Considering voting Tory?

A lot of privatisation has already happened. The NHS no longer funds cosmetic procedures, vasectomy reversals etc if people want them they have to pay for those procedures. It creeps up before you realise then you recall it didn’t used to be that way.

I was working with a general practitioner and remember a 20p charge in 1972 being levied for prescriptions. Look how that ended up.

I suppose with all the campaigns being run against Corbynism (whatever that may be) it's not surprising the betting has changed but, as they say, a week is a long time in politics. It only needs Johnson to open his mouth a few times, people to understand they will probably be paying for medical insurance under the Tories and there will eventually be no help with care for the elderly they may change their mind. Looking at the heckling Johnson got this morning it may need less than a couple of weeks for him to be shown up for what he is.

My 11-year-old GD recently started a short speech on leadership (at school) with the quote "Great Leaders don’t set out to be a leader… they set out to make a difference…. it’s never about the role-always about the goal.,”. Johnson is not the Emperor with no clothes; he is the leader with no goals except the be PM.

My shopping man has just been and we were talking about vet bills.

Then he said “imagine if we had to pay for out health insurance”

I said “There is some things that I couldn’t get insurance for, and anyway it would be enormous”

He said “ that’s why I’m not voting Tory”

“Good man” I said

I wished him a good day
????

I posted this on the ‘Farage’ thread by mistake. I meant it for here!

Apparently the bookies are now saying Boris will win the general election. This is the unexpected reason why William Hill has changed how it sets its prices to reflect the fact that small punters were notably better at predicting the outcome when it came to the Brexit referendum

Looks and sounds like Boycott, but with a brain

Wrong county, jura! Weardale (Co Durham) born and bred.

And representative of the few Weardale farmers I know...

Poor man. He's articulate and knowledgeable and the journalists then says "that's a very strong view". I would hope the truth would be put over in a strong way.

That's a first for the BBC. Their usual vox pop is a customer in Wetherspoons saying "we voted leave.- why haven't we left yet?"

twitter.com/i/status/1194376085812760576

Looks and sounds like Boycott, but with a brain- good man.

So true, and straight from the horses mouth

Oxford Union
@OxfordUnion
.
@Arron_banks
on the influence of Nigel Farage: “What he’s done really is shape the Conservative Party in his own image. The Conservative Party is the Brexit Party”

I do not believe that any moderate "one nation" conservative Remain voters could with all conscience vote for the Boris Johnson Brexitories.

They should vote for the Liberal Democrats or for whatever Remain party is best placed to win in their constituency.

This is not like any previous election. What is at stake is the long term future of our country.

Moderate Tories must be so sad. This party is no longer recognisable.

Jonathan Lis
@jonlis1
Let’s be clear about this. Farage is an open racist who endorses fascist and neo-fascist candidates around the world. The fact he has now stood down for the Conservative Party tells us everything we need to know about them both.

Reported

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

MarthaBeck there is already a huge divide in our society. A divide between those who can scarcely afford to live in spite of being in full time work and the rich who exploit their workers and dodge paying tax. It wasn't created by the 2 main parties,, simply by one party imposing for the past 10 years policies which have failed to help the poorest. The only solution is a Labour government and fence sitting won't help.

Frankly, I believe we should get away from tribal politics. The main two parties are creating a huge divide in our society.
I believe we need a period of more stable National Unity as in WW2.
Therefore, I shall on this occasion vote tactically to help bring that about. I strongly believe that neither Johnson or Corby are fit for high office. I would prefer a far better PM chosen by all the new MP’s.

I believe thoughtful green-based, large scale investment in the North could completely turn round the Tory neglect of the infrastructure and bring our productivity up to and past that of other countries.

What must be done, in order to achieve this however, is make the decision making Northern based, with greening the project written in.

Tories, in their usual way will put in too little capital, centralised decision making on London and use pseudo economics to go for short-term cheap, long term damaging and expensive answers.

How can we be sure this will be done properly? Voting Green would sadly be a wasted vote when it comes to getting the investment; voting Conservative might well suggest you have the sort of mental-health issues that send you back for the same painful punishment as before. Can Labour's Green credentials be trusted.

The problem as I see it, Grandad is that facilitating more road traffic just generates more fossil fuel use with its adverse implications for climate change and pollution. We are at a point where radical thinking is required in order to face the challenge of preserving our planet for future generations. More of the same will not do.

It is undeniable that rail freight is more environmentally sound than road freight. We should be investing in developing rail facilities to accommodate much more long distance bulk freight carriage and looking at more environmentally sound methods of distribution of goods from rail freight terminals. Also at restoring valuable rail transport links which fell under the Beeching axe. And, I'm beginning to warm to the idea of HS2 as freeing some of the existing rail network for freight.

