Yes, I am aware of that, but the broader point is that in the boom times on a global basis parties of all political colours loved handing out the pork to grateful voters and got voted back in on the back of it.
Now those good times are over we are seeing who will have the courage to take the goodies back off the voters - and if the voters will realise that this is being done for the broader good or whether they will take their revenge on the likes of Cameron/Clegg.
I am a Labour man but I don't think they deserve to win the election in 2015, Milliband has not done enough to re-shape the party or craft a clear enough message, his brother would have been a far better leader.
The thing that gets to me is the inefficiencies in the system which if tidied up would save a considerable amount of money. For example, if a person claims housing benefits from what I understand they get the money then pays the local council a rent for the property (out of their benefits), they will also get a council tax benefit which again they must then pay to the council. The council then pays £000's a year in chasing this money, and if it isn't paid because the claimant has spent it on booze/drugs/fags then they have no legal ability to kick the claimant out of their house because of the crazy tenant/landlord rules. If the council said to central government that we have X people living in council housing and Y people requireing aid for council tax, then the government could transfer the funds to the local council in one payment, saving thousands in chasing payments.
There must be more inefficiencies like this as well.
This is spot on. I work in social housing for a council and they employ a whole team to chase rent arrears it is ridiculous. Although. It does give extra jobs!
A Tory politician, a Daily Mail reader and a benefit claimant are sitting at a table sharing 12 biscuits. The Tory takes 11 and says to the Daily Mail reader: “Watch out for the benefit claimant, he wants your biscuit”...
The thing that gets to me is the inefficiencies in the system which if tidied up would save a considerable amount of money. For example, if a person claims housing benefits from what I understand they get the money then pays the local council a rent for the property (out of their benefits), they will also get a council tax benefit which again they must then pay to the council. The council then pays £000's a year in chasing this money, and if it isn't paid because the claimant has spent it on booze/drugs/fags then they have no legal ability to kick the claimant out of their house because of the crazy tenant/landlord rules.
I'm sure there are inefficiencies but this isn't one, yet. Currently, if someone rents from the council or a large housing association, and they get housing benefit, it is paid direct to the landlord. THere will only be significant arrears if they don't get it all paid or have had gaps in claiming housing benefit. It actually works quite well as far as I can see, the people who run up the huge arrears are those who are on and off benefit, and usually have other issues. LIkewise with council tax - if you qualify for full council tax benefit, the council send you a bill saying you don't have to pay any. They don't send you the money and hope you give it back to them, that would be very inefficient, and local councils have been under the cosh for so long they are actually quite efficient at some things. However, under Iain Duncan Smith's reforms, all this is going. In future housing benefit will only be paid direct to landlords in exceptional cases. This is part of his drive to get folks on benefit to take responsibility for themselves, but is likely to have the effect you've predicted. This does mean councils and housing associations will have to spend more time chasing rent (and in some cases the benefit cuts for large families mean they know they will not get it, as rent is likely to fall further down the list than food, electric etc.) In addition, I don't know where the govt think any new social housing is going to come from, as this measure will wreck the finances of a lot of Housing Associations. It's not true that they can't evict people either, all councils regularly do evict people for not paying their rent. What they can't do is kick out people who are vulnerable because they are mentally ill, disabled or are children, just for not paying their rent. The courts will insist that they take any reasonable agreement. As well as housing benefit, council tax benefit is being "localised", meaning everyone will have to pay something. So, someone one benefits will be expected to chip in a few quid a week out of their £72, and then the council will have to chase it when they don't or forget. I'm not sure this new Universal Credit system is meant to be simpler, but I think simpler is just a cover for "less money, more bureaucracy." I work in IT but support some of the systems used by councils. I had a meeting that involved a couple of council bods last year, I think it's fair to say they see Universal Credit as an unannounced cut, and its impact on their finances will be like the Poll tax was.
As far as I am aware housing benefit is paid direct to claimant.
