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An unexpected surprise No.2
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William Send message Joined: 14 Feb 13 Posts: 2037 Credit: 17,689,662 RAC: 0 |
*tiptoes in wearing heavy armour* Ok, I'll start us by reposting Winterknights kind summary: Turnout was 52.7%, down from 69.3% at the 2010 general election. A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read. (Mark Twain) |
William Send message Joined: 14 Feb 13 Posts: 2037 Credit: 17,689,662 RAC: 0 |
So, the LibDems retained their seat. While I'm not particularly fond of the LibDems, vastly better than UKIP. If UKIP voters make up 15% of the population, something is going massively wrong in the UK. Far right parties gaining that much support is always an alarm signal. So the Conservatives came third, eh? Some people realised that Cameron maybe wasn't such a great idea? And the massive loss for LibDem doesn't surprise me. They sold out too much of their ideals when they formed a coalition with the Conservatives. A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read. (Mark Twain) |
Richard Haselgrove Send message Joined: 4 Jul 99 Posts: 14644 Credit: 200,643,578 RAC: 874 |
At the moment I think he is the best deal we can get. I might disagree with his politics, but no-one else comes close to his performances at the Dispatch Box. At PMQ he just slaughters Milliband, it's an artform in its own right. I think that's one of the unplanned, and unhelpful, side effects of the media age on democracy. As we've just seen in Italy, the competent but drab technocrat lost out badly at the polls: the charismatic media tycoon, and the comedian, were big winners. What would UK PMQs be like if the protagonists were Silvio Berlusconi and Beppe Grillo? Great fun, and brilliant television - but I doubt the country would be better governed as a result. I stayed up for the declaration last night, and one thing that struck me - but hasn't been mentioned in any of the commentaries I've heard - was the difference in personality between the two ladies - the UKIP candidate in second place, and the Conservative in third place. I suspect UKIP earned the protest vote - at least in part - because they fielded a plausible and personable candidate, and the tories didn't: at least, that's the impression I gained from those two brief TV speeches - they may come over differently when not dog-tired at the end of an intense campaign. |
John Clark Send message Joined: 29 Sep 99 Posts: 16515 Credit: 4,418,829 RAC: 0 |
I think Clegg and the winning Lib Dem candidate deserved the win, and on local issues. The By-election came from a scandal, and the papers kept Clegg running with different statements as if that scandal is important to the voters. Despite all this local issues got them back, quite rightly. The rest is unimportant to that electorate, the country and only important to the players in each scandal. I hope the Parliamentary bubble media shut up some time rather than continuously stirying to break new non-news. It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues |
Nick Send message Joined: 11 Oct 11 Posts: 4344 Credit: 3,313,107 RAC: 0 |
After Eastleigh, Clegg can go back to Cabinet and say, look here, you can't ride roughshod over us any more, the country has spoken. It's too early yet to fully take in all the ramifications of recent events, but I feel it is exciting times for the countries politics. Most people alive haven't lived under a Coalition before, the last times was WWII for quite different reasons. We need to remember how to do it for the benfit of the Country. Your beginning to sound like a "run of the mill politicians" here Chris!! The country never speaks via bi-elections but only during general elections. The swing away from the libs was greater than it was away from the cons. So basically Cleg comes away from this election with no clout at all. The Kite Fliers -------------------- Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes. |
Nick Send message Joined: 11 Oct 11 Posts: 4344 Credit: 3,313,107 RAC: 0 |
The country in the form of local by-elections does speak, always has done, it's like a half term school report. In keeping with half term school reports, many tended to end with the note, "Must do better". This for the main stream political parties is nye on impossible. Hence a swing away, by the electorate, towards a fourth party; call it a protest party if one likes. No ones listening to the protesters and acting accordingly, politics is finally getting exciting...for the right reasons or is it for the wrong reasons?? The Kite Fliers -------------------- Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24870 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
This says it all.... "This isn't a crisis for a government but a crisis of governance. We're living in a country where politicians talk about fixing things... but they seem powerless to deal with it. There is a real sense that the whole of the Westminster village is living in its own world talking in its own terms and has lost touch. A small professional managerial class is running British politics and they have very little to do with the ordinary lives of ordinary people up and down the country. If we're going to avoid an Italian situation where comedians start getting elected then the whole British political establishment has got to be forced to engage much more actively with what ordinary people are feeling." Source: - Bernard Jenkin - Conservative MP for Harwich & North Essex. Never a truer word spoken in jest! |
