If you don't vote in my eyes then you give up the right to complain about how things are going in our country.............
...............Well ignoring it won't make it go away and when you start paying more tax and vat or if you don't work and you find your benefits cut or be made to actually go out and get work or loose your benefits then it just might sink home that the 35% of the people who didn't vote will probably be the first to complain about it....not that making people actually look for it is a bad thing...
I've voted in quite a few general elections, unfortunately not always for the right party as seen by the fiasco Labour has seen to commit on this country. They took over from the Tories when the country had a decent economy, then with the successive chancellors ruining that economy we are in the sh*t state we are in now. PLady is right about them in it for themselves, either for glory (His Tonyness) or because he was always second best (Gordon). Both of these self seeking parasites have destroyed this country with their actions. I'm sorry but I didn't vote yesterday, there wasn't a party called 'The Common Sense Party', if there had I would have voted. I'm not going to complain about it, I've done this countries dirty work for them, they didn't bother helping me when I needed it, but then I wouldn't ask. Some people are lucky to have always been in employment, some people have unemployment thrust upon them, sometimes even because the government has caused their employment to cease. Its not always as cut and dried as it seems.
I agree they have ruined the country, proper screwed us living of profit of the policies from the previous goverment.
However the way things are now it never is as cut and dried as it seems and when we talk about these subjects ie employment etc its the masses rather than the exceptions to the rule, there are people and I know a few who are in certain area's in the country where they just can't get a job, but saying that they will tell you of the vast amounts of people they know who won't even try to look as they are better off not working..... and I would challenge anyone on here to tell me they don't know anyone like that.......
... funny but usually when you go to places that have high proportions on the social and all say they are skint you go to the local pub its always full and a high proportion in the area smoke and sayin I'm skint, 20 a day is about £175 a month..... again before people start bleating in my ear this is a generalisation not an attack on an individual so its my opinion from being in these places and people I know who live in such places....
....... and I'm from a working class family wearing hand me downs, grew up in a council house so no I'm not some dillusional rich kid born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I have worked since I left school, for £12.50 a week with my first job working silly hours, but it was still a job and I got satisfaction from a good days work... I know people who refuse to do certain jobs as they think its beneath them....well I'll clean toilets if I have to, its employment and its money in your pocket..... but maybe thats just me
I agree with you JTB, there are a lot of dole bludgers about, there are indeed plenty of them who have no intention of ever working if they can get away with it. These are the people though who don't want Labour to lose their power, Labour has seen fit to make these peoples lives easy to live, gain benefits for every child they can squeeze out, get housing which doesn't cost them a penny, have fags, drink, drugs all on the backs of the honest working persons taxes. I have to be honest and say that I am one of the masses that get JSA. I lost my business, my contract with Norwich Union maintaining one of their repair centres, my home, because I had a heart attack. I have spent the last year studying and now have earnt the right to have letters after my name. Can't find a job though, my savings have all but ran out and I had no choice but to sign on. I get £60 odd quid a week, I can't afford to go drinking, smoking, putting petrol in my car or bike, in fact at this time I can't even afford to insure my bike and summer coming too. I can honestly say I don't know anyone who is better off on the 'rock n roll', but then I don't know anyone in Nottingham who doesn't work, mind you the 4 or 5 people I know doesn't count for a lot to be honest ;)
DG I'n not having a go at you mate, its a generalisation. I'm sure you are a grafter and have done nothing to deserve getting laid off.
As for MP's I reckon its about time they started looking after the majority in this country rather than the minority...if we get an MP starting to go do lally on subjects the people in their constituency don't want then they have the right to tell them by poll to stop being a twat......
, as for immigration, if they are here and they are illegal kick them out, if they come here and don't get work within a set time out...and thats if they are from EU or outside it....look after our own first then others... jobs for brits first and foremost....all tha tbull shit about 1 million workinf abroad, yeah they usually get a job to go abroad not go there to reap the benefits system
I know your not having a go at me mate, no problems. I wasn't laid off though, I just had to pack in my business (restoring cars and bikes) because of my ill health, I had 4 months convalescing, hated every damn minute of it.
I agree its time we had mp's who gave a damn about the country and the vast majority of people who live in it. I also think its time the people had a say in what occurs with government idealism, mp's that think they are above the people who voted them in should by right be voted out if the majority of their constituents believe that they are doing a bad job of representing them.
Yes all illegal immigrants should be repatriated to their respective countries. Legal ones should be allowed in but as you say they should be willing to prove their desire to work and not be allowed to 'sponge' from the state. Integration is the key word I think. Yes most of us to go to work abroad, I think thats maily because we wouldn't get benefits if we didn't. Hell I love to go to Mauritius, get my dole money and watch the world go by but that isn't going to happen. We live in funny old times mate, the sooner we get back to sorting the country out the better. Not letting debts, unemployment, black holes from people who don't wish to work, social and moral terpitude detract from the life we all would wish to lead.
I think we have the same basic ideas, just that we are not communicating them well to each other.
OK . . time for change me thinks!! Look at what the young-uns have been doing all week. . . . . on facebook making sure they all remember to vote, using all those on-line policy comparisons and making informed decisions. Well done the next generation . . make it matter and do something about it !! ( lot of us oldies have run out of steam and stopped at the Beveridge report !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
In Belgium you MUST vote and you get fined heavily if you don't vote!