I absolutely agree with you that Labour's large-scale spending plans. I just think that they must be targeted with Green objectives in mind, not just perpetrating the status quo.

TRansport 2000 was the group I was thinking of which was campaigning against road freight traffic in the 1970s. It's now become the Campaign for better Transport. Interesting site.

bettertransport.org.uk/

MaizieD, in regard to your post @22:41 yesterday (09/11/19) whether Britains freight traffic travels by road, rail water or air it will still require enormous investment in infrastructure if it is to be kept on the move. However, it is very likely that the road network will remain the primary source for transport into the foreseeable future although the vehicles on that network will be electrically powered at some point

Britain's over half a million heavy goods vehicles will continue to be required to use the road network as at present rail does not have and cannot ever have the capacity and flexibility to have such amounts of freight transferred onto that system.

Therefore I feel that the Labour Party large-scale spending plans are necessary, and in that it can also bring about a less London centric Britain with a more equal spread of wealth, especially in Northern Britain.

Economists are predicting trouble ahead ( the country going bankrupt ) if the LP go ahead with their spending plans, .....

Which economists would that be, lemon? Have you any links? I understand the the FT is rather positive about LP plans.

Are you aware that the tory party has announced spending plans of much the same magnitude as Labour's? How do you think they're going to manage it?

Of course, most economists know that a country with its own sovereign currency cannot 'go bankrupt'. They also know that increasing the money supply, or borrowing, will not make the UK end up like Venezuela or Zimbabwe, or any other place you'd like to name. Some countries have been doing it for years with no detriment. Japan, out of industrialised nations, runs the most enormous deficit yet remains productive and prosperous...

Perhaps you should study a bit of economics...

Incidentally, the IMF have said that austerity wasn't necessary...

The United Kingdoms motorways and trunk roads again require enormous investment if it is to meet the requirements of the ever-growing demands made on it.

Surely, in view of the need to stop using fossil fuels, we should be looking at ways to cut the traffic on our roads, not encourage it by 'improving' the road network? Freight should be moved by rail wherever possible. Hybrid and electric vehicles used for local distribution from rail depots. I can recall this being mooted in the 70s but roads were king..

I would be the first to see that the labour party expenditure plans (should they be elected) appear to be very large, but the vast majority of that expenditure will be for large scale infrastructure projects that Britain badly requires.

Productivity per worker in this country has been at best stagnant over a considerable period, and at times even seen to be falling. That many feel is due to the shortcomings of the underlying infrastructure in Britain which has not kept pace with the ever-increasing demands made upon it.

Britains railway system especially in the north of England is antiquated and outdated and requires a huge investment. The United Kingdoms motorways and trunk roads again require enormous investment if it is to meet the requirements of the ever-growing demands made on it.

Already major motorways such as the M6, M5 and M1 almost everyday turn into Europes largest car parks at times, and the East Coast and West Coast main rail lines suffer both overcrowding in scheduling and passenger numbers on those services.

The North of England again suffers the worst in overall transport infrastructure with both road and rail networks across the Pennines totally unfit for the traffic requirements made upon them.The foregoing affects the productivity of all who use them especially mobile workers many of whom have the lowest productivity output per worker in Europe.

So, Britain's transport infrastructure requires vast investment if this nation is to raise its productivity levels and remain a competitive economy in the commercial world. However, a highly efficient economy means higher wages and salaries for workers and their employers, and that brings forward a higher tax income for the government which then pays for the higher borrowing required for the upgrading of the nations underlying infrastructure.

Therefore I for one applaud the Labour Party expenditure plans as I feel that should they be implemented it will mean a great leap forward in enabling greater productivity that will benefit all who reside in this country.

I do my humble best jura to make you chuckle.?It’s all I can think about most days.

Economists are predicting trouble ahead ( the country going bankrupt ) if the LP go ahead with their spending plans, .....
Although, if they got into power no doubt would say that the plans were ‘just manifesto aspirations.Well, I would hope so anyway.

Bless Eddie Mair. It's wonderful to see more and more journalists not taking stupid deflections and attacks instead of answering the questions asked. Even Piers Morgan, who really took Cleverley to task over the appalling doctoring of the Starmer interview.

www.facebook.com/LBC/videos/583452952398800/

oh lemon- you are becoming really funny.

Have you seen Johnson's reckless record for spending ridiculous money for no return at all

Oh, silly us, thinking the financial crash really happened eh?

T May said austerity was coming to an end back in March, so I see no contradiction with Johnson splashing some cash if they are returned with a majority in the GE.

Thankfully though, they would not splash it with the same wild abandon that McDonnell is promising to!