If there is an election.....

nanou could you give a reference for McDonnell pre-release of exactly what he intends to do. I seem to have missed it.

growstuff McDonnell has outlined his plans and, no, it is not scaremongering, just go on the net under Labour plans. How else would I know? I can tell you it is an exact replica of Thomas Piketty's first book "Capital in the XXI century" , which I have read and I also plan to read his second book "Capital and Ideologies" to be published en français on 12/09/19, which apparently is better than the first book (from the critics).
Agreed there should be a cap on immense wealth to stop the grotesque greed of some individuals. How many billions do you need to be happy? However, the debate goes on... we haven't found yet the System which will abolish Capitalism, although the Scandinavian countries at 55%-60% taxes have reached a good standard of life with reduced social inequalities.

Has McDonnell given any details? He's not even in government, so I doubt very much if any policy to tax wealth has any details attached? Is this just scare-mongering?

Have you read Piketty's "Capital in the 21st Century?

Some people make more money from investing wealthy (in some cases inherited, unearned wealth) than any normal person could ever make from earned income.

Of course, it's not quite so simple as that, but taxing wealth is a sound principle, if a country wants to stop the increase in inequality. By the way, I'm pretty sure some countries do tax wealth in the form of land taxes.

Day6 ??Exactly.
Thankfully I don’t rely on Gransnet for all my reading.?

Hi growstuff, Monica
Yes capital assets include significant pieces of property such as homes, cars, investment properties, stocks, bonds. I would object mainly because the main residence is included, which has been paid for at great expenses. We pay taxes all our life (fair enough) but this system of taxation feel like punitive taxes. Remember Harold Wilson and his disastrous economic policies.
I don't think there will be any exception - houses and others- under McDonnell.
Thanks for your thoughts, always interesting.

I know. An exception could easily be made for a main residence during a person's lifetime.

But 'estate' in this context means capital assets - and that includes our houses.

As a matter of interest nanou why do you object to people being taxed on their estate rather than their income? Some people earn more from interest on their estate than others could ever earn from income. When that estate is passed on to subsequent generations, it is unearned income and inequality increases.

They could all vote confidence in him.

As I understand it the next ploy is for the Johnson Party to put up a vote of no confidence in themselves ( a one-lined Bill). This only requires a simple majority, not the two-thirds under the fixed-term parliament, although I am really not sure why (or if I have got this right.)

Parliament is prorogued at the end of next week (14 October) and it sounds like he needs to do it just before Friday. I assume it has to go to the Lords - or not?

Is that right? If so what plans do the Rebel Alliance have? I tried to follow at lunch-time couldn't see what could be done although it sounded as if something could.

Help!

Difficult times but not so difficult for me. I would keep well away from Labour and Mr. John McDonnell who will apply the theories of the French economist Thomas Picketty i.e. everybody is taxed at 60% on their ESTATE not their income. All other countries worldwide have rejected the theory but J McDonnell is ready to have a go at it. Scary!

varian I've never been able to understand why leavers are not willing to hold a second referendum; after all, if they're right, sure ly they would still get the result they want???

There is no "leave majority" and there has not been for more than two years, which is why the brexiters are frightened of another vote.

The government offered us a choice, the voting public responded, and ‘this chaos’ has been entirely of Parliaments own making.

Exactly lemon

I was listening to several talk phone-in channels on the radio. All the callers were deeply concerned about the mess parliament has created in trying to tie us to the EU.

Remainers were fed up with it too. The consensus was we need to leave and start again with a clean sheet, working together for the good of the UK. Every caller said taking No Deal off the agenda was complete folly.

So Leavers, do take heart. GN message boards, the news and politics one, often seems like a Remainer echo-chamber, with a Leaver post spoiling their party once in a while.

Out there are many, many people, and presenters who are angry and incredulous that Remainer MPs are doing their all to thwart democracy.

We are not alone, although Remainers here would have us believe ours is a minority view and that we are all beyond the pale. We are not.

If anything, the Leave majority is growing with every stupid step taken by our MPs in the HOC.

The Remain campaign was based on blatant lies from both Osborne and Carney. Both of these Remainers have reluctantly had to admit their prophesies of doom were wrong.

Good post newnanny. I am in full agreement.

Remainers have soaked up lies spewed out regularly from prominent doom-mongering Remainers.

We have already seen their "all is lost" prophecies flounder and come to nothing, yet Remainers repeated them as if they were gospel.

They are still doing it, these clairvoyants who see only disaster ahead of us.

Leavers see disaster for the UK in the form of the crumbling, undemocratic, costly and intransigent EU. Why would we pay billions into it? We'll be adopting the Euro if we remain, our armed forces will be controlled by Brussels and borders will vanish as we are incorporated into this vast dictatorial European empire of a mess.

The Common Market was about trade. The EU is an altogether very different kettle of fish.

We will never be given another chance of steering our own course if we don't take this opportunity now.

Technology, growstuff, technology - that will solve the problem <vague wave of hand>

I'm super chilled, Anja. I realised not long after I joined that some posters are just wind up merchants and take some perverse pleasure out of being contrary.

On the other hand, I do take the future of my country seriously. I've never followed political shenanigans as closely as I have over the last three years. I see some of the stuff people come out with and I'm agog that they actually believe it (or maybe they don't). In any case, I want the best for my country and my children, so I'll not just ignore some of the nonsense.

PS. Has anybody come up with a solution to the Irish border yet?

Much by whom?

Chill out growstuff and learn that much is posted on here to wind some up. Usually those who take themselves and others too literally or seriously,

As a record-breaking former PM, Johnson will be worth a few pounds on the after dinner speaking circuit.

I think it's the next step in the Cummings game plan. It's high risk and might just work. If it doesn't, so what (as far as they're concerned)? Apparently, Cummings only has a contract until 31 October (if he lasts that long) and Johnson can go back to being a journalist and playing the buffoon on TV shows. His family might even invite him for tea .

I agree growstuff - it seems like he really hasn't thought this through. I'll certainly be looking at voting tactically if it helps to stop BJ thinking he has a mandate for a no deal, and I suspect I won't be the only one.

I guess he's hoping that the Tory rebels will be replaced by obedient Leavers, but there's absolutely no guarantee of that. Over half the rebels are MPs for constituencies where the majority voted to remain, so he could possibly end up with an even smaller majority. Even if the BP win some midlands and northern Leave constituencies, they still won't have an overall majority. There's also the possibility that the Conservatives will lose seats in Scotland and the LibDems might regain some of their former seats (Cambridge, Sheffield Hallam, Leeds North West, Richmond Park) from Labour. Sinn Fein is considering not fielding candidates, so that pro-Remain parties have a clear run, which would add another handful of Remain MPs.

Polls without considering individual seats are meaningless. The most likely outcome is another minority government.

I don't think I'd be putting any bubbly on ice just yet.

I don't understand why we've had so many elections since that fixed term parliament bill was introduced to stop this sort of thing happening...

Can someone explain as I'm not clear at all....if the Tories win a GE but don't have a majority (or even if they do by joining forces with another party) and BJ tries to play another game to try and force through a no deal, what is to stop a repeat of the other night?