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[Gav]

Like I said in my previous post, that's a noticeable facet of intelligence (or lack there of). Having a one-dimensional hate campaign against the opposition simply because they are the opposition points to a fundamental inability to question one's own opinion and a phenomenally grandiose view that your opinion is definitively correct.

Its a common trait amongst the extreme lefties on this board (noticeably absent amongst the likes of k-hod and mike) to insert all arguments into an atmosphere of huge scorn leading to patronising and a (I should say massively) misplaced air of intellectual superiority.

Must be a shame being so goddamn clever and losing the last 2 elections by an increasing margin. Sorry did I say a shame, I meant bloody brilliant, try not being so self-congratulating and superior if you ever wanna get in again lads.

I've never been called an extreme lefty before wish I could say the same for your lack of intelligence remark

Waffle rant waffle rant, is all I can add to the above, you've addressed none of the points raised, so why bother.

[Al]

I wouldn't call you an "extreme" lefty Gav, nor lacking in intelligence, but a lefty none the less and it seems that SKH does have a point about the lefties doing all the attacking of the opposing party. It does appear to be an obsession for them.

[K-Hod]

I'd hardly say it was an obsession Al, but you're right, I do have a strong dislike of the Conservative party (not as much these days), but because of a lot of what went on under Thatcher.

It's not that I wouldn't praise them for anything (I have praised them before now, and on here), or criticised them where it wasn't necessary.

[Al]

Thatcher was an exception, horrible, uncaring woman. Most of the Conservatives are not like her. Don't let your feelings about her colour your view of the whole party. I haven't.

[Gav]

I wouldn't call you an "extreme" lefty Gav, nor lacking in intelligence, but a lefty none the less and it seems that SKH does have a point about the lefties doing all the attacking of the opposing party. It does appear to be an obsession for them.

My Mrs used to say I'm just to the right of Genghis Khan!

The reason the Tories are being attacked is because they're in government and making some pretty horrendous decisions Al.

How many policies have been dumped? why did these polices actually see the light of day?

If the boot was on the other foot you'd be weighing into Labour.

[Al]

My Mrs used to say I'm just to the right of Genghis Khan!

The reason the Tories are being attacked is because they're in government and making some pretty horrendous decisions Al.

How many policies have been dumped? why did these polices actually see the light of day?

If the boot was on the other foot you'd be weighing into Labour.

The best decision maker is one who can see when they have made a wrong decision and is big enough to recognise the fact and put it right Gav.

Actually I think you will find that I didn't "weigh into Labour" over the anti Semitism thing. Rather I said that all he did was to quote historical fact and was pilloried for it.

[oldjamfan1]

The best decision maker is one who can see when they have made a wrong decision and are big enough to recognise the fact and put it right Gav.

But you would only expect the occasional instance of that happening, with this government it appears to be a recurring theme. That is not a sign of being either a good decision maker or indeed a good leader. It is more a sign of a bumbling incompetent.

[Al]

But you would only expect the occasional instance of that happening, with this government it appears to be a recurring theme. That is not a sign of being either a good decision maker or indeed a good leader. It is more a sign of a bumbling incompetent.

Sorry you see it that way. I find it the right thing to do if you realise you are wrong. It takes a big man to admit they are wrong and to take steps to correct it no matter how often it happens. Anybody who has never made a wrong decision has never made a decision at all.

[ABBEY]

That's another job feck up along side the fake bomb collected at Man U. The bridge designer at Barton bridge failed spectacular this morning ... Stantion on new bit collapsed .. Luckily looks no one hurt .

[Mike E]

I cannot see past what Cameron has allowed the DWP to do to disabled people. He had a disabled child, yet he allows his government to starve disabled families of the very support he benefitted from with little Isaac. I find it baffling that he can be so blind/cruel (delete as appropriate) as to the impact on similar families.

On top of that, what Gove and Morgan have been allowed to do to education is scandalous. Making tests harder without curricular integration over at least 7 years (a child's time in primary school) does nothing but destroy the hopes of a generation of children who are sitting tests for things they were never taught and being labelled as poor. We have no opportunity to teach children basic life skills anymore, such is the rigour with which we must teach them the grammatical difference between a preposition and a subordinating conjunctive. I never encountered such distinctions until AS level and the Govt expect 11 year olds to understand it without being taught.

Last week I sat with a 7 year old child entitled to 25% extra reading time. This child is going through chemotherapy for aggressive leukaemia, something taxing for most adults. He watches the friends he has made over the two years since diagnosis slowly pass away knowing the same fate likely awaits him. I wish I could walk him into parliament to address Mrs Morgan and ask her to tell this child to his face that he isn't good enough. Because that's what these tests are a manifestation of; judgement by people who've never set foot in a classroom professionally, but are allowed to rule over millions of them.

Jeremy Hunt... I have no words for.

I've said before that the current Tory government are so similar to Venkys in their wanton destruction, it's scary.

[oldjamfan1]

Sorry you see it that way. I find it the right thing to do if you realise you are wrong. It takes a big man to admit they are wrong and to take steps to correct it no matter how often it happens. Anybody who has never made a wrong decision has never made a decision at all.

