And they said it wouldn't last................. :-)
Casting your own poltical leanings aside, I was wondering how you assess the first 100 days? Has your life been changed yet?
All I've personally noticed so far is that food prices, especially meat, have gone up and that former Lib Dems are upset.
0
Comments
I'm sure the politicians would if they could - but at the moment, just can't afford it.
If you have lived within your means, not borrowed big for a plasma screen, a foreign holiday, a car, an indulgent wedding and so on, you're not going to want to take the pain caused by the financially undisciplined here or worldwide, as a result you're going to feel fully justified if you strike against the cuts.
They are of course reforming so too busy worrying about there own 'navel' ... I think it will be one odf the Millibands myself,which has about as much general appeal as voting for Thatcher......
I would vote for Andy Burnham, but cannot see him being selected.
There is a lot of 'kite flying' at present, David Willets is waiting for the education report from Lord Brown, so he can defer the awkward fall out re Uni's and claim 'it was them' we only followed the report.
Still not convinced that 50 percent of kids need to go to uni, where are the jobs for them , now where are the uni places!......
Food prices: All of course the fault of the fires in Russia, the price of wheat, nothing to do with any goverment of course!. Beyond any of there control.
Petrol: saw the price £1.20 a litre in thanet for unleaded yesterday, soon be £ 1:30....
Interest Rates: Not worth saving, as the RPI hits over 5 percent and the rate of inflation is 3.1
Housing market: Little change here, expect a rise in the Autumn but that has not stopped banks trying it on with deposits for first timers. House prices seem to have now gone down again.
Lending to business/Banks: Has anything really changed! Apparently as tight as a ducks arse! if you want to borrow. or need a cash injection for investment I am told? Bankers stillgrabbing bonuses. Vince Cable a bit quiet these days eh!
Unemployment: This is becoming a farce re the figures, I can name several people who are unemployed that do not even sign on, especially over 50.
New business start ups : Visited Woolwich or Bexleyheath lately!.
New Houses: Lot's of talk, little action, still 4 million on the housing list!
Immigration: Ssshhhhh!.zzzzzzzzzz.
Local Hospital: I am confussed as to where we are now with the 'picture of health'..... open, closing, half open, half closed!, reviews, rereview?.......
GP's: still will not come out on call or work weekends!
Whoever got in power was going to have an immense job on there hands, and the defeceit had to be paid back as quickly as possible!.
It will be next year when the cuts come in and after.......
The two parliamentary parties seem to be rubbing along okay, but I think the grassroots Lib Dem supporters are not happy. The Lib Dem politicians are obviously relishing the unexpected elevation to power, but I think it will cost them votes next time round. If you are liberal and slightly left of centre, are you going to risk voting Lib Dem and end up with a right wing government again?
Something had to be done about the deficit and the bloated size of the state generally but I do think they've made a terrible error in continuing the ringfencing of NHS spending. The decisiveness is attractive but some decisions (e.g. abolition of the Audit Commission) seem knee jerk. They've made a right dog's breakfast of my specialist area (planning) abolishing regional spatial strategies without anything to replace them, leaving a gaping policy hole. It's killing development, particularly desperately needed house building.
I can't get over this, but I'm dreading what's to come.
Regarding universities, with tuition fees rising they're a massive cash cow for the government, likewise figures of graduates produce a statistic to champion during elections.
New houses are being built, but look for they're for.
As for the youth today, they're too bothered getting hooked up in consumerism, why worry about the state of the economy when iPhone 4 is coming out. Even there last revolution, last year's Christmas number 1 involved buying something off of the internet. People will just vote in the opposition at the next election without taking any real action.
No don't people will ask what can we do? Well this is a start.
Personally I don't believe the cuts need to be as extremely as they're going to be.
Affordable housing in South London....
Economy – starting to stall on threatened cuts, with the sword yet to fall. Low paid front-line staff will go, sacked by their well paid bosses who will have fewer people to manage. Cuts too much, too quickly will cause pain for years. Timing of selling off banks will be a key decision (in terms of yield).
Health – I was turned away from our local minor injuries unit (A&E closed years ago) an hour before closing because of a huge queue still waiting to be seen. Rumours of huge numbers of ineligible people being treated. Service swamped, do something.
Housing – new builds hampered by greedy councils wanting unrealistic add-ons, and banks over-cautious lending policies. Expect little to change. Good riddance to HIPS though.
Law & Order – more responsibility to communities. Does this mean we can give disruptive toe-rags a slap in lieu of scrapped Asbos? I think not. Will red-tape be eased to speed up courts? Not if many are closed for “super courts”.
I
mmigration – an asylum seeker is a person who flees his country in fear of his well-being. Anyone having found safety who subsequently crosses borders to find a better deal is an economic migrant. Cameron take note.
Education – faith schools are an insidious cancer on our society. If you want your children to follow your god, wait until they are old enough to make up their own mind on it’s merits. (Teens at least). Uni to dole/debt, what’s the point?
Defence – troops home immediately will save billions. Why are we in Afghanistan, if Russia couldn’t win there in 10 years trying? Cutting top brass a welcome, overdue move, shame it’s not adopted in civil service.
Seeing as we had the Tory cuckoo (Blair) in our nest for years, only Lib-Dem concessions will improve things.
The Dartford bridge was made toll free when an accident caused massive tailbacks (never happened before).
Cowboy clampers and towaway scum are going to be outlawed.
Foreign lorries are going to have to pay to use British roads.
Really, I can see every other country in the EU having something to say about that.....
On a personal level I paid for HIPs only to see them knocked on the head 3 days laters (£300). More fool me for rushing into selling.
On the up side this week, I've excepted an offer on my house (not that any government, past or present, can claim any credit for that).
I predict the next 20 years rather like the last 20 years. Same old same old.
much of the current economic situation is still down to the previous government, eg. the growth in the last quarter
the real pain is yet to come
no explanation of where the astonishing growth in private sector jobs is going to come from
big society is pointless without funding, and is evidently just a cover for reducing state services
(and NO more)
What the heck is a " big society"?
More" blah blah blah" keep repeating it until something else, hopefully, more high profile comes along.
Portilio (who i hated when he was in office)talks alot of sence these days. He said pre the elections EVERY thing should rise re tax but a small amount. The main ideas being that any large rises has such a ripple affect , but many small rises spread over many items would still start to reduce debt.
I thought the EU was still alive and kicking (against the UK invariably).
I'm sure it will be going up again soon but Asda has just dropped unleaded to 111.9p.
This is what I find hillarious, a lot of the things people are discussing just do not fit in with EU law and would not be allowed to happen, at all.
Charging foreign lorry drivers to use our roads? Yeah, like that's not illegal at all.......
I'd also hardly say the EU was kicking against the UK, we gave the EU the power to do what it does, we can hardly argue when something goes against us (for the greater good of the EU.... apparently). Every member nation is subject to the same rules.... Maybe we should follow the french and just pick and choose what laws we abide by.
not all foreign lorry drivers are in the EU (altho I suspect the overwhelming majority are) so I guess it depends on your definition of foreign?
I've struggled with this one too. What I think it means is getting people to do stuff for nothing. How that solves anything (particularly unemployment) is anyone's guess.
Not all drivers who are foreign are from the EU, thats right, however all drivers from the EU are indeed foreign and there is no way we could charge them for driving on our roads. (unless an identical charge was imposed on all UK lorry drivers as well.)