Every word has a precise meaning but different people understand words differently. To comprehend what a person means you have to know where they are coming from.
When an American says Fanny they are referring to the back. When a Briton says Fanny they are referring to the front.
The Tories also have a different meaning for many words. I have tried to define certain words in common usage from the point of view of the Tory lexicon.
We’re You
All The common people
In are up to your necks in
This The mess we have created for you
Together And you alone will be made to pay!
Hence tax cuts for the rich. Inheritance tax cuts for the rich. 20% pay rises for the bosses. 11% pay rises for the MPs. Slashed pensions for the public servants. Worse conditions for the public servants. Four years of pay freeze and austerity for the poor!
It is easy to understand once you have mastered the definition of the words used!
It is not that politicians are lying bastards just that they define words differently.
13 years of New Labour was the prime reason for the recession in the UK & if you think that they will improve the UK should they win the 2015 election then you are in a dreamworld. It will get worse. The gap between the rich and poor widened more under New Labour than any government since the 50s. Why should the private sector be constrained in what they pay their bosses? That decision should be down to the shareholders not the government. New Labour is still a Blairite/Mandelson vanity project and Blair is a warmongerer who thinks he is the messiah. Brown sold half the country’s gold reserves when the price of gold was at rock bottom. They lifted Bank of England controls on the investment banking industry which led to the taxpayer having to bale out the retail banking sector. They locked the country into numerous PFI agreements which are a burden on the taxpayer. You will vote for Milipede because you draw a public sector pension which will be funded by more borrowing should New Labour win next year until the deficit is so wide the IMF will impose stringent measures on the country’s economy like under Wilson & Callaghan. Fortunately New Labour is so bereft of any policies of substance and is completely out of touch with whom you describe as “the common people” (which I find condescending) that UKIP will take many of their votes and their vote will be wiped out in Scotland. The former safe seat of Heywood & Middleton was a taster of what is to come. New Labour is essentially a party of the liberal elite and they look after their kind.
Aaah!! Interesting! Seemingly the Labour policies were responsible for a world-wide recession? Nothing to do with the US banks and the selling on of poor risk worthless bonds? It was Labour policy.
The USA, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Ireland etc etc etc – all undermined by a Labour policy.
As for the pay rises and tax hand-outs for the rich – well that does not smack of ‘All in it together’ to me. Where’s the fairness and justice? Our nurses are getting shafted while the rich get richer.
If you make a statement to the effect that we’re ‘All in it together’ it is perhaps judicious to ensure you do not grossly favour one group over another. Tax cuts at one end for those well off and worsened pay, pensions and work conditions at the other do not seem to equate. If you mean ‘All in it together’ then your policies should reflect this. Tory policy has benefitted those at the top at the expense of the rest.
I can see that you do not think the Iraq war was right. Perhaps it has coloured your view of Labour. I do not think war is ever right and Blair certainly fell into line with America and became Bush’s poodle. But Saddam Hussein and his sons were tyrranical monsters. Having a mangle in your basement to crush living human beings who happen to not agree with you is not a very nice thing to do. I am not suggesting that is a reason for waging war. Perhaps the Islamic version of a war on Islam is also clouding the issue. I don’t believe there is any ‘war on Islam’. There are obviously political motives. There always are.
Brown made mistakes with the gold but compared to Thatcher’s selling off of the country’s jewel to the likes of Murdoch, or Cameron’s underselling of the Post Office it was par for the course. At least he didn’t stand on the steps of Downing Street and give a speech about creating harmony while planning class warfare.
My pension, such as it is, is protected whoever gets in. It will not be affected one way or another. I have no vested interest.
The placing of the banks out of political control did not create the world-wide recession. But Tory policies such as the deregulation of industry did directly create the BSE crisis which cost us billions. The selling of assets at cut-down prices to foreigners deid immense harm. The selling of council houses was plain stupid. Investors have made a killing. Short term gain – long term loss.