I was earning £80k and would rather stick pins in my helmet than vote tory and i never would. Its just wrong. In my opinion. I mean look at them - seriously who do they care about?
People earning over £50k thinking they're billy big bollocks - these shiny faced Eton cunts love you lot. The Bullingdon club would do your wages in one night on Bolly you mugs.
Not saying the Tory B team are any better mind you. Give me Dennis Skinner any day. Or at least a politician that follows their heart and not what they think people want to hear to get in power.
Turn it in calling us mugs and using the c word. Annoying.
May i tender my sincerest apologies.
But anyone that thinks they've had it right off and willl only vote tory on £50k a year needs an ego check.
A Tory politician, a Daily Mail reader and a benefit claimant are sitting at a table sharing 12 biscuits. The Tory takes 11 and says to the Daily Mail reader: “Watch out for the benefit claimant, he wants your biscuit”...
The benefit claimant wouldn't need the biscuit - she'd have already eaten a battenburg for breakfast.
Here's an alternative way of looking at the issue: Let's say you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your street. Your house has sewage all the way up to the ceiling. What do you think you should do? Remove the shit or raise the ceilings. Labour appear to be suggesting that raising the ceilings is the better option - personally, I think they are wrong.
Here's an alternative way of looking at the issue: Let's say you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your street. Your house has sewage all the way up to the ceiling. What do you think you should do? Remove the shit or raise the ceilings. Labour appear to be suggesting that raising the ceilings is the better option - personally, I think they are wrong.
What a charming analogy, everyone affected by this policy is shit.
Here's an alternative way of looking at the issue: Let's say you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your street. Your house has sewage all the way up to the ceiling. What do you think you should do? Remove the shit or raise the ceilings. Labour appear to be suggesting that raising the ceilings is the better option - personally, I think they are wrong.
What a charming analogy, everyone affected by this policy is shit.
That's not what I'm referring to, of course. But just to make it clear, spending more each year than we get in tax revenue is the ceiling and the ever-growing government debt, is the shit.
Here's an alternative way of looking at the issue: Let's say you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your street. Your house has sewage all the way up to the ceiling. What do you think you should do? Remove the shit or raise the ceilings. Labour appear to be suggesting that raising the ceilings is the b etter option - personally, I think they are wrong.
It is nowhere near as simplistic as that, I agree the benefits culture has gone too far but if you cut too aggressively too quickly you turn a bad recession into a full blown depression and God knows what happens then.
DA1 understand where your coming from. I have only ever voted Tory twice which was actually for Borris to keep the KnewtShaggingMarxistChunt out so i dont count that as actually voting for the Tories.
But the issue is unless its the Toryies we will get the scum back who have split the Uk up and finish the job on England which they have started.
I was earning £80k and would rather stick pins in my helmet than vote tory and i never would. Its just wrong. In my opinion. I mean look at them - seriously who do they care about?
People earning over £50k thinking they're billy big bollocks - these shiny faced Eton cunts love you lot. The Bullingdon club would do your wages in one night on Bolly you mugs.
Not saying the Tory B team are any better mind you. Give me Dennis Skinner any day. Or at least a politician that follows their heart and not what they think people want to hear to get in power.
I was earning £80k and would rather stick pins in my helmet than vote tory and i never would. Its just wrong. In my opinion. I mean look at them - seriously who do they care about?
People earning over £50k thinking they're billy big bollocks - these shiny faced Eton cunts love you lot. The Bullingdon club would do your wages in one night on Bolly you mugs.
Not saying the Tory B team are any better mind you. Give me Dennis Skinner any day. Or at least a politician that follows their heart and not what they think people want to hear to get in power.
Here's an alternative way of looking at the issue: Let's say you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your street. Your house has sewage all the way up to the ceiling. What do you think you should do? Remove the shit or raise the ceilings. Labour appear to be suggesting that raising the ceilings is the better option - personally, I think they are wrong.
