General Election to be called today?

vegansrock

The country is on the up? Really? Some people believe anything.

Up from an all time low of their own creation!

I agree with much of what you say Doodledog - but I think where the NHS is concerned, it’s as much about lack of social care, lack of GP services etc., and, to be honest, the NHS seem to waste a lot of money. The whole thing needs reorganising.

I must admit to caving in with the NHS, to a large extent - I just use private GPs and dentists, but it’s not ideal.

We do need a massive affordable housing scheme started, but no one seems to want housing anywhere near them. So, there’s endless protests. And land, in many areas, is very expensive. Which adds to the costs.

Social housing is not as cheap as it used to be - even if we had more, benefits will still be needed to prop up some people.

All of this costs a fortune, will take a long time, and although we will obviously need to pay more in taxes, I’m already left reeling by the tax I pay lol

Regardless of who wins, I cannot see life improving for most of us, in the short term, anyway.🙄

Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.
That's the trouble for me with Labour. They like to bang on and say that it's the wealthy they are targeting, but the real rich won't particularly care much anyway. It is the average hardworking citizen, (like with VAT on school fees), who will feel it most, so just be honest and say.

Joseann all parties are going to be telling the electorate what they think we want to hear.

Their manifesto’s and promises fly out of the window the minute the winner has the keys to No.10

Whitewavemark2

Also paying for a decent NHS, education, good policing, border control, defence etc. should not be such an alien thing.

Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.

Decent public services makes for a very civilised society.

As long as everyone realizes that improvements are not going be conjured out of thin air, either taxation is going to increase or services are going to be more expensive.

If you think austerity will end, think again.

Katie590

Whitewavemark2

Also paying for a decent NHS, education, good policing, border control, defence etc. should not be such an alien thing.

Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.

Decent public services makes for a very civilised society.

As long as everyone realizes that improvements are not going be conjured out of thin air, either taxation is going to increase or services are going to be more expensive.

If you think austerity will end, think again.

No I certainly don’t think that austerity will end over the medium term, who on earth can reverse what has been done in short order?

GrannyGravy13

Joseann all parties are going to be telling the electorate what they think we want to hear.

Their manifesto’s and promises fly out of the window the minute the winner has the keys to No.10

Labour have promised very little though, which has been one of the major frustrations for the Tories over the last year, because there’s not been much to knock down. I expect a dirty fight now.

Joseann

^Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.^
That's the trouble for me with Labour. They like to bang on and say that it's the wealthy they are targeting, but the real rich won't particularly care much anyway. It is the average hardworking citizen, (like with VAT on school fees), who will feel it most, so just be honest and say.

The "average" citizen can't afford school fees.

Sunak was on LBC a little while ago. Goodness, it was bizarre.

Ferrari was asking questions. Sunak was completely ignoring them really, and just kept talking over Ferrari about it being a choice, and how bad Starmer was.🙄

He wasn’t even pausing for breath.😗

Oreo

Calendargirl

I would have worn a raincoat.

That looks a bit pervy tho 😉

Oh dear!!!

Freya5

Oreo

Calendargirl

I would have worn a raincoat.

That looks a bit pervy tho 😉

Oh dear!!!

Out in the deluge and didn’t flinch, I’m still wondering the real reason he called the GE early.

Joseann

^Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.^
That's the trouble for me with Labour. They like to bang on and say that it's the wealthy they are targeting, but the real rich won't particularly care much anyway. It is the average hardworking citizen, (like with VAT on school fees), who will feel it most, so just be honest and say.

Just who is this 'average hardworking citizen'' who is to be hit by VAT on school fees, Joseann?

By many criteria the fact of paying for privilege immediately takes people out of the 'average' group...

We’ve been gaslighted into believing that we can’t afford libraries, youth services, probation services, social care , clean water, roads without potholes etc etc but we can afford huge payments for building unused Brexit borders , contracts for privatised companies supplying the NHS at inflated prices, profiteering by Tory donors, private helicopters and private jets for government ministers. It’s led many to believe we must continue this decline.

You think things would be different with Labour?

