Why don't they LISTEN?

Total agreement from me Luckygirl.
I live in an urban area where we've been fortunate to have decent schools and health centres. Our own health centre is a teaching practice, it's provided good care to patients for the 48 years I've lived here. As the GP's of my generation retired, difficulties have arisen in attracting young GP's. Currently, there is a 3 week wait to see a doctor at the practice, unless its an emergency.
This is a situation that is being replicated across the country.

The other question I'd pose Lucky is how come so many voters seem not to realise what is happening in our country.

I agree totally with both of you.
Not sure if you can see this, but

www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn&sk=h_chr

It's from a site called Evolve Politics, even the interviewer can't believe what he is hearing

TM's decision to call an election may well bite her in the bum!

It's costing the tax payer 160 million -

I'm a Conservative voter, and always have been, I think it stems from being brought up in a rural, farming g community. Maybe not this time though, I think that Theresa May has shot herself in the foot! It's patently obviously that she doesn't listen. My DD struggles to home educate and find services for her boys who have complex sensory processing issues. She has to jump through hoops to get any help, and claiming for DLA is a complete farce. They try to get by on one income which is earned by my SiL who is away from home for 9 months of the year, when he is really needed at home.
I don't like Jeremy Corbyn either, so my only other choice is the Link Dems, and I don't like their policies either. Aaaagh!

yggdrasil - I cannot access your link because I am not a facebook subscriber. I can get on to the Evolve site though - could you tell me what the clip is called please?

They are certainly listening to those of us up here who do not want another divisive independence referendum. TM's hard line on keeping the union is music to many ears!

But not all jane. Without the powers devolved to Holyrood we'd be open to many more of the social disasters that are happening south of the border. I've said before that things are far from perfect here but would choose Holyrood over Westminster any day.
And that's without getting into the independence debate.

I don't think any of the parties are particularly good at listening. They seem to think we will just believe what they say! Just look at the opposition to HS 2. Yet both labour and conservative parties are promising (for what that's worth) to go ahead with its construction.

I agree that listening does not seem to be a prime skill of most governments; but I do think the Tories have taken it into a new league; their ears being stopped by political dogma. Gove was a high point/low point in this deafness - was there a single teacher who did not tell him that his back-of-the-envelope ideas would be disastrous? - I doubt it - and here we are in the middle of the mire.

They don't listen and very rarely give a straight answer when a question they don't like is put to them .

I hate 'yes, I am listening and when we get in we will look into it'. It means nothing, but people believe something will be done.

All this 'they aren't listening' could be said ( and probably was said) at any time in history, with whoever was in control.
People are good at blocking out anything for the times they ( of all political parties)
Actually did listen and responded.
As Jane 10 said ( somewhere, have lost track of threads) political parties can't be all things to all men.
However they can be accountable if they don't do the things they say they will or change track.

Both Tory and Labour have said they will put more money into education.

Putting more money into education will not solve the problems: it will just fund unnecessary free schools, unnecessary assessment procedures, unnecessary officers to scrutinise the assessments, unnecessary private organisations cashing in through outsoourcing etc. etc.

It is not just about money; it about policies. I do not like to see taxpayers' money being poured down the drain in this way.