The Tory way of governance

It's a result of all the hate crime before and since the referendum. I haven't seen May trying to put a stop to it.

Quite a few points to look at here. Firstly, I couldn't find the foodbanks thread. Ginny - I agree TM comes out with a lot of unconvincing rhetoric, but I can't recall a PM, or indeed many politicians, who were/are not deserving of the same criticism. In terms of inequality, I wouldn't attempt to argue that there are not vast differences in wealth within the UK. But I don't see that that is the result of Tory policies. Those polices have raised the percentage of people paying no income tax up to around 43%, and increased the percentage paid by th top 1% of earners to over 27%. I also agree that she is leading us into a very uncertain world by leaving the EU via a hard Brexit, but that wasn't her choice. The majority voted out, and while different people had different motives, the one thing that is abundantly clear is that they didn't vote to lose all influence in EU policy making but at the same time remain subject all the fundamental pillars of the union and continue to contribute, and that seems to be the only option the EU have on offer other than a hard Brexit. Indeed, some of them seem to absolutely relish the idea that we be made to suffer. Maisie, you mentioned a statement about competitiveness being a priority in exiting the EU. I guess that will be the case, and I agree that the effect of more competition could well be reduced wages. It could also be reduced unemployment. And let's not forget that EU migration policy is also often quoted as having a negative effect on wages, nor that the Tories have increased the minimum wage. DJ I agree totally that the reduction in foreign student applications is a great loss to us, and not only in terms of income. But that again is a result of the referendum, not TMs policies. As I have said, much as I would like it, I just can't equate the result as a vote for what seems to be currently on offer from the EU.

They've been told not to talk about jams any more. They have to call them ordinary working families, owfs.

To revert to 'hogwash'. I described it as that because May has done nothing which could be remotely construed as 'left wing'. I'm really not sure what the article was trying to achieve. Persuade left wingers that May isn't as bad as they think she is?

The list which whitewave sets out in her OP are all things that a left wing PM would be concerned about and acting on. May hasn't shown any concern or action. And while her government continues to promote austerity as their economic policy all these crises will get worse.

The real clue as to this governments 'concern' for the 'just abut managing' and 'left behinds' came in the statement that To compensate for the tariff barriers that would then exist between us and the rest of Europe we would have to become more competitive. 'More competitive' can only mean 'cheaper' and 'cheaper' is most often achieved by cutting wages (as they are a major cost of production). Although this is not particularly May's stated policy it will be a result of Brexit, which she is leading. (And please don't anyone claim it's 'speculation'; this piece is written by a Brexiter who, presumably, sees clearly what the future holds as it is 'their' plan') Clearly not much concern for the poor there, then.

In the meantime...

www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2017/02/23/the-reduction-in-migration-numbers-is-a-british-tragedy

41,000 fewer international students applying to come here, mainly from outside the EU. That's an enormous loss of income for our universities.

Yes, Ginny, even though a global citizen is a citizen from nowhere, according to her.
I think we've moved to the sixth biggest economy now. We've been overtaken by either China or India.

I'm still waiting to hear TM say anything worth listening to. Always the same meaningless stuff about a global Britain that works for everyone - she just omits to explain how! It's not working for a lot of people right now and more are likely to be joining them in the forseeable future. I had an emergency call from a charity I support recently, saying the food bank was running out of supplies. That's how bad it is.

Ironically, whilst this is happening, we keep being told that we are the world's fifth biggest economy. The inequalities in the UK are not through the EU bringing us poverty; the inequalities are of our own making. It is the wealthy in the UK who keep the poor in the UK poor. Blaming the poverty in areas like north east, on the EU is ignoring the facts.

From speaking about what a disaster it would be to leave the EU, (speech to Goldman Sachs bankers)she and the Tory government is leading the country into being a very small cog in international trading.

May is PM purely because, as Ken Clarke said, 'it's not her fault,there was no one else'. In other words, the alternatives were even more ghastly.

At least an effective opposition would have been hounding them on a daily basis without let up.

Will do - but time for bed now. Goodnight all!

Do a search for foodbanks, fitzy. You'll find we've had that thread before.

I meant I don't know how many people use food banks. As to your second question, I'm sure the economy doesn't work as well for everyone; or that it ever could; and I've no doubt it could be fairer; and certainly, it could be much, much, less fair.

To be honest DJ I don't know, and I wouldn't be surprised if the number had increased. If you would like to start a thread about food banks we can all concentrate on that. But, and this is my point, if there is any point in having a discussion on that or any other issue, we need to start with an open mind rather than assume (in the example you give) either that the existence of food banks means we are on the brink of a national famine or that their popularity is simply a function of the availability of free food.

Can you tell me how the economy works for everyone, fitzy?

How many people use foodbanks now? Has that changed at all since May came in?

The 45% higher tax rate is actually 5% more than the 40% that had been in place for many years before Brown's increase to 50%. The figure he chose was clearly a knee jerk reaction to the crisis. The reduction to a halfway point was, at least arguably, more considered. All I'm really trying to say with all this is that the OP and a few others are taking a very blinkered view. Criticising and debating individual issues is fine, but uncompromising accusations of rabid right wing, ideologically inspired "starve the poor" policies is just ridiculous.

Fitzy, the man who wrote that article is a columnist for the Sun.

Tories were dragged kicking and screaming to increase the foreign aid budget. They didn't want to. It's actually 0.7% of GDP. I bet they will reduce it as soon as we leave the EU.

Bit of a mix of things there Fitzy
If you're going to talk fiscal then you should also list the tax rate cut for people on the higher rate...
Anything there you could lay at the door of our current PM?

The policies that Fitzy mentions were harldly right wing were they?
Exactly, dealing with Brexit is a priority.

Brexit crisis in hospitals.

www.welfareweekly.com/thousands-of-doctors-trained-in-europe-may-quit-uk-after-brexit/

Can we cope with 40% fewer european doctors?

Mazie, presumably then you would say (I wouldn't) that everything that has been posted from the Guardian is hogwash from a left wing newspaper?

As opposed to hogwash from a left wing magazine.

In terms specifically of TMs promises and policies, her govt. and civil servants are snowed under with Brexit issues so I think she has to be given a lot of slack. Brexit was something she inherited - willingly, but nonetheless inherited- and the timeframe is such that the govt. and civil service have to prioritise it, and it must be (should be) taking up a great deal of resource

It's hogwash from a rightwing magazine.

A few of the recent Tory ultra right wing policies and their effect:
gay marriage; increasing the tax free allowance on incomes; increasing the foreign aid budget; increasing limits on pension contributions for the wealthy; sustained lowering of unemployment; increasing minimum (living) wage; realignment of stamp duty to charge more to high value properties; additional stamp duty charges on second properties; limiting tax relief on rental income to basic rate........

Closure of the child poverty unit is not very leftwing Tory.