I don’t trust any politician but the Tory hypocrisy sickens me. And as for UKIP, who want to sell off the NHS and pull us out of Europe, I think Adolf, Attila and Ghenghis would form a more rational government.
I didn’t & don’t attribute the world-wide recession (incidently which did not affect all the world) to New Labour. I said New Labour enabled the de-regulation of banking in the UK which led to disastrous decisions by the Halifax, RBS etc which in turn led to the taxpayer & the Lloyds Bank shareholders bailing them out. If you think the tyranny of dictators like Saddam Hussain justifies the invasion and destruction of Iraq then it follows that you would support an invasion of North Korea, Zimbabwe and numerous other sovereign states. The point is the Iraq invasion was illegal, justified on the basis of blatant fabrications presented to Parliament by Blair & Campbell and no doubt led to the far-worse tyranny of extremist groups in Iraq & Syria like Al Qaida & the Islamic State. Saddam Hussain was a brutal dictator but at least the vast majority of Iraqis could lead normal lives under his regime. The invasion cost the lives of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians. New Labour were the party who infused the NHS with privatisation in order to get operation waiting times down. The only good idea they have (but which has not been adopted as policy) is the amalgamation of social care with medical care. The NHS needs major reform and the removal of layers of bureaucacy & waste so beloved of New Labour. Another New Labour government would be disastrous for the UK. They are a party for the liberal elite of which you are a member. They have no relevance to what you call “the common people” other than encouraging benefit dependency to win votes. This government is far from perfect but they believe people should work for a living and not expect to depend on state benefits. Under this government the economy has grown faster than any other EU state, unemployment is down to pre-recession levels and there is a record number of new business starts. The private sector is the key to prosperity not the creation of jobs in the public sector which is funded by government borrowing. Remember Blair’s declaration “education, education, education”. A smaller proportion of students from working-class backgrounds attend the top universities than in the 60s. Kids leave school now at 16 and many do not have basic skills in writing, reading and socialisation. They are unemployable. It’s not all down to the quality of teachers. It’s largely down to the Labour policy of destroying grammar schools and trying to eradicate competition in education in the 70s. Of course the New Labour elite don’t choose to send their kids to the comprehensives they created. They are usually sent to fee-paying schools. What hypocrisy!
If you want to see how well New Labour will run the NHS look at the Welsh NHS which is run by the Labour-controlled Welsh government. It’s by far the worst-run in the UK and is in meltdown
My politics stem from my beliefs: I believe in justice, freedom, fairness, and equality. I believe that global issues such as the environmental crisis and human rights are paramount.
I find that none of the mainstream parties satisfy the criteria. They all have many areas of failings.
My only hope for the future is in a stronger United Nations with teeth and global jurisdiction. I put my faith in the United Nations declaration of Human Rights.
I am certainly of the liberal wing in that my views are towards liberalisation. I am of an elite due to my education, intelligence and the career I have enjoyed but I do not view myself as superior of part of any elite in that sense. I see myself as part of ‘the common people’. I do nor use that term in a pejorative manner. I do not intend to be condescending. I use the term to delineate the mass of people from the ten per cent at top end who I believe are the ones represented by the Tories.
I do not agree with a lot of what you have stated.
The wealth of the country is obviously not just dependent on the private sector. The public sector educates people so that they perform well, keeps them fit and healthy, empties the rubbish, keeps us safe in our homes and on the streets, stops our houses burning down, delivers our babies. Without quality support the private sector can achieve nothing. We are a team that should work hand in hand. The private sector requires a highly skilled and efficient public sector. The Tories have deliberately created an us and then mentality. This is erroneous.