What a charming analogy, everyone affected by this policy is shit.
That's not what I'm referring to, of course. But just to make it clear, spending more each year than we get in tax revenue is the ceiling and the ever-growing government debt, is the shit.
Apologies for misreading your analogy then. It's still rubbish though ;-)
rel="Goonerhater">DA1 understand where your coming from. I have only ever voted Tory twice which was actually for Borris to keep the KnewtShaggingMarxistChunt out so i dont count that as actually voting for the Tories.
But the issue is unless its the Toryies we will get the scum back who have split the Uk up and finish the job on England which they have started.
There is a massive hole in UK politics for a party that spoke the truth like it or not and used common sense and werent scared. And it aint UKIP.
Last 2 elections i have voited for the Fancy Dress party - next time i am canvassing for them - make it all look like the charade it is i say.
Keynote policies include:
cutting police paper work in make your own doily classes rapidly building new schools using revolutionary inflatable classrooms making it easier for delinquent pupils to let the entire school down reducing class sizes from 3'x2'6" the abolition of student top-up fees; students should be entitled to full pints the same as everyone else. Cutting Kent off from England and towing it to the equator with tugs
MPs have told the watchdog reviewing their pay that they deserve a 32% hike to £86,250.
A survey carried out by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) also found more than a third believe they should keep generous final salary pensions.
The findings emerged as Ipsa published a report on its initial consultation into pay and pensions, which ended last month. The research, which politicians completed anonymously, found that 69% thought they were underpaid on £65,738. The average level suggested for the salary was £86,250.
Ipsa also confirmed that it is not proposing to introduce performance-related pay, regional pay or to take outside earnings into account.
Chairman Sir Ian Kennedy said: "In the past, MPs have agreed their pay and pensions among themselves. So this new approach of independent decision-making marks a real and important change and is another crucial step in helping Parliament to regain the trust of the public.
"The consultation we held over the autumn has been hugely informative and important in directing our thinking. It also serves to show the spread of views and depth of feeling on this issue. We remain committed to listening and I would urge people to get involved in this debate."
YouGov conducted online interviews with 100 MPs on Ipsa's behalf. Conservatives were the most likely to believe they were underpaid, with 47% saying that was the case. Some 39% of Labour members and 9% of Lib Dems held the same view. On average, Tories said their salary should be £96,740, while Lib Dems thought the right amount was £78,361 and Labour £77,322. Other parties put the figure at £75,091.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "At a time when millions of workers are getting zero pay rises, the idea that MPs believe they deserve a 32% increase is living in cloud cuckoo land. MPs should get real about pay, this shows they are totally out of touch with working people. How can they think that they deserve a 32% increase when the rest of the country is being told to tighten their belts?"
Asked what David Cameron thought of MPs' demand for more pay, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister's view is that MPs' pay is a matter for Ipsa. The 'i' in Ipsa stands for 'independent'."
When asked whether the PM believed that MPs should be subject to the same pay restraint as public sector workers, the spokesman said: "The Government's position on public sector pay is well-known."
Personally I am not particularly political but I am slightly puzzled by the Labour Parties bare faced cheek at critcising this Governements attempt at trying to reduce the budget deficit. Firstly I want to say that I don't think the coalition are doing a very good job either but in some aspects of their policy I think they are getting it right such as the capping of public sector salaries, after all I work in the private sectior and we have had little or no increases for the last 3-4 years, and tying welfare payments to the same level.
I watched Question time last night with John Prescott and I was wondering if he was actually part of the last Labout administration. This was a government that created the largest budget deficit in the world, sold all our gold reserves at the bottom of the market and presided over the destruction of our pension industry and with it took away thousands of peoples hard earned savings. They are like an arsonist who sets fire to a building and then complains that the fire brigade can't put the fire out. God help us if they can back in!