I agree with you in principle, but you would only expect someone paid to make big decisions to be wrong every now and again. If you get things wrong constantly, or even just regularly, surely that makes you incompetent, no matter how honest you are at admitting your mistakes?

[yoda]

I agree with you in principle, but you would only expect someone paid to make big decisions to be wrong every now and again. If you get things wrong constantly, or even just regularly, surely that makes you incompetent, no matter how honest you are at admitting your mistakes?

Ask Madam Desai

[Paul]

I cannot see past what Cameron has allowed the DWP to do to disabled people. He had a disabled child, yet he allows his government to starve disabled families of the very support he benefitted from with little Isaac. I find it baffling that he can be so blind/cruel (delete as appropriate) as to the impact on similar families.

On top of that, what Gove and Morgan have been allowed to do to education is scandalous. Making tests harder without curricular integration over at least 7 years (a child's time in primary school) does nothing but destroy the hopes of a generation of children who are sitting tests for things they were never taught and being labelled as poor. We have no opportunity to teach children basic life skills anymore, such is the rigour with which we must teach them the grammatical difference between a preposition and a subordinating conjunctive. I never encountered such distinctions until AS level and the Govt expect 11 year olds to understand it without being taught.

Last week I sat with a 7 year old child entitled to 25% extra reading time. This child is going through chemotherapy for aggressive leukaemia, something taxing for most adults. He watches the friends he has made over the two years since diagnosis slowly pass away knowing the same fate likely awaits him. I wish I could walk him into parliament to address Mrs Morgan and ask her to tell this child to his face that he isn't good enough. Because that's what these tests are a manifestation of; judgement by people who've never set foot in a classroom professionally, but are allowed to rule over millions of them.

Jeremy Hunt... I have no words for.

I've said before that the current Tory government are so similar to Venkys in their wanton destruction, it's scary.

You are so right Mike. Government cuts have been impacting those least able to help themselves for more than six years now. These are people with no alternative than to look to society to support them. There have been no significant increase in disability benefits in this time while local services have either been cut to the bone or completely removed.

Why? Because government knows full well the impact is invisible to the bulk of the electorate and those effected don't have sufficient voting power to influence electoral outcomes.

When so called "lefties" complain and rail against these cuts it is met with the classic "of course we should help those who deserve it but we have to catch the scrounges." Talk about mealy mouthed. This attitude displays a complete lack of understanding and lack of experience from those who issue this justification.

Let me tell those who think as a country we are doing the right thing. Tax payers support my son as he requires care at varying levels 24/7. After covering basic living expenses of housing, utilities and food my lad has a disposable income of £30/week.

Sounds good? Let me issue a challenge to anyone who believes Tory government cuts to the disabled are justified and as a society we provide adequate financial support to these people. The challenge is this. Please explain how you would fund your life over and above the basics detailed. On the £30/week, £1560 per annum you have to provide yourself with:

Clothes, shoes, social outings, travel (usually taxi), razor blades, TV licence, holiday, newspapers, haircut, personal hygiene products, sports equipment, books, writing materials, pub, cinema or similar entry. Everything single thing you can think of which is not needed to keep one alive is not covered by disability allowances.

Take this one example. You'd like to go to the cinema and you require care to attend and keep you safe. I think four hours to attend cinema is reasonable. This trip will cost approximately £65 in carer fees (£13 hour x 4), £15 cinema entry fee (carer has to be paid for by client) plus travel costs. For the Reading game I couldn't take my son - we paid a carer £65 plus travel plus entry for that game.

So if you think what we do for the disabled us adequate fine BUT justify the above. Live your ordinary life on £1500 per annum and discover it's impossible.

So if people want to characterise me as a lefty - nothing is further from the truth - go ahead. If being a lefty means I care and understand the issues through direct experience then I'm proud to be a lefty. If you think I'm f?????g angry you're right. I know the injustice and appalling treatment this government hands out to the disabled. I've fought for 28 years to see my son receive what he needs for an ORDINARY life. I won't stand by and watch the Conservatives destroy it.

When Blair came to power and government cared we started to help people as never before. We gave them some dignity and a place in society. Some respect. This government is destroying these services.

So next time you're sat in Ewood, the pub, the cinema, swimming perhaps, buying a new shirt or razor blades just thank God if you have more than £1500 per year to pay for it and it doesn't cost you £13/hour to do anything.

On the other hand if you're happy with this carry on voting Tory. Me I'll carry on fighting and protesting for what I believe is right and if some want to call me a lefty then I'm happy you do. All I want is to see the disabled given respect.

Cameron and his Tory party simply do not care.

[Paul]

While I'm in full scale rant mode and I apologise for going on but there are people so blind they simply don't see the reality of what is happening.

Take the local NHS, not national, local. I think most would agree we need more health care professionals covering most skills? After all approximately 30% of NHS doctors and nurses are non UK born. Think about this recent result of government cuts.

Lancashire County Council announced its budget a few weeks ago. LCC provides a wide range of social and health services designed to provide community care of all types and tackle long term health issues. Many of these programmes and services are contracted out to the Lancashire NHS Trusts.