I believe you have been reading too much tabloid press. I have taught in my school when it was a Grammar School and as a Comprehensive. The Grammar School creamed off the top 8% from the area. 92% were cast out as failures. Of the 8% we had many failed. It bred arrogance and laziness. It allowed mobility in a tiny proportion. As a Comprehensive we took in a cohort fully representative of the population. Our average IQ was spot on the mean and we had the full range. 80% achieved a pass standard of 5 A-C grades. 60% stayed on into the 6th Form. Every year as many went to Oxbridge as when it was a selective Grammar. Not one single student left my school, despite some having huge handicaps, without being able to read, write and perform good levels of numeracy. Every one of my students was important, cared for and equal to every other. They all performed to their ability and achieved. I think that you are probably confusing some inner city areas with their mix of extremely difficult social problems with an education crisis. Under Labour the standards of teaching, quality of teachers and quality of infrastructure shot through the ceiling.
I deplore your simplistic assertion that the public services are creating the debt!
I do abhor waste and bureaucracy and Labour have been guilty of that. But I despise the Tory arrogance, elitism and blatant pandering to the rich. We need a fairer system. The Tories undermine public services at their peril. The Private sector will suffer if Education, the NHS, Police, Fire Services and Council Workers are destroyed. The current unfair Tory policies are doing just that. It will take a while to manifest itself but it is happening. I have sons and relatives in education, police, nursing and fire services. The story is the same. They are picking up the bill for the abominable behaviour of the arrogant elite.
As for Iraq and Saddam: I have never advocated war. I wish we had a stronger UN to sort it out in other ways!
I want equality, freedom and global perspectives! That’s all! I am consistent!
In way of illustration – I was a teacher in Science for 36 years. Many of my students went on to achieve at an extremely high level in a number of fields generating great wealth for the country in the process. I take pride in knowing that I played a part in enabling them to reach that potential and perform at level. While I did not personally generate that wealth for the nation I did play a part in bringing in that investment. Without me and other talented teachers and lecturers those students would not have prospered.
My son Dylan would not be alive today if it was not for the skill and diligence of the police, fire service, ambulance and medical staff. With the injuries he sustained in our car crash he only had a 10% chance of survival. Their expertise saved his life.
The public services are not drones living off the income of others. They are valuable contributors and support staff who have a huge role to play in the prosperity of the country.
They do not deserve to bear the brunt of the austerity created by others. They are not parasites. They are important members of the team. It is arrogant and disingenuous to suggest they are responsible for the level of debt.
This government has been dreadful. Like Thatcher before they have made scapegoats of the public services while bending over backwards to the rich. They are now promising 25 Billion more cuts in public services while giving away tax cuts to the rich.
I don’t know what planet you’re on but that does not equate with fairness or we’re all in it together. It smacks of the elite top ten per cent looking after their own.
Equality. Fairness. Justice. Freedom.
I am Labour because I vote for the lesser of the evils.
UKIP are a disparate bunch of raving loonies. Some of their limited number of policies are so extreme they are daft.
The Tories are despicable.
The Lib Dems are a joke. They bend with the wind and are responsible for landing us with monstrosities like Gove with his idiotic retrograde policies of the 1950s.
Labour are tied up with bureaucracy and red tape but at least they are standing for a greater fairness and equality than anyone else. Under them the country prospered. Education has never been better – I can attest to that first-hand.
I don’t read the tabloids so my views do not derive from them. When I went to school I knew no one in my town unable to read or write and most of them went to what were then termed secondary modern schools, having failed the 11 plus. They were all capable of holding down a job. I don’t accept that is the case today & I base that view not on my personal experience or from reading the tabloid press but the views of many employers who complain about the unemployability of many school leavers. Your school has an affluent catchment area so is atypical. The private sector pays for the public services. It’s the sector that generates trade and income & without it no economy could survive. China’s economy didn’t grow to the 2nd largest in the world on the back of the communist system. Explain to me how the UK has prospered under a recent Labour government. In the 1970s the country was paralysed by strikes under Callaghan. Blair’s administration brought the country to the edge of bankruptcy & plunged us into global warfare because of his messianic vanity war projects. He’s still advocating it. He doesn’t give a fuck about the thousands of British servicemen & women dead or wounded or the thousands of innocent civilians killed. Labour come out with soundbites about fairness and equality etc but their idea of equality means some are more equal than others a la Animal Farm. You are in the top 10% just like Milipede, Harman, Balls etc.
