What on earth is it with the Tories!?

LizzieDrip

^I shall follow their progress minutely and will set a high bar as far as my expectations are concerned, in every aspect of their government (if they get in). In fact I expect much more of a labour government^

Me too WW.

I know Labour (if they get in) won’t be able to ‘fix’ everything straightaway, but I will expect them to address the needs of children in poverty.

I think Labour supporters do tend to set a high bar, and we are ready to hold our politicians to account. We tend not to ‘slavishly’ follow.

Well how much you hold your fellow country voters in contempt if they do not vote like you. I've voted for my local Conservative MP because he cares about his local area, and has done much to try and help improve it, cant vote for him anymore because of the new ridiculous boundary changes, which has now put us in with a traditional Labour voting area miles away. Why are you being a sheeple and going along with Starmers lies, pot holes, being done, breakfast Clubs, already up and running for years in our always Conservative area, at least 25 years, as grown up grandkids used them so their single mum could go out to work and support them.
Sorry but don't believe any of them anymore, liars all, anything to get votes. Certainly not Labour especially if they are going against the grain to recognised a terrorist government.

Exactly HPQ!

Exactly Freya5!!

I’m not impressed with either side the Tories are not convincing anyone by tax cuts, to balance the books they need massive cuts in benefits. Labour are underestimating the cost of improving NHS, schools, police, etc, etc, etc, Starmer will win for sure

The Tories clearly have a death wish! Having said that, we have an excellent excellent Tory MP who will get my vote, apart from that.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4nnj9n7y2ro

Every morning I player gives a glimpse of todays MSM headlines. Leads on the "cutting 17billion" in predictable papers, with he Financial Times saying analysts question the sums, the Guardian asks "will it be victimless"

"Fiscal thinktanks, as well as Labour, were particularly critical of the manifesto’s proposed funding sources for the tax cuts and other spending, including a supposed £12bn saved a year by cutting back on social security payments, and £6bn annually on cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion.

Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the manifesto could be characterised as “definite giveaways paid for by uncertain, unspecific and apparently victimless savings”.

The Resolution Foundation thinktank said financing the tax cuts was conditional on cuts to social security including potentially up to 40% of the bill for payments for people with long-term ill health, as well as huge cuts to already-impoverished councils and unprotected government departments".

More austerity aimed at the poor.

Well how much you hold your fellow country voters in contempt if they do not vote like you

Not at all Freya - far from it. The point I’m making is that, IMO, child poverty in a rich country is a disgrace, and any government allowing it to escalate should be challenged by the people. We should not be making excuses for them - I would not make excuses for a Labour government doing this.

It’s great that your GC had access to breakfast clubs but, as I’m sure you would agree, that shouldn’t only happen in Conservative areas should it. Were their clubs free, by the way, which is what the LP is proposing - for all primary children. Many disadvantaged people can’t afford to pay for a breakfast club.

From The Guardian’s analysis of the Conservative Manifesto:

The 2024 manifesto says there will be a two-pronged approach to cutting the welfare bill: better targeted disability benefits and tightening up how the system assesses ability to work. Paul Carberry, chief executive of the charity Action for Children, said the welfare reforms looked set to “hugely impact disabled people and those with mental health conditions who face barriers to work, causing yet more needless hardship for families with children

In order to give tax cuts to some, money will be taken from society’s most vulnerable.

Basically, more austerity. There will be limitations about what Labour can achieve, but it's got to be better than continuing the myth that we can have reasonable services without actually paying for them. There is nothing, nothing in the Conservative manifesto that I see will achieve any realistic levelling up.

Wyllow3

Basically, more austerity. There will be limitations about what Labour can achieve, but it's got to be better than continuing the myth that we can have reasonable services without actually paying for them. There is nothing, nothing in the Conservative manifesto that I see will achieve any realistic levelling up.

They say they’re going to get the money for tax reduction by reducing welfare benefits don’t they? Seems as though they really have gone back to being ‘the nasty party’. Are the electorate that aren’t on benefits really that mean that they’re happy to vote for that?

Yes, they've said that.

I watched most of the Tory manifesto speech and all the journalists' questions yesterday. Interestingly Sunak began the questions with GB News .Robert Peston didn't introduce himself whereas everyone else did. No sign of Channel 4 News. is Sunak running scared?

