[Archived] Election

[thenodrog]

btw, does anyone know who's going to pay for their unemployment benefits?

errr. Thats blindingly obvious Dave. It'll be the very same people who are paying their wages now.

Using your skewed logic the thing to do would be to make everybody in the country a public sector worker. Really great thinking dave. Don't give up your day job will you?

[thenodrog]

....

Some of those "jobs", theno, may, just may, have been good for the country you live in.

How about it, just for once, you, yes you, Theno back up all your rhetoric and stand for Council/ parliament and show the real England what you're all about.

The nation is in deep financial trouble so I'm willing to risk losing a few designers of paper aeroplanes and paper clip chain makers.

Oh and it's no good me standing for parliament I'm too busy providing for my family and trying my utmost to get us all through life without being dependent on anybody else.

[dave birch]

errr. Thats blindingly obvious Dave. It'll be the very same people who are paying their wages now.

Using your skewed logic the thing to do would be to make everybody in the country a public sector worker. Really great thinking dave. Don't give up your day job will you?

My "skewed" logic says you were paying them before. The only difference is that before they would have been putting more into the economy (by the benefit of earning more, rather than being on the dole), therefore helping business people keep others employed. If they've got less to spend, then who loses out?

[dave birch]

The nation is in deep financial trouble so I'm willing to risk losing a few designers of paper aeroplanes and paper clip chain makers.

Oh and it's no good me standing for parliament I'm too busy providing for my family and trying my utmost to get us all through life without being dependent on anybody else.

The nation may be in deep trouble, but the way to dig yourself into deeper trouble is to create a larger debt, by virtue of having to pay benefits. Paying benefits gains you sweet FA.

BTW, how can you state "I'm willing to risk losing a few designers of paper aeroplanes and paper clip chain makers" when you don't know or understand those jobs that are to be axed?

If the nation is in "deep financial trouble", what are you doing to get it back on track.

You're very vocal about the problems, but are very thin on solutions, and if you do come up with a solution, you know you can't implement it.

That's why I asked you to stand for council or parliament.

[BuckyRover]

500,000 sounds like a big number, but it's nothing.

Spread over 5 years, 100k pa out of a public sector workforce of circa. 6m.

Less than 2% per annum, easily achieved via natural wastage (retirements etc).

Save your ire and relax knowing we are no longer heading to financial oblivion.

[RibbleValleyRover]

500,000 sounds like a big number, but it's nothing.

Spread over 5 years, 100k pa out of a public sector workforce of circa. 6m.

Less than 2% per annum, easily achieved via natural wastage (retirements etc).

Save your ire and relax knowing we are no longer heading to financial oblivion.

Also what was the figure Osbourne mentioned in terms of the number of jobs being created over the past 3 months? Something like 170,000?

BBC License fee frozen for 6 years is a good move.

I have to delve deeper into the details but the CSR doesn't look anywhere near as bad as some feared. Some flexibility there for changes if the economy starts to recover better than expected as well.

[den]

Spending review - poorest take the hardest hit. Tory cheers as cuts announced in house.

Sky news.

[jim mk2]

Predictable assault on the hard-working public sector delivered in a sneering, arrogant manner by a wealthy southern forrmer public schoolboy who talks about fairness but chooses to hit the poorest and weakest hardest while levying a pitiful £2.5bn tax on the banks on the day that just one of those banks, Goldman Sachs, announced it was handing out $13bn in bonuses this year to its employees.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union, summed up the Osborne's speech when he said: ``These cuts represent the most brutal assault on public services, jobs and living standards since the 1930's and show that the ConDem government are prepared to force working people to carry the can for an economic crisis cooked up in the boardrooms and on the trading floors. This is all-out class war with its roots firmly planted in the playing fields of Eton.''

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union said: ``This spending review will throw a generation of people on the scrapheap. These cuts are a political choice, there is an alternative, not a penny needs to be cut, nor a single job lost.

``Rather than attacking the vital services offered by our members and removing jobs from some of the most vulnerable communities across the UK, the coalition should be creating jobs in both the public and private sectors, closing the £120 billion tax gap, introducing a Robin Hood Tax on banking speculation and investing in our future.

``This announcement shows we are not all in this together but illustrates that it is the poorest in society who will have to bear the brunt of a crisis that was not of their making, while the millionaires in the Cabinet massively increase the gap between the haves and have nots.''

