[Archived] The General Election 2015

[Mike E]

Cannot believe people voted these Tory arseh0les into power.

Theyre so out of touch with life outside the Whitehall bubble, they talk about giving people the right to buy a house? When they can't even put food on the table all this Whilst Plunging millions of children into poverty to boot.

It's absolutely scandalous, but the British public voted them in.....

This is why PR needs to come in. Only 36.9% of those who voted voted for the Tories (around 11.3m votes). That is less than a quarter of the those eligible to vote at the time. They most certainly weren't 'voted in' :/

[Baz]

On Question Time tonight Priti Patel is allowed to make an unchallenged comment that Corbyn supports terrorist groups.

She did admit to not knowing the governments position on employing foreign nationals in the NHS, which is a shame seeing as she is the minister for employment.

[Gav]

Interesting stat:

More people watched the final of 'Bake off' than voted for the Tories in the general election.

[Biddy]

Interesting stat:

More people watched the final of 'Bake off' than voted for the Tories in the general election.

Another interesting stat:

More people watched the final of "Bake off" than voted for Labour in the general election.

See what I did there?

[Mike E]

Another interesting stat:

More people watched the final of "Bake off" than voted for Labour in the general election.

See what I did there?

Is the point not that more people would vote for Nadiyah to be PM than any of the party leaders?

[yoda]

Is the point not that more people would vote for Nadiyah to be PM than any of the party leaders?

Only the half baked ones

[Baz]

Only the half baked ones

How roulade!

[yoda]

How roulade!

It's a (prawn) Cracker

[Mike E]

They tend to crumble easily. If Corbyn keeps making waves they may get soggy bottoms.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34504474

This is the one issue I'm fully behind Corbyn on. What an absolute disgrace!

[yoda]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34504474

This is the one issue I'm fully behind Corbyn on. What an absolute disgrace!

Sure is

Social network giant Facebook paid just £4,327 ($6,643) in corporation tax in 2014, its latest UK results show.

Its most recent Companies House filing shows the company as making a pre-tax loss of £28.5m last year, but the firm also paid its 362 UK staff a total of £35.4m in share bonuses.

The share bonuses amount to £96,000 on average per UK Facebook employee.

It means Facebook's UK corporation tax bill was less than the tax the average UK employee paid on their salary.

The average UK salary is £26,500 on which employees pay a total of £5,392.80 in income tax and national insurance contributions.

[Paul]

By 2020 Lancashire police will have 1912 fewer officers and have further made dramatic cuts to the service provided to the people of Lancashire. The force will have been cut by 52% since 2010. The Chief Constable is unsure if he can maintain the service he promised to provide to the public.

Read all about it here

http://www.lancashire.police.uk/campaigns/changes-to-police-funding/chief-constable-steve-finnigan-s-full-message-to-the-people-of-lancashire-about-the-proposed-cuts-and-what-they-will-mean-for-residents.aspx

Anyone who voted for a Conservative candidate voted for this so hopefully here will be no complaints.

Corbyn won't look such a daft choice in 2020 when Cameron has sold us down the river on the promise of a Greater Britain. Out of the EU, a bankrupt health service, no policing. Sounds good like a Great Britain to me.

[Baz]

Sure is

Social network giant Facebook paid just £4,327 ($6,643) in corporation tax in 2014, its latest UK results show.

Its most recent Companies House filing shows the company as making a pre-tax loss of £28.5m last year, but the firm also paid its 362 UK staff a total of £35.4m in share bonuses.

The share bonuses amount to £96,000 on average per UK Facebook employee.

It means Facebook's UK corporation tax bill was less than the tax the average UK employee paid on their salary.

The average UK salary is £26,500 on which employees pay a total of £5,392.80 in income tax and national insurance contributions.

Yes but Osborne is bringing in his new tax avoidance legislation in the next few weeks (said in every budget since 2010). Maybe if we taxed fairer we wouldnt need to cut the police, or have the nhs is tatters, or have to cut tax credits to working families.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Sounds like whilst Corbyn has the backing of the grassroots the parliamentary party are not happy:

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2015/10/labour-tensions-boil-over-fractious-mps-meeting

[only2garners]

Sure is

Social network giant Facebook paid just £4,327 ($6,643) in corporation tax in 2014, its latest UK results show.

Its most recent Companies House filing shows the company as making a pre-tax loss of £28.5m last year, but the firm also paid its 362 UK staff a total of £35.4m in share bonuses.

The share bonuses amount to £96,000 on average per UK Facebook employee.

