From the poll about voting..I'd be interested to know..

How many people who say they will vote Tory will do so for the first time? E.G. They used to vote Labour.

What are people's main gripes with Labour?

 

My main gripes:

Selling off gold reserves
Tinkering with education constantly and fixing nothing
10p in the pound B*ll*cks
Lying about weapons of mass destruction
spin upon spin
sleaze
expenses
pensions raids
exaggerating terror threats to impose new detention laws
swelling public sector to improve employment statistics
changing long term unemployed to incapacity claiments to reduce unemployment
ID cards
Constantly losing data
Creating targets to measue performace to the detriment of performance
Over spending dramatically and now hiding it in with 'global recession'
Numerous IT projects
Rewarding people for having babies

There's plenty more.

 

oh and Peter Mandelson. An MP ejected on 2 occasions for dubious behaviour called back in because they needed another sleazy and slimey spin master.

 

Everything IOWT said.</p>

We used to talk about Tory 'sleaze' - this shower of ***** have taken it to the next level.</p>

They've managed to convince folk that spending money on something = improvement. Does it f.ck.
</p>

 

If there'd been a Conservative government for the last 12 years

how would things be different now ? What effect would their policies have had ?</p>

Quick edit before the spelling police got me !</p>

 

Hang on Dave I'll get that crystal ball that tells us Ritchie would've ruined the club

We don't know mate. We do know that Gordon's profligacy has exacerbated our predicament.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth. Almost.

More likely, I would have said "That Gordon Brown's a lovely person"

 

I'm not excusing Brown, far from it

I just wonder how the Tories would have done things differently. Going forward, what difference in policies will there be betweena future Tory or Labour government ?

 

RE: If there'd been a Conservative government for the last 12 years

I'd guess at the following....</p>

I think Britain would have still been in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>

Hunting wouldn't be banned.</p>

Fewer immigrants in the country.</p>

The Tories wouldn't have spent so much on public services, but not significantly so (probably fewer new schools and hospitals).</p>

Therewouldn't be a freedom of information act so expenses scandals and the like wouldbe harder tofind out.</p>

Likeall modern governments they'd be still chucking money at IT systems faster than an army of colliers stoking a furnace with fivers.</p>

With the Credit Crunch they would probably have more room to manoeuvre having spent less on public services. How bad the credit crunchin the UK would actually be is hard to say as theyherald themselves aschampions of the free market.</p>

South Yorkshire would be airstrip 1 for the Uk having been systematically cleansed and flattened during these last 12 years.</p>

 

RE: I'm not excusing Brown, far from it

Well the Tories will shut all the schools and kick pensioners out onto the streets. Then eat all the babies.

 

Plus 3,607 new laws to control us.
Blair - who used his position to make himself money and as soon as he retires as PM leaves the House at the first opportunity (Unlike his predecessors) and thus shows his utter contenmpt for the institution of parliament.

 

Ah so it would be 1979 revisited !!!

... btw is there a 'low fat' alternative to the babies ? or willthey tax people based on the level of fat consumed per baby ? I'm sure Labour would try that !

 

well we are re-winding to the mid 70's

IMF bailing us out next.</p>

Until Labour learn to understand that money to spend on their pet projects comes from somewhere and isn't an infinite resource, then they'll keep on repeating the mistakes of the last decade.
</p>

 

RE: I'm not excusing Brown, far from it

There would have been no minimum wage or working families tax credit (I know that has its problems) and the education system would have continued to take a back seat (contrary to what people believe Labour have really enhanced the learning environment at the majority of schools) and the NHS wouldn't have been in nearly as good hands (Yes, I know there are problems, but waiting times for the majority of procedures have been dramatically reduced and that is one of them there FACTS).

 

I'm pleased the learning environment has improved. It's a shame that we're slipping down the european league tables as far as education is going though. But with more hours and more testing.

 

Don't know about secondary schools but primary education is 10 times what it was when we were at school. You should see the varied stuff they do and level they are up to. Miles ahead of anything we did. I remember we used to do a lot of colouring in.

Those that work at our lass' school who are still there from the time of the Tories say there is just no comparison now compared to then. The resources now available are fantastic, where as before they constantly had to make do.

 

In secondary schools they allw ant to kill themselves, but not as much as they'd like to kill Ed Balls.</p>

Coaching just to pass gcse's seems to not give them job satisfaction for some reason.</p>

That's a massive simplification but it's what I do best..
</p>

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article2484981.ece

This was nearly 2 years ago and I believe has become even worse since then. I'm certainly not challenging arguments about NHS improvements and the introduction of minimum wage, the evidence speaks for itself, but working in a deprived inner city, they've produced more benefit traps and almost encouraged certain groups not to bother working as it's not in their financial interest.

Don't get me wrong Jay, I celebrated when the Tories were ousted in 97, but I'll celebrate when this bunch is ousted, whenever that comes. Both parties clearly start with good intentions, but I think they get more and more corrupted by power and influence the longer they are in that position.

I think it's naive to pick a party and then treat it like your footy team. You can change colours when it starts to go wrong, or the evidence starts to show that things aren't as they would like you to believe.

 

I'm not sure I will vote for Labour

I cannot, in any good conscience, vote for a party that wants to detain people for 42 days (or whatever it is) without charge.

 

all of that and having to occasionally listen to Miliband.

Was there ever such an obvious low-bellied slimy reptile in politics.