I watched Question time last night with John Prescott and I was wondering if he was actually part of the last Labout administration. This was a government that created the largest budget deficit in the world, sold all our gold reserves at the bottom of the market and presided over the destruction of our pension industry and with it took away thousands of peoples hard earned savings. They are like an arsonist who sets fire to a building and then complains that the fire brigade can't put the fire out. God help us if they can back in!
Worryingly, people seem to have alarmingly short memories. Come 2015 they will totally forget the pigs ear that Labour made of this country under Blair and Brown and vote that muppet Milliband in just to get rid of the coalition. And I still think that Labour will not have an overall majority but who will they ally with to form a government? The Lib Dems may well cease to exist as a functioning party after the next election, such is the disgust that their former voters feel towards them after joining the Tories and going back on so many promises. So are we going to see the SNP form a coalition with Labour? At that point I would seriously consider leaving the country!
Personally I am not particularly political but I am slightly puzzled by the Labour Parties bare faced cheek at critcising this Governements attempt at trying to reduce the budget deficit. Firstly I want to say that I don't think the coalition are doing a very good job either but in some aspects of their policy I think they are getting it right such as the capping of public sector salaries, after all I work in the private sectior and we have had little or no increases for the last 3-4 years, and tying welfare payments to the same level.
I watched Question time last night with John Prescott and I was wondering if he was actually part of the last Labout administration. This was a government that created the largest budget deficit in the world, sold all our gold reserves at the bottom of the market and presided over the destruction of our pension industry and with it took away thousands of peoples hard earned savings. They are like an arsonist who sets fire to a building and then complains that the fire brigade can't put the fire out. God help us if they can back in!
I watched Question time last night with John Prescott and I was wondering if he was actually part of the last Labout administration. This was a government that created the largest budget deficit in the world, sold all our gold reserves at the bottom of the market and presided over the destruction of our pension industry and with it took away thousands of peoples hard earned savings. They are like an arsonist who sets fire to a building and then complains that the fire brigade can't put the fire out. God help us if they can back in!
Worryingly, people seem to have alarmingly short memories. Come 2015 they will totally forget the pigs ear that Labour made of this country under Blair and Brown and vote that muppet Milliband in just to get rid of the coalition. And I still think that Labour will not have an overall majority but who will they ally with to form a government? The Lib Dems may well cease to exist as a functioning party after the next election, such is the disgust that their former voters feel towards them after joining the Tories and going back on so many promises. So are we going to see the SNP form a coalition with Labour? At that point I would seriously consider leaving the country!
Farage (UKIP) has already stated he would rather be in coalition with Labour than a Cameron led Conservative party if he can get a promise of a straight in/out referendum.
I watched Question time last night with John Prescott and I was wondering if he was actually part of the last Labout administration. This was a government that created the largest budget deficit in the world, sold all our gold reserves at the bottom of the market and presided over the destruction of our pension industry and with it took away thousands of peoples hard earned savings. They are like an arsonist who sets fire to a building and then complains that the fire brigade can't put the fire out. God help us if they can back in!
Worryingly, people seem to have alarmingly short memories. Come 2015 they will totally forget the pigs ear that Labour made of this country under Blair and Brown and vote that muppet Milliband in just to get rid of the coalition. And I still think that Labour will not have an overall majority but who will they ally with to form a government? The Lib Dems may well cease to exist as a functioning party after the next election, such is the disgust that their former voters feel towards them after joining the Tories and going back on so many promises. So are we going to see the SNP form a coalition with Labour? At that point I would seriously consider leaving the country!
The 2015 election is still a fair way off, if I were a betting man I would still have my money on Cameron retaining power, probably in a Coalition again with the Lib Dems and other smaller parties with Labour only picking up 10-15 seats.
I don't think many people - including me - are sold on Ed Milliband and I can't see Labour getting returned next time unless things have gotten even worse economically.
Comments
Now those good times are over we are seeing who will have the courage to take the goodies back off the voters - and if the voters will realise that this is being done for the broader good or whether they will take their revenge on the likes of Cameron/Clegg.