LizzieDrip

^Well how much you hold your fellow country voters in contempt if they do not vote like you^

Not at all Freya - far from it. The point I’m making is that, IMO, child poverty in a rich country is a disgrace, and any government allowing it to escalate should be challenged by the people. We should not be making excuses for them - I would not make excuses for a Labour government doing this.

It’s great that your GC had access to breakfast clubs but, as I’m sure you would agree, that shouldn’t only happen in Conservative areas should it. Were their clubs free, by the way, which is what the LP is proposing - for all primary children. Many disadvantaged people can’t afford to pay for a breakfast club.

No they weren't free, minimal charge though. Who will have to pay extra, as I would like to know how they are going to fund it.

MaizieD

I hope they do still take up some screen time, if only to stop the loathesome Farage dominating our screens.

Only one who tells us how it is, the truth- other party members can never answer a straight question🙄

Who will have to pay extra, as I would like to know how they are going to fund it

Freya Labour has already explained that the money for breakfast clubs for all will come from private schools paying VAT, like all other businesses have to.

Mt61

MaizieD

I hope they do still take up some screen time, if only to stop the loathesome Farage dominating our screens.

Only one who tells us how it is, the truth- other party members can never answer a straight question🙄

Actually, if you start analysing his interviews, Farage never really answers the question. He just repeats the same thing over and over, usually that we have too many immigrants.

LizzieDrip

^Who will have to pay extra, as I would like to know how they are going to fund it^

Freya Labour has already explained that the money for breakfast clubs for all will come from private schools paying VAT, like all other businesses have to.

Or, you could look at it another way, the funding for the breakfast clubs will come from taxation on the extra economic activity generated by the provision. Extra wages for the staff preparing and presiding over them and extra income for the providers of the food needed. All of which is taxed as it circulates through the economy.

Historically, governments have nearly always run on a deficit, spending before the tax revenue is collected. The insistence that govt. spending must be accounted for in advance and that outgoings have to match existing revenue is absurd. Governments just don't function like that.

The formal acknowledgement of a 'national debt was in 1716, when a 'sinking fund' was established supposedly for govt. to pay in surpluses in order to accumulate enough to pay its 'debt'. But a) governments rarely ran a surplus and b) the ''debt' was never repaid.

When the going gets tough - Farage gets going.

The insistence that govt. spending must be accounted for in advance and that outgoings have to match existing revenue is absurd. Governments just don't function like that

Maizie yes, you’ve been telling us that for some time - I think some of us are getting it now

I would imagine all the media / political chatter about ‘balancing the books’ during the election campaign has got you tearing your hair out🤷‍♀️

Whitewavemark2

When the going gets tough - Farage gets going.

Guess you would if someone threw milk, cement and whatever the Labour voters of that lovely City called bratford, good name for it, over you.

Freya5

Whitewavemark2

When the going gets tough - Farage gets going.

Guess you would if someone threw milk, cement and whatever the Labour voters of that lovely City called bratford, good name for it, over you.

No I’m talking about interviews.

He even cancelled the BBC interview.

Interestingly I have been looking up the incidents of stuff being thrown at politicians and it dates back for centuries, happens in every country and with all sorts of articles. In Asia - I think it is it is highly insulting to throw your shoe at someone.

Farage is merely taking part in a tradition as old as politicians have been on this earth.

Strange that Schapps said that all the Tories were fighting for now was that Labour don’t get too big a majority:

www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/12/tories-fighting-prevent-labour-supermajority-election-grant-shapps

Funny way to fight an election. 🙄

DiamondLily

Strange that Schapps said that all the Tories were fighting for now was that Labour don’t get too big a majority:

www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/12/tories-fighting-prevent-labour-supermajority-election-grant-shapps

Funny way to fight an election. 🙄

Schapps is talking about Labour getting a mega-landslide.

I wish they wouldnt.😡

He knows they’re doomed DiamondLily! It doesn’t take Einstein to work out they’re going down the pan.

Schapps is talking about Labour getting a mega-landslide

Possibly clever psychology?
Voter “oh I’m not going to bother voting Labour tonight as they’re going to romp it anyway”.