Re closing at 10pm... this is because counting starts at 10pm, which means that once some results are known then other voters might change/manipulate their vote to bring in a change (i know its extreme, and highly unlikely, but you have to stop the voting at some point).
An electronic system would fix this! Security wouldn't be a problem cos you'd just make it an offline system, localised to the polling station. Then each station would read it's vote count over the phone to someone controlling the main count for that constituency. Pretty much instant, and I'm happy to accept a few security flaws compared with the complete load of tosh we currently have.
DG, sorry to hear about your misfortunes. However, given your circumstances may I ask who you voted for? Who has the best policies for someone in your position? Who do you think will be best place to get employment rates up for you to benefit from?
I disagree with those who are anti-EU, because I'm one person benefiting from the system. I was able to move to Holland 3 years ago, where I've been able to get a mortgage on a house, job, benefits if i need them, healthcare, etc. I have an American colleague, living here in Holland for 25 years but kept his US citizenship... he's still not able to get a mortgage unless he gets Dutch citizenship... so he moved back to America, taking his skills with him. He also had to pay income-tax in Holland and America because there's no agreements between the EU and America. I also have a friend who met a girl in malasia, but the authorities wont even let her over for a holiday because they don't trust that she will go home in 3 months! The EU has made things a lot easier for us in Europe, and it's a brilliant thing for us all (Especially business owners with free-trade available).
Alice, you're spot on. Technology (mainly the internet) has brought us young folks into politics. I never used to give a damn, but this year I found it really fascinating and have become quite enthusiastic about it (still didn't get my voting papers though! God dammit)
That,s a bugger Matt!! Sorry GD . . nothing personal meant Time for me (at least!!) to put my faith in the next generation...so come on you lot!! We gave you socialism. . now make it NEW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matt, sorry but I don't count for a vote, I thought I was on the electoral roll, but as I don't claim for council tax benefit and my mother who is an old age pensioner did not put me on her council tax form as I was technically not living with her at the time it was filled in. I seem to have missed the loop, I have lived in about 3 different places since my health scare, not long enough in either to be recognised as such. I mistakenly believed that I would be on the Nottingham count, when I found out, it was too late to sort it out. I have to say though that I would have been hard pressed to make a considered judgement in the matter of what party or what individual candidate to make a vote for. I had hoped there would have been an independent standing up for all the things I would like to see implemented but there was no independent standing, not even a bad one. In all honesty I guess I would have voted Tory. They at least admitted that the national debt we were in needed sorting out, not like Labour who wanted to borrow more and more and put the country into even worse debt. A bad choice maybe but one I would have grudgingly made when considering the alternatives.
ah ok. In my opinion Brown was completely wrong to reduce VAT, it should have been increased to 20% like most European countries. Reducing it put the UK in a lot more debt, devalued the pound even more and didn't benefit anyone.
Tax should be raised on unnecessary things and reduced on necessities and healthy things. In holland you pay minimum vat rate for healthy foods, but high tax for chocolate. This should be done in the UK. Beer, cigs, sweets, etc put the tax up really high. Not only would people reduce their dangerously high intake it would put some money into the system. It may also stop people wasting money on such things during a crisis.
Vat should be reduced on food, water, gas, electric etc.
Council tax should be lowered and income tax should be raised. Here in Holland 42% is the standard income tax, while in the UK that's considered the high tax-band!
Just my 2p worth. All these would be temp measures to help recovery. Drastic times call for drastic measures, get out of the crisis, fix the country... everyone needs to suffer for 12 month to get the economy back on track
Well can't fault you on any of that Matt, as long as old age pensioners were exempt from VAT charges and had their basic pensions increased. I know what its like for my mother, she never has any spare cash unless she saves £5 a week and makes do without something. When the bills come in we have a hell of a problem finding the cash for them. Getting worse as I have very little of my savings left now.
It is always the case as with yourself DG, worked all your life and your mum and dad has done the same and now you are struggling to get by...it so winds me up as I know so many people not working who when you take their rent council tax and all benefits are getting over £30願 + a year.....the sytem is wrong....
MAtt if they followed the example of other countries and put up the VAT etc and theywould just use the extra money to fund some other crap idea they have dreamt up.
The tax is high in Holland but then again the wage is a lot higher than the UK so it evens out doesn't it?
I remember being in Norway and the barmaid collecting the glasses was actually earning more than we were as serving Royal Marines... we at the time were paid a daily rate and her hourly rate made her daily pay more than us...we were shocked... I believe the tax is high in Norway as well....
But I do agree with the selective VAT hike on non essential luxury items.... great idea...
DG99, yes of course the elderly need to be covered. They really suffer, and will suffer more now that the tory-boys are in. The reduced VAT on necessities and council tax should help them out, and the increase in income tax wouldn't affect them. They'd benefit most from what i said in my last post.
Johnny, the wages here in Holland are certainly not higher. Maybe at the moment with the weak pound it seems so, but when i came here I moved from public to private sector and had to take a pay cut! And I got a good deal considering my circumstances when I moved (english speaking in Holland, no degree, etc). Norway however do get good wages, but it's all relative when you're not talking about a single currency.
And yea, vote me next time! :-D Maybe I'd move back to the UK if I could run it, one of the reasons I moved was cos of the buffoons running the UK hacked me off too much.
Anyhow! Tories are in, we're all screwed (in my opinion). Rupert Murdoch won. God help you all (I'm glad I moved!)
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