It means Facebook's UK corporation tax bill was less than the tax the average UK employee paid on their salary.

The average UK salary is £26,500 on which employees pay a total of £5,392.80 in income tax and national insurance contributions.

At first glance this looks outrageous but it's not really. What Facebook have done is basically give their profits to their staff and those staff will at some stage have to pay tax on those payments, at somewhat higher rates than corporation tax.

Having said that I don't know whether Facebook are hiding other profits by declaring income in other jurisdictions, like Amazon do in Luxembourg.

[RibbleValleyRover]

According to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg Corbyn didn't know that embarrassing u-turn was coming from McDonnell.

Labour party is a real shambles, no leadership.

[den]

According to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg Corbyn didn't know that embarrassing u-turn was coming from McDonnell.

Labour party is a real shambles, no leadership.

It is a shambles - you're right.

I think in the long run it will benefit the party though. It probably needs to go through this, to purge it of individuals that want to take the electorate where it doesn't want to go. They don't stand a chance of doing that. Nor do the other parties. Theres a centre ground up for grabs at the moment and I doubt any party have got that sewn up at the moment.

[Gav]

Not supporting Osbornes fiscal charter is absolutely the correct decision regardless of whether or not they supported it last week or last year. The party should stop moaning and respect the very people that elected them and the very people that gave Corbyn a clear mandate, the electorate.

Its about time these politicians realised they're here to serve the public and not feather their own nests.

Just going back to Gideon, his cuts to working tax credits are possibly the biggest own goal since the poll tax, its a direct assault of working families, he should be sacked for what he's doing. But we won't see a u-turn because it'll hurt him politically, he's got ambitions to be top dog and its just another example of a politician hurting thousands of families in the quest for power, disgusting.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Prices are falling and wages are rising and we have the introduction of the Living Wage plus increasing the tax threshold for low earners coming into force. The working tax credits loss might not generate as much public outcry as you think, it certainly won't be on the Poll Tax level as it won't affect as many people.

I'll admit the government needs to find a way to do more for those that will lose out, there are some vulnerable people out there that need more help from this government. I have less sympathy for those that abuse the benefits system, for example these very large families that keep adding to their family just so they can get more benefits.

[Paul]

The government has a very easy get out on working tax credits if it needs it. Tax allowances will be increased to compensate for loss of WTC and will go down wonderfully with every voter.

You can bet your bottom dollar Osborne has that one in his back pocket already.

[Gav]

Prices are falling and wages are rising and we have the introduction of the Living Wage plus increasing the tax threshold for low earners coming into force. The working tax credits loss might not generate as much public outcry as you think, it certainly won't be on the Poll Tax level as it won't affect as many people.

I'll admit the government needs to find a way to do more for those that will lose out, there are some vulnerable people out there that need more help from this government. I have less sympathy for those that abuse the benefits system, for example these very large families that keep adding to their family just so they can get more benefits.

You're like thousands of other that have fallen for the Tory master plan that pitches working class against working class. Everyone talks about these big families taking all the benefit money, but very few people have ever met any of them. Yes they do exist, no doubt about that, but its pennies in the grand scheme of things in terms welfare costs, but people are daft enough to swallow it up.

Osborne announced the creation of a "national living wage", to be introduced at the same time as the cuts - of £7.20 an hour, up 50p from the current minimum wage. In doing so, he effectively disbanded the Low Pay Commission - the independent body that has been responsible for setting the national minimum wage since it was introduced by Tony Blair's government in 1998. The LPC's board is made up of academics, trade unionists and employers - and their remit is to set a minimum wage that provides both a reasonable floor for workers without costing too many jobs. Osborne's "living wage" fails at both counts. It is some way short of a genuine living wage - it is 70p short of where the living wage is today, and will likely be further off the pace by April 2016

The Tories are plunging families into poverty and more scandalous than that child poverty has massively increased under these idiots. Then we have bedroom tax and the forced sale of social housing, so basically if they sell all the social housing where will the poorest in society live? in the poorhouse?

But the country voted them in, or at least some did, you should all hang your heads in shame if you did.

[Baz]

Slipped back into recession today, not that you'd notice from the media coverage. BBC running the tories line claiming it's good news for most people except pensioners.

[only2garners]

I think you mean deflation rather than recession, which are completely different things.

[yoda]

I think you mean deflation rather than recession, which are completely different things.

Yep, deflation can be good in the short term, you could also label it as getting more efficient when it is linked to productivity gains

[only2garners]

Agreed - deflation can be good, as long as it doesn't last long and is not significant. I don't think you can count the current rate of -0.1% as significant.