I am a Labour man but I don't think they deserve to win the election in 2015, Milliband has not done enough to re-shape the party or craft a clear enough message, his brother would have been a far better leader.
But anyone that thinks they've had it right off and willl only vote tory on £50k a year needs an ego check.
Let's say you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your street. Your house has sewage all the way up to the ceiling.
What do you think you should do?
Remove the shit or raise the ceilings.
Labour appear to be suggesting that raising the ceilings is the better option - personally, I think they are wrong.
But the issue is unless its the Toryies we will get the scum back who have split the Uk up and finish the job on England which they have started.
rel="Goonerhater">DA1 understand where your coming from. I have only ever voted Tory twice which was actually for Borris to keep the KnewtShaggingMarxistChunt out so i dont count that as actually voting for the Tories.
But the issue is unless its the Toryies we will get the scum back who have split the Uk up and finish the job on England which they have started.
There is a massive hole in UK politics for a party that spoke the truth like it or not and used common sense and werent scared. And it aint UKIP.
Last 2 elections i have voited for the Fancy Dress party - next time i am canvassing for them - make it all look like the charade it is i say.
Keynote policies include:
cutting police paper work in make your own doily classes
rapidly building new schools using revolutionary inflatable classrooms making it easier for delinquent pupils to let the entire school down
reducing class sizes from 3'x2'6"
the abolition of student top-up fees; students should be entitled to full pints the same as everyone else.
Cutting Kent off from England and towing it to the equator with tugs
A survey carried out by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) also found more than a third believe they should keep generous final salary pensions.
The findings emerged as Ipsa published a report on its initial consultation into pay and pensions, which ended last month. The research, which politicians completed anonymously, found that 69% thought they were underpaid on £65,738. The average level suggested for the salary was £86,250.
Ipsa also confirmed that it is not proposing to introduce performance-related pay, regional pay or to take outside earnings into account.
Chairman Sir Ian Kennedy said: "In the past, MPs have agreed their pay and pensions among themselves. So this new approach of independent decision-making marks a real and important change and is another crucial step in helping Parliament to regain the trust of the public.
"The consultation we held over the autumn has been hugely informative and important in directing our thinking. It also serves to show the spread of views and depth of feeling on this issue. We remain committed to listening and I would urge people to get involved in this debate."
YouGov conducted online interviews with 100 MPs on Ipsa's behalf. Conservatives were the most likely to believe they were underpaid, with 47% saying that was the case. Some 39% of Labour members and 9% of Lib Dems held the same view. On average, Tories said their salary should be £96,740, while Lib Dems thought the right amount was £78,361 and Labour £77,322. Other parties put the figure at £75,091.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "At a time when millions of workers are getting zero pay rises, the idea that MPs believe they deserve a 32% increase is living in cloud cuckoo land. MPs should get real about pay, this shows they are totally out of touch with working people. How can they think that they deserve a 32% increase when the rest of the country is being told to tighten their belts?"
Asked what David Cameron thought of MPs' demand for more pay, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister's view is that MPs' pay is a matter for Ipsa. The 'i' in Ipsa stands for 'independent'."
When asked whether the PM believed that MPs should be subject to the same pay restraint as public sector workers, the spokesman said: "The Government's position on public sector pay is well-known."
Hypocrites!!!!!!!!!
These MPs don't live in the real world, do they?
Staggered
I watched Question time last night with John Prescott and I was wondering if he was actually part of the last Labout administration. This was a government that created the largest budget deficit in the world, sold all our gold reserves at the bottom of the market and presided over the destruction of our pension industry and with it took away thousands of peoples hard earned savings. They are like an arsonist who sets fire to a building and then complains that the fire brigade can't put the fire out. God help us if they can back in!
I don't think many people - including me - are sold on Ed Milliband and I can't see Labour getting returned next time unless things have gotten even worse economically.