[jim mk2]

Oh and it's no good me standing for parliament I'm too busy providing for my family and trying my utmost to get us all through life without being dependent on anybody else. I haven't got a clue about public service and I'm too busy looking after myself while screwing everybody else

Amended for you.

[Paul]

Also what was the figure Osbourne mentioned in terms of the number of jobs being <b>created</b> over the past 3 months? Something like 170,000? />

It was 178000 in the last quarter - June to August. With unemployment at 2.45 million everyone should be in full employment in 3.5 years. Problem solved.

The issue around these public sector employee cuts is four fold:

These are the people who provide the public services we all enjoy. Though I realise at least one board member doesn't avail himself of these and presumably won't complain when standard drop.

While in employment these workers contribute to the economy AND society.

Would it not be better to use the 178000 jobs created to employ the unemployed and not those made redundant through cutting public services

It is going to cost everyone of us to support these people and instead of the jobless figures dropping they will at best standstill. If the private sector is to create the employment for these workers and those taken off welfare the country will boom like never before. Only problem is what are we going to make?

I had expected more substance to the proposals but it seems nothing has been worked through. Osborne admitted the changes to child benefit will raise more than was first thought. It's to be hoped he hasn't made any errors in the opposite direction!!!!

[John]

Did anyone see PMQs today?

Ed Milliband was terrible - even the Sky news presenter seemed stunned by his abject performance, saying he looked ill at ease! The "smooth" Alan Johnson was poor too IMO - both look well out of their depth.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Did anyone see PMQs today?

Ed Milliband was terrible - even the Sky news presenter seemed stunned by his abject performance, saying he looked ill at ease! The "smooth" Alan Johnson was poor too IMO - both look well out of their depth.

Yes i did.

Cameron wiped the floor with Milliband today. That bit near the beginning when Milliband chose to quote part of some comments made by Ken Clarke rather than quoting the full comments which painted a completely different story made him look like an amateur. Alan Johnson was terrible as well.

[John]

Yes i did.

Cameron wiped the floor with Milliband today. That bit near the beginning when Milliband chose to quote part of some comments made by Ken Clarke rather than quoting the full comments which painted a completely different story made him look like an amateur. Alan Johnson was terrible as well.

I know sometimes the PM or opposition leader can have bad days, however Milliband was so shockingly bad. As I said, the Sky presenter looked baffled when they went to him too.

I can't see how Labour can be seen as credible with Milliband/Johnson there, time will tell I guess....

[den]

None of that was as odious as the tories cheering as the cuts to the poorer and disabled were announced. Still, that's conservative ideaology isn't it? Isn't that why people vote Tory?

1 million workers to lose jobs.

3.5m people predicted to be on jobseekers

IFS saying the cuts are regressive.

They appeared to be loving it.

[Amo]

It makes me laugh how the Tories are always trumpeting about getting people back into work, then they go and slash 500,000 jobs. Duuuuuuuuh?

[chaddyrovers]

the jobs that are going to be lost will be mostly people leaving for better private jobs and retiring from the jobs. And then not replacing them. But some people will be sack this is unavoidable. We are paying more in debt and interest than we spend on defence because we spend more than we have. Also we have to cut now to balance the budget and clear the debt and interest on the debt. I think it's about time we all got A REALITY CHECK. We can't afford everything we want in life and its the same with the government. It's about time we has a country live within our means.

Also why do public sector workers only have to work till 60 but the private sector workers have to work till 66. This is totally unfair imo and it's about time the public sector live in the real work and work till 66 years old. Also why do the trade unions keep on moaning about the public sector is being attacked by the government. TYPICAL TRADE UNIONS!!! IMO it's about time they started living in the real world. We have to make cuts at the place I work at! But we have to live with it or they would be redundancies to the workforce.

[den]

It makes me laugh how the Tories are always trumpeting about getting people back into work, then they go and slash 500,000 jobs. Duuuuuuuuh?

The forecast is that 500,000 private jobs will go as well.

[ABBEY]

500,000 sounds like a big number, but it's nothing.

Spread over 5 years, 100k pa out of a public sector workforce of circa. 6m.

Less than 2% per annum, easily achieved via natural wastage (retirements etc).

Save your ire and relax knowing we are no longer heading to financial oblivion.

