Not an election please

Yes Fitzy54 thank you for asking.

As a business we are now turning more work away than ever before as we have neither the staff nor the resources to take more work on. In order to increase our productivity we need 2 more members of staff. Probably one labourer (which we have never employed) and someone experienced. (Experience counts for far more than qualifications in our business). In order to do this we would need to see genuine relaxation of employers NI contributions, which are in my opinion a tax against employment. I would also like to see the rates at which corporation tax become due increased which would enable us to reinvest into our staff and business as a whole. In addition to this I would like to see a government appreciate the role played by SME's in this country by cutting us some slack when it comes to throwing new legislation around. I would like to see a government run lending scheme for small businesses that would enable us to borrow at a fair rate (banks totally rip small businesses off by charging them the highest interest rates). I would also like to see a new modernized apprenticeship scheme where all SME's are helped and encouraged to take an apprentice of any age. As it stands I would never take another one.

I think that might do for starters.

Have you thought of the cost gilly?

Also that of course is for very small businesses, we also have to consider the rest of society.

Great oaks from little acorns grow. Given help to support more staff while the business takes on more work and expands, firms like Gilly's could become the employers of larger numbers, and a catalyst for a buoyant economy benefitting ALL of society.

But that requires vision and foresight Elegran, something in short supply.

Clearly such changes would need to be costed and the overall effect considered. Not sure about the govt. lending scheme which may be expensive to administer but maybe something which required banks to set something up themselves and enabling lower interest rates via some sort of govt. guarantee in respect of the loans? in any event we'll have to see what comes out in the manifestos, though I think we can safely assume that it's the conservative manifesto that will set out what will actually apply.

We have to consider all in society to win votes,

Sunseeker

As I have said before I have no particular political axe to grind but I do wonder at those who state they will blindly vote for the one party they have always voted for (whether left or right).

There is a psychological discussion and quote that goes the rounds from time to time:

The difficulty in getting good government is that intelligent people question their conclusions while the stupid are full of confidence.

Apparently it is because those with a high IQ recognise how much they don't know but when your IQ is low you hardly see your own limitations and tend to overestimate yourself. Apparently they attribute this phenomenon to why many of the most confident people, who had trouble in school, still got billionaires.

Yes we do have to consider "all" . We must remember that most people ( other than those in the public sector) rely on SME's for jobs. The government had no hesitation in throwing money at the banks to enable them to pay themselves their bonuses . The money did not filter down as it was meant to .

Also as we approach Brexit we need something to trade with . We should be doing everything we can to ensure the future of manufacturing .

Is it wise to dismantle the UK defences as Corbyn has put forward.?

Also
He is still sticking with getting rid of trident too but the Labour Party has announced it does not support scrapping of trident

Is that what he has said Anniebach. I would be really interested to see an actual quote saying "I will dismantle the UK defences".

In his interview with Marr I didn't hear that at all. What I did hear was we must be prepared to talk and we need political solutions. I can't disagree with that but if you prove he said he will commence dismantling UK defences once he is in office I shall have to ask myself a few questions about how I feel about that.

I agree that SMEs don't appear to be treated well. However, I'm a bit confused. Over the last 6 years, it's the Tories who have committed to raising the national minimum wage, have increased NICs once and will probably do it again when they don't have to follow the 2015 manifesto.

Increasing the minimum wage is advantageous to the government, of course, because low paid employees lose some of their tax credits. The last Labour government preferred to pay higher tax credits rather than raise the the NMW as much as the Tories have.

PS About the Progressive Alliance...the LDs and Labour won't agree to anything official (and I don't blame them), but the Labour Party in Surrey South West (Jeremy Hunt's seat) doesn't want to have a candidate, so that the LDs have a better chance. Mind you, Hunt has a 28,000 majority.

Just watched that, Gracesgran. He never said it at all, and Marr was determined to push him on defence.
It was a good interview, much better than Nuttall's.

Farage has said he is not going to stand. It could be because HopenotHate are taking him to court for libel. They have issued a writ.

Daphne, I think the NHA are going to put up a candidate against Hunt.

We all see things differently GGM2 and your definition of low IQ ( post before last one) would seem to apply to Corbyn ( confidently over estimating himself on the Marr Show this morning.)
The man is deluded, because he moves in such limited circles ( his Momentum cabal) he really imagines that most voters think like him, ....wrong!

Can any libdem supporter explain this?

voxpoliticalonline.com/2017/04/22/lib-dem-support-for-remaining-in-the-eu-fades-as-the-party-seeks-another-tory-coalition/

Rosesarered, seems I have a very low IQ, I thought wanting to dismantle trident was wanting to dismantle UK defences , seems not

t.co/gQ6PUoFyjj

An extremely effective video about the NHS. Lots of charts and statistics.
Can we afford it is five minutes into it.

twitter.com/NHAparty

nhap.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=937c3e62bc24fa37708920cc9&id=5b00530a54&e=814ede4ddc

"We are part of the overwhelming push to oust the current government from power. We are in no doubt that another five years of the Tories will see the end of the NHS as we know it. A new system is already being entrenched in its place, based on Accountable Care, a UK version of US Medicare. With the first Greater Manchester contract for £10bn out to international tender the real possibility has been opened up of sections of the NHS being owned and run by US private health companies. That has to be resisted with all we can throw at it. An NHA MP would be a voice consistently holding up a mirror to the Tories if they win and Labour to its promises if they win. And we will continue to keep you informed either way."

About the privatisation of the NHS.

Why is that link to TED?

Medi-care is very bad news. Not sure we'd afford DHs drugs if that is the way they are wanting to go. I would have thought that needs to be a Nationwide discussion before we change what we've got. It's being done by stealth at the moment.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/23/zen-like-jeremy-corbyn-avoids-firm-commitments-andrew-marr-general-elections

This is brilliant.

We all see things differently GGM2 and your definition of low IQ ( post before last one) would seem to apply to Corbyn ( confidently over estimating himself on the Marr Show this morning.)
The man is deluded, because he moves in such limited circles ( his Momentum cabal) he really imagines that most voters think like him, ....wrong!

Don't be silly Roses, it isn't me that looked at this phenomena but psychologists. I cannot define anyone's IQ and neither can you without access to their tests and these have been set up by long research again by psychologists, to do that.

I was just commenting on one possible explanation why people might believe what are actually only their opinions must be right, but it is only one idea and, of course, it may have nothing to do with such entrenched views.

I did not see such "my opinion so it must be right" views from Corbyn in this morning's in the Marr Show interview and I would be hard pushed to describe him as appearing over confident either, but, of course, that may say more about your view of life and mine rather than Corbyn's IQ.

People with businesses can't blame Corbyn for this. I'm sure they'll try, though.

www.open-britain.co.uk/umunna_fall_in_retail_sales_shows_government_must_keep_britain_in_the_single_market