MaizieD

Joseann

Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.
That's the trouble for me with Labour. They like to bang on and say that it's the wealthy they are targeting, but the real rich won't particularly care much anyway. It is the average hardworking citizen, (like with VAT on school fees), who will feel it most, so just be honest and say.

Just who is this 'average hardworking citizen'' who is to be hit by VAT on school fees, Joseann?

By many criteria the fact of paying for privilege immediately takes people out of the 'average' group...

OK, I'm happy to be called out on that choice of word. Perhaps what I meant was, that it won't affect the Etons and Winchesters etc but more the "average priced" little schools where working parents scrimp hard. The very parents who could be equated with those on a different thread who spend around £10k on a holiday.
Anyway, this is my bugbear as you know.

Joseann The "average" citizen can't afford a £10,000 holiday either. The "average" citizen pays for essentials such as mortgage/rent, food, utilities, clothes andf doesn't have much left for anything not essential.

MaizieD

Joseann

Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.
That's the trouble for me with Labour. They like to bang on and say that it's the wealthy they are targeting, but the real rich won't particularly care much anyway. It is the average hardworking citizen, (like with VAT on school fees), who will feel it most, so just be honest and say.

Just who is this 'average hardworking citizen'' who is to be hit by VAT on school fees, Joseann?

By many criteria the fact of paying for privilege immediately takes people out of the 'average' group...

So my family who borrowed and sacrificed to send child to private school, where he thrived, away from an awful state school where bullying was rife if a child didn't want to join the sheeple, nothing was done.
They are average hard workers.
Service personnel, being sent abroad on a regular basis, wanting stability for children's schooling, average defending the country style parents. Not every one who goes to private school are from wealthy families. Also scholar ships for state school pupils. Should we take that away too. Because if vat is added it will stop your average families from having a choice. Hey let's hammer them because they're all from a priviledg background.

Exactly vegansrock, and these things are not ‘extraordinary’. A decent society should have libraries, clean water etc - it’s not as if we’re asking for the moon on a stick!

I never cease to be surprised by the holidays ‘ordinary’ people take. The cost of those holidays over a year would equate to the fees for a minor independent school. However, many ‘ordinary’ people go without nice holidays, and make other sacrifices, in order to afford school fees.

👍 Freya
Limiting people's choices on their lifestyles.

Freya5

MaizieD

Joseann

Who on earth else is going to pay for it if not the citizens of the country in which they live.
That's the trouble for me with Labour. They like to bang on and say that it's the wealthy they are targeting, but the real rich won't particularly care much anyway. It is the average hardworking citizen, (like with VAT on school fees), who will feel it most, so just be honest and say.

Just who is this 'average hardworking citizen'' who is to be hit by VAT on school fees, Joseann?

By many criteria the fact of paying for privilege immediately takes people out of the 'average' group...

So my family who borrowed and sacrificed to send child to private school, where he thrived, away from an awful state school where bullying was rife if a child didn't want to join the sheeple, nothing was done.
They are average hard workers.
Service personnel, being sent abroad on a regular basis, wanting stability for children's schooling, average defending the country style parents. Not every one who goes to private school are from wealthy families. Also scholar ships for state school pupils. Should we take that away too. Because if vat is added it will stop your average families from having a choice. Hey let's hammer them because they're all from a priviledg background.

There’s a choice though, I drove my son 16 miles each way every day so he could go to a better state school. It’s those who have the least resources whose children lose out because they have no choice, not those who can ‘scrape together’ an alternative education.

Germanshepherdsmum

You think things would be different with Labour?

Why not?

Germanshepherdsmum

I never cease to be surprised by the holidays ‘ordinary’ people take. The cost of those holidays over a year would equate to the fees for a minor independent school. However, many ‘ordinary’ people go without nice holidays, and make other sacrifices, in order to afford school fees.

I thought you believed in choice?

Nowadays you have to live within the catchment area, no option of driving a significant distance to a ‘better’ state school.

Not here in Wales you don’t, children from my area can choose any school in the county, and they do. Parents club together to find minibuses to get them there, because the only restricting factor is that transport is only free to the nearest school.