It’s quite simple really.
I live in Hull. Under the Tories it was left to rot with mass unemployment and no future. Under Labour it was regenerated with more employment and a lot of building work. The city went forward.
Under Thatcher my students felt they had no future.
Under Labour they did.
Dylan lives in Liverpool. Under the Tories it was one of the cities they said should be left to decay. It was dire. Under Labour it was regenerated and became a different place altogether. It has been revitalised.
In my school under the Tories as a teacher I did not have a living wage. I had to work second and third jobs in the evenings to make ends meet. My children were on free school meals. Under labour I had a living wage.
Under the Tories the school buildings leaked, the quality of teachers was poor, education was poor. Under Labour the pay was better, quality of teachers improved, quality of teaching improved. We had building work done, better support staff, repairs and facilities. Under Gove, who I rate as the worst we’ve ever had, that was reversed.
My school is not a privileged sch0ool in a leafy suburb. It caters for the full spectrum of abilities, serves big council estates with all the social problems involved (crime, drugs, gangs, violence etc) and yet achieves 80% 5 A*-C grades and 100% 5 passes at GCSE.
One has to judge things on how you find them. I hardly think I am in the top 10%! Far from it. My younger sons one bedroom flat in Hackney is worth as much as my house! You have far greater assets than me.
I believe in fairness, justice, equality and freedom. I am disillusioned with all politicians but I vote Labour because I believe they are the lesser of two evils.
You seem totally hung up about the Gulf War. I agree. It shouldn’t have happened. Neither should the Falklands.
I didn’t say I was poor nor am I rich. I’m in the top 10% with you. I’m not qualified to comment on the intricacies of the education system since I chose never to enter the teaching profession. Beverley is an affluent area. London property prices are artificially inflated by over-demand. If I lived in Hackney I would move, not so with where you live. My comments are aimed at New Labour generally. Milipede brought in the “green taxes” which have benefitted wealthy landowners who have received vast subsidies for creating solar farms and erecting wind turbines. Who is paying for the subsidies? Every household which uses energy is paying including those on benefits and poor pensioners who face the choice of being cold or being hungry. New Labour wasted millions on the NHS computer system which never worked. Another New Labour bright spark, Caroline Flint, foisted the homebuyers pack scheme on the housing market – another waste of money. All it did was paralyse the housing market. Thousands of people spent money on courses to qualify to do the reports required under the scheme – all a waste of time and money. I agree the Falklands should not have happened but the reason it did was different to that which took the UK to war in Iraq. Carrington & Thatcher didn’t give any credence to Argentina’s threats to invade thinking they would not dare. They were wrong and were forced to respond militarily whereas a prior naval presence in the territorial waters of the Falklands would have prevented any invasion. Iraq was a pure vanity war for Blair. I feel so strongly about it because I have never known a British prime minister blatantly deceive the country and indifferently pass a sentence of death on thousands of people. If I could I would dress him in camuflage gear and send him to fight in Helmand Province so he could appreciate the consequences of his arrogance. I’m not a Thatcher fan. I saw what happened during the miners’ strike of 1984 in addition to losing my garage business because it was situate in a mining area so I suffered personally under Thatcher. I think Curtis Warren invested more in Liverpool than New Labour. Hull was shafted by the cod wars & EU quotas. Like some of the former mining villages it is diversifying from traditional industries and prospering. Much of the regeneration comes from the EU budget. Labour lost its etthos after the 50s. New Labour is replete with chancers. Blair is the daddy of that ilk. Their only connection to their former working-class base lies in their reliance on the trade unions for financial support. Who would want Len McLuskey running the country? At least the Tories are upfront about their public school backgrounds. Blair, Balls & Harman all went to fee-paying schools. Do their kids?