An election looms, so I think it is time to look at all the success over the 13 years that we have witnessed from the government.

Cossy

Vaccine was developed by scientists from many different country just based here and I’d say the swift roll out was due to our amazing NHS and literally thousands of volunteers, including those who helped test it. Yes , well done Johnson for releasing the necessary funds and for taking ALL the credit !

Other EU countries very soon caught up with vaccination. Going off alone à la Johnson has meant that the UK had to pay much more per dose than other countries that worked together- and it has cost massive amounts of money.

Callistemon21

DaisyAnneReturns

Callistemon21

How rude!!

Who? What?

I find sticking "How rude" in a post, attached to nothing or no one, aggressive. But at least you know the who, what and why of it.

Would you care to explain? I'm sure we will all be very interested.

Yes, I should have quoted you.

But I was rather shocked at your rude post to aonk.

What on earth was "rude" about that post?

Casdon

Callistemon21

Oh people you soon forget how it was under Blair!

Oh, but he did stop smoking in public places for which I will be forever grateful Zoe65!

I could name a lot of things that were better under Blair, public services ran far more effectively, waiting lists were shorter. Actually, my political memory is long, it goes back even further than Thatcher, Thatcher, Milk Snatcher.
Anybody who is even slightly left of centre is branded a leftie on here, it’s actually quite amusing - I don’t think people realise that many of us are centre left, whereas they are much further to the right. I suppose it’s all relative.

Casdon

Anybody who is even slightly left of centre is branded a leftie on here, it’s actually quite amusing

It gets tedious - this "leftie" branding.

Criticism of the current government does not automatically make anyone a leftie. If that were the case, then some of my Conservative-voting acquaintances must also be "lefties". I am left of centre and frequently, we are in agreement.

... and Zoe65, Starmer will not take us back into the EU. That is simply tabloid-tattle. He knows, like the majority of those of us who didn't want to Leave, that at the moment, and probably for some years to come, it is a complete non-starter. He might, of course, engineer a more cordial relationship with the EU, and that would make sound sense economically which is what matters - much as you might disapprove.

Some, if not most, of our problems, were not because we were in the EU, they were home-grown. As Boris Johnson himself recognised and re-iterated once. If we left the EU, we would end this sterile debate, and we would have to recognise that most of our problems are not caused by “Bwussels”, but by chronic British short-termism, inadequate management, sloth, low skills, a culture of easy gratification and underinvestment in both human and physical capital and infrastructure. An article he penned for The Telegraph.

He was right then and under duress, would probably admit it as more truthful than all the BS he came out with in order to become PM by getting Brexit over the line. However, Boris Johnson and the truth seemed to go their separate ways a long time ago.

Maybee70

It was proven that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that the information given to MPs to vote upon wasn’t accurate. I question Mr Blair’s honestly due to the amount of property he “acquired” whilst PM given his wife was a barrister and he was PM, as a couple they certainly were not in the financial brackets as our current PM & his wife.

By the way in terms of politics, I’m a slightly left of centralist but would certainly vote Labour in the next election, only for the second time in my life.

I remember being hauled over the coals on here a long time ago because I said I have been a floating voter occasionally.

However, if everyone voted for the same party every time we would not have a change of Government, at least until enough new, young voters decided a change was needed.

Divide and Conquer springs to mind every time politics comes up here and in other places. It’s perfectly ok to debate and have different experiences, allegiances, opinions, it’s not ok to be rude to people just because they disagree. Come in Grannetters, we’re better than that and I’m sure each and everyone in this group wants a stable and peaceful future for our children and grandchildren. Yes all govts let us down at times, yes politicians make mistakes. However, imo, anyone who can still support this particular cabinet and thinks it’s great to have an ex PM who is a proven liar and a current PM who is a billionaire, with one in between who caused financial chaos and instability needs to look very hard at what’s actually been going on in our govt.

Callistemon21

I remember being hauled over the coals on here a long time ago because I said I have been a floating voter occasionally.

However, if everyone voted for the same party every time we would not have a change of Government, at least until enough new, young voters decided a change was needed.

Agreed. I am a floating voter- although I could never ever vote Conservative.

Oh, I did once 😁

Cossy why should wealth exclude anyone from becoming PM?

I held my nose and voted Lib Dem once, I couldn’t vote Labour.

Looks like my vote will go to an Independent.

GrannyGravy13

Cossy why should wealth exclude anyone from becoming PM?

... good question.

In principle, it shouldn't should it?

GrannyGravy13

Cossy why should wealth exclude anyone from becoming PM?