JHC !!! TELL THAT TO THE POOR FAMILIES WHO LOSE THEIR HOUSES AND ###### BUT HEY ITS NOTHING!!!!

Spending review - poorest take the hardest hit. Tory cheers as cuts announced in house.

Sky news.

THEY ARE AWFUL HUMAN BEINGS ...WHY NOT SLASH THE NUMBER OF MPS!!!!!!!

[koi]

Did anyone see PMQs today?

Ed Milliband was terrible - even the Sky news presenter seemed stunned by his abject performance, saying he looked ill at ease! The "smooth" Alan Johnson was poor too IMO - both look well out of their depth.

He was worse yesterday when replying to the MoD review. From what I've seen so far I honestly don't think he'll make the next election. There was a good interview with Blair's head of staff on 5live this morning; he absolutely ripped Brown to shreds. Didn't really have much good to say about Ed apart from keeping Ed Balls away from sensible politics is a good move.

[ABBEY]

the jobs that are going to be lost will be mostly people leaving for better private jobs and retiring from the jobs. And then not replacing them. But some people will be sack this is unavoidable. We are paying more in debt and interest than we spend on defence because we spend more than we have. Also we have to cut now to balance the budget and clear the debt and interest on the debt. I think it's about time we all got A REALITY CHECK. We can't afford everything we want in life and its the same with the government. It's about time we has a country live within our means.

Also why do public sector workers only have to work till 60 but the private sector workers have to work till 66. This is totally unfair imo and it's about time the public sector live in the real work and work till 66 years old. Also why do the trade unions keep on moaning about the public sector is being attacked by the government. TYPICAL TRADE UNIONS!!! IMO it's about time they started living in the real world. We have to make cuts at the place I work at! But we have to live with it or they would be redundancies to the workforce.

RETIRING? YES THERE WILL BE SOME BUT 1/2 MILLION ...NO CHANCE...GLAD YOUR SO BLASE (SP) ABOUT PEOPLE BEING SACKED..THERES NO WAY YOU CAN DO MY JOB AT 66 ,ITS HARD WORK NOW AT 43!!! THE COUNTRY OR THE WORKERS WOULD GET SHAFTED FFS WITHOUT THE UNIONS!!!!...OH SO YOUR JOBS SAFE IM ALRIGHT JACK IS IT?

[John]

He was worse yesterday when replying to the MoD review. From what I've seen so far I honestly don't think he'll make the next election. There was a good interview with Blair's head of staff on 5live this morning; he absolutely ripped Brown to shreds. Didn't really have much good to say about Ed apart from keeping Ed Balls away from sensible politics is a good move.

Did not see it yesterday but heard Milliband was poor.

On Johnson, some "commentators" saying worst speech in living memory from a shodow chancellor - it was truly appalling!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

None of that was as odious as the tories cheering as the cuts to the poorer and disabled were announced. Still, that's conservative ideaology isn't it? Isn't that why people vote Tory?

1 million workers to lose jobs.

3.5m people predicted to be on jobseekers

IFS saying the cuts are regressive.

They appeared to be loving it.

Osbourne can barely disguise his glee ! The Lib-dems seem to be getting off on it nicely as well.

[thenodrog]

THEY ARE AWFUL HUMAN BEINGS ...WHY NOT SLASH THE NUMBER OF MPS!!!!!!!

A point I've made for years abbey. In my first Gen Election almost 40 years ago there were circa 650 MP's fighting for parliament. Unbelievably there are still circa 650 MP's now despite much faster travel, the introduction of computer technology, massively improved communication via mob phones and emails. Most damning of all is that the majority of governmental decisions are now made in Europe.

Virtually every other industry has suffered massive cuts to it's workforce in that period and the fact that the parliamentary system has not suffered likewise speaks volumes for their sincerity and intentions of our elected representatives.

[Amo]

Don't worry. There's 23 millionaires on the cabinet. I hope they'll be pulling together with the rest of us in these dark times.

[thenodrog]

Don't worry. There's 23 millionaires on the cabinet. I hope they'll be pulling together with the rest of us in these dark times.

Who cares? Anyway this blokes probably worth more than any of them.... 'I am a socialist […because] it stands for equality'.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/celebrity/article.html?in_article_id=503845&in_page_id=181#ixzz12vej4HGU

Do you think he'll be 'pulling together' with anyone in these dark times?