Nick Send message Joined: 11 Oct 11 Posts: 4344 Credit: 3,313,107 RAC: 0 |
Chris, I don't have any faith in the Libs being a genuine alternative to the Cons & Labs. One thing we three here, You, me and Sirius have in common is that we all recognised that "The system" is in desperate need of change. Less politics, less politicians in our faces, less political interference, less Europe hence allowing Great Britain to breath again. A Britain where the populous decides on it's destiny but not a destiny decided on by politicians for the latter has failed us miserably. The Kite Fliers -------------------- Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24870 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Chris, I don't have any faith in the Libs being a genuine alternative to the Unfortunately Nick, while we have thieves in important departments doing deals under the table like HMR&C, the ordinary man in the street is screwed & will continue to be unless very serious changes are implemented from the top downwards. Let's see: - Vodafone, Barclays, Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Google etc, all doing deals or avoiding their share of tax. Major banks making serious losses & yet continue to pay out big bonuses.... ...AND from next month we see this...... Tax Cut Countdown & don't forget December 31st 2013...... Another EU fiasco! Great Britain breathe again? You must be joking! It suffered a serious cardiac arrest in 1979.... .... lost a lung in 1997 & it's remaining one is failing. |
Richard Haselgrove Send message Joined: 4 Jul 99 Posts: 14644 Credit: 200,643,578 RAC: 874 |
Vodafone, Barclays, Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Google etc, all doing deals or avoiding their share of tax. During which, the then Conservative opposition were making incessant calls to "reduce the burden of regulation" on business. Note that regulations are only a burden on badly run businesses, such as the crooks and spivs above. In twenty years of self-employment, I think I only came across three regulations: pay your taxes, pay your National Insurance, and register under the Data Protection Act (as it then was). None of them was a burden - I just got a letter from the tax office each year, saying "We are pleased to accept your calculations". |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30591 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Perhaps we should have a world government which outlaws tax havens ..... Or we could outlaw taxes on pieces of paper and only impose them on flesh and blood. I know it won't work, it wouldn't have enough loopholes to stand a chance of passing. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24870 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Rolls Royce To be quite honest, I read the whole story & not from the "Waily Fail" either. With their history, especially with providing the Spitfires & Lancasters with those famous Merlin engines of theirs, I was dismayed. |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30591 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
I am horrified if this is true Why would you be horrified of your tax code? |
betreger Send message Joined: 29 Jun 99 Posts: 11354 Credit: 29,581,041 RAC: 66 |
"Let's see: - Vodafone, Barclays, Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Google etc, all doing deals or avoiding their share of tax. Major banks making serious losses & yet continue to pay out big bonuses...." This is a world wide problem. They want to use our infrastructure, they want access to our markets, they want the political stability our societies provide and they do not want to contribute. I say let them go to Somalia or the like. Others will spring up to fill the economic void. |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30591 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
They want to use our infrastructure, they want access to our markets, they want the political stability our societies provide and they do not want to contribute. Who is "they"? Is that your pension fund that owns shares in each of them? |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30591 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
What I meant Gary was that the name of Rolls Royce is respected around the world as the very essence of Britisness and quality in both the automotive and aerospace areas. To think that they haven't been upfront in paying due taxes I see as a bit of a blow to our national pride. Bear in mind though that this is the aerospace engine builder, Rolls Royce motors are owned by BMW. They are just doing their fiduciary duty to their shareholders as every other corporation on the face of the planet should. Why should there by any surprise that they are obeying the law? Do you expect them to violate it? Are you unaware of the law? |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30591 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
Ah, the ways of the press ... The cleaner they are ... we love dirty laundry Gary, we seem at complete cross purposes here.... |
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