I think it's because our current PM seems to be completely divorced from the reality of the lives of a huge section of the electorate, and others have been so in the past.

Of course, in the case of Blair, Labour PMs aren't supposed to be wealthy... or acquisitive. We leave that to the tories...

Wealth isn’t a crime.

Being wealthy doesn’t mean that you lose your empathy gene.

One doesn’t have to be poor to realise the day to day struggles of those who are.

Cossy

Maybee70

It was proven that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that the information given to MPs to vote upon wasn’t accurate. I question Mr Blair’s honestly due to the amount of property he “acquired” whilst PM given his wife was a barrister and he was PM, as a couple they certainly were not in the financial brackets as our current PM & his wife.

Some facts that may make you change your mind about Blair's "dishonesty"

In 1997 as I'm sure we all know, Blair became PM and moved into Downing Street. In the same year the Islington house was sold for £615k making a profit of £240k. I assume, that like everybody else he would have paid a deposit and would have paid of a chunk of his mortgage during the period of his ownership.

Of course none of us know exactly how much cash he went away with.

Having moved into Downing Street in 199 he remained there until 2007.

PMs live rent free in Downing Street and also get an annual allowance of £30k towards wear and tear and council tax. I believe they may get taxed on the benefit of light and heat etc being paid for them.

The Blairs bought their Connaught Square house in 2004 for £3.6million. I doubt very much if it was bought outright. If they were canny they had plenty of time, not paying a mortgage on their private residence for most of that time, to build up a decent portfolio. He left Downing Street in 2007 with a £300k severance package. Cherie Blair was a high earner (not all barristers are poor)

I suspect that they had the energy and ability to make money without having to resort to dishonesty.

Maybe a promise should also be to explain what happened to the extra millions that were promised, written on the side of a bus, for the NHS ..........and all the other so called 'benefits' of leaving the EU ! Total disaster for everyone ,,,,now we no longer have the same co operation from the EU that we once had ...why should we ? SOME voted leave the club ....so why should the club continue to help the UK ....cannot see any manifesto (which is generally not worth the paper it is written on !) being adhered to ......empty promises as usual

It seems to me that if it's your own political party in power, they can do very little wrong. But if it's the opposition, then every failing is blown out of proportion to make a point.

GrannyGravy13

Wealth isn’t a crime.

Being wealthy doesn’t mean that you lose your empathy gene.

One doesn’t have to be poor to realise the day to day struggles of those who are.

You can no more prove that 'the wealthy' have any empathy or understanding than I can fly, GG13.

OTOH 'wealthy' PMs have displayed utter indifference to the lives of the poorer among us.

Maybe that is because many of them are London dwellers where money makes money?
I don't really care about anyone's wealth, but I know it is easier to make your money work for you in the right environment.

And with the right contacts, as we have seen.

Joseann

It seems to me that if it's your own political party in power, they can do very little wrong. But if it's the opposition, then every failing is blown out of proportion to make a point.

We"re talking about the political party that has been in power for 13 years. We are living in a country which is poorer, has lost international respect, and threatens to break international law at the drop of a hat.
We have sewage polluting our rivers and coastal waters, making people ill who contact it; we have a disintegrating public health system; we have a disintegrating criminal justice system and a government actually demonising lawyers for doing their jobs. Education is in no great shape with school budgets cut to the bone and universities under attack.

We have had 5 Prime Ministers and god knows how many other ministers, in that period. Corruption has been rife, as has sexual misconduct and dereliction of parliamentary duties.

The list is endless and you think they are just minor failings blown up out of proportion to make a point?

God, I wish I lived on your planet....

Joseann

Maybe that is because many of them are London dwellers where money makes money?
I don't really care about anyone's wealth, but I know it is easier to make your money work for you in the right environment.

I don't care much about 'wealth' really, so long as it gets reasonably distributed and no-one has to live in poverty.

OTOH, locking away wealth in tax havens and using money solely to make more money seems to me to be a real waste of money because it's just not doing anything useful.

I guess for me it's an acceptance any government's fallibility. The important thing is how they fix it, and that is what invariably lets them down.

OTOH, locking away wealth in tax havens and using money solely to make more money seems to me to be a real waste of money because it's just not doing anything useful.
Yes, I agree, offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands or similar are very dubious.

Joseann

I guess for me it's an acceptance any government's fallibility. The important thing is how they fix it, and that is what invariably lets them down.

Any government can, and usually does, mess up one or two
things. But 13 tory years has messed up the entire country; its economy and its people's wellbeing. These are not little failings , this is major national disaster.