a party that I would not consider voting for nationally does so much good hard work for my Ward that the national politics are entirely irrelevant.

 

[The Mad Rapper]

He is?

"ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is perceived as insincere or excessive"

That would describe Clegg.......... not Davey C.

O'rly?

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one, or I sense many cyclical arguments ahead!

 

[mollymoo]

Did anyone else vote for one party for General election and a candidate from another party for their local elections?

I did, it felt quite strange but the local candidate who represents a party that I would not consider voting for nationally does so much good hard work for my Ward that the national politics are entirely irrelevant.

I did and can't help thinking I got them the wrong way round

 

[The Mad Rapper]

You sound like a priest.

Which, given that the Country is just about dead, is really rather apt, don't you think?

 

[mollymoo]

Which, given that the Country is just about dead, is really rather apt, don't you think?

meh we're not dead yet we have trident.

 

[The Mad Rapper]

Raise VAT to at least 20% which will instantly increase cost of living inc. petrol price

Petrol is subject to fuel duty, not VAT. A VAT increase shouldn't affect the cost of petrol.

 

[Steve2000]

Petrol is subject to fuel duty, not VAT. A VAT increase shouldn't affect the cost of petrol.

VAT is charged on petrol as well as Fuel Duty.

On topic, I voted Tory.

 

[Chris1712]

Petrol is subject to fuel duty, not VAT. A VAT increase shouldn't affect the cost of petrol.

Theres VAT on the duty.

 

[Muffin`]

Petrol is subject to fuel duty, not VAT. A VAT increase shouldn't affect the cost of petrol.

They add vat to the duty, so yes it would.