In its budget LCC cut £ms of services in this area. Within in 48 hours local NHS trusts began offering severance packages to the staff employed to provide these services.

Think about this. LCC makes cuts to meet government demands by reducing services to save what some would call OUR taxes. 48 hours later the cash strapped NHS begins paying out severance packages with what is called by some OUR money. Some really good joined up thinking here, LCC save money and the NHS spends it on severance packages of up to £80,000 per person. Mr Cameron you deserve a round of applause for that one.

Oh and take the package and you may not be able to work within the NHS in the future. Yeah who needs UK born health care professionals when we can ship them in from overseas? Let's get some more migrants in - the ones we like of course.

As an aside, because it gets even better, these health care programmes are both long and short term. Let's take a look at some long term ones. These are health education programmes designed to improve the population's general health, tackle the impact of excessive alcohol use, poor diet, smoking, general poor lifestyle leading to illness such as diabetes, To encourage activities such as exercise, breast feeding etc. to improve health.

Tackling these issues now will provide huge future savings of YOUR taxes but it's all been flushed down the toilet to cut YOUR taxes today. And let's not forget YOUR taxes are paying the severance packages of highly skilled and experienced professionals not that we need those do we?

So round of applause for Mr Hunt as well. You're doing a great job Jeremy.

On another local issue Chorley CC have just announced the closure of 105 local buildings. Yeah it's only a building which costs money to run. Of course that 105 buildings no longer provide libraries or museums for example is irrelevant. After all why bother to help people lead a better and more educated life. It's not so long ago we denied the masses self improvement. Whoops has the Tory mask slipped?

Anyway so long as taxes don't rise and we don't risk giving money to scroungers and immigrants everything will be fine. Meanwhile our health services and infrastructure crumble round our ears.

I've never hated anyone but I really, really do not like these Tories.

Lefty? No. Eyes wide open? Yes. ANGRY? YES.

[jim mk2]

Very good post Paul.

Thatcher was an exception, horrible, uncaring woman. Most of the Conservatives are not like her. Don't let your feelings about her colour your view of the whole party. I haven't.

I'm sorry but many Conservatives have the Thatcherite gene. Cameron and Osborne included.

Like I said in my previous post, that's a noticeable facet of intelligence (or lack there of). Having a one-dimensional hate campaign against the opposition simply because they are the opposition points to a fundamental inability to question one's own opinion and a phenomenally grandiose view that your opinion is definitively correct.

Its a common trait amongst the extreme lefties on this board (noticeably absent amongst the likes of k-hod and mike) to insert all arguments into an atmosphere of huge scorn leading to patronising and a (I should say massively) misplaced air of intellectual superiority.

Must be a shame being so goddamn clever and losing the last 2 elections by an increasing margin. Sorry did I say a shame, I meant bloody brilliant, try not being so self-congratulating and superior if you ever wanna get in again lads.

You don't like the message or an opinion that's different to yours so you resort to abuse. Well done.

[Al]

I'm sorry but many Conservatives have the Thatcherite gene. Cameron and Osborne included.

Not true Jim. Your opinions are often coloured by your bitterness and prejudices..

You don't like the message or an opinion that's different to yours so you resort to abuse. Well done.

Coming from you Jim that's a bit pot/kettle/black.

[Mike E]

You don't like the message or an opinion that's different to yours so you resort to abuse. Well done.

Sooty arse, Mr. Kettle?

[joey_big_nose]

What there is absolutely no doubt about is that this Tory government is making the worst fist of the Education and Health systems in my lifetime. It is beyond abysmal. Irrespective of ideology they deserve sacking because they have been absolutely shocking from start to finish. A lack of vision which has produced half baked policies which have then been terribly implemented. The amount of money that has been wasted, and talent driven from the professions, is terrifying.

It is a real issue that we don't have an effective centrist opposition that can take them to task. What most care about is a government that can lead and govern in a fashion that makes a positive impact on people's lives and we haven't had that since the early Blair years. I'd be happy enough to see Corbyn moderate himself convincingly enough to win over the swing voters he would need to stand a chance of becoming PM, however I think there is more chance of Britain landing an astronaut on Mars by 2020.

Can't someone come out of the woodwork in Labour who has a bit of inspiration and can talk to the centre? That is what is required to give us hope the Tory austerity fiasco will eventually end.

I don't personally dislike Cameron, he's on the softer end of the Tory spectrum, but can anyone name a single policy of merit he has implemented in his six years in power?

[jim mk2]

Can't someone come out of the woodwork in Labour who has a bit of inspiration and can talk to the centre? That is what is required to give us hope the Tory austerity fiasco will eventually end.

The massive surge in the number of Labour party members since Jeremy Corbyn burst onto the scene is a clear indicator that there is a strong latent desire for a change of direction away from the neoliberal crony capitalist agenda that has completely dominated Westminster politics since 1979.

The Labour party now has more members than it has had in decades and the last thing the party needs now is to go back to alienating ordinary people by aping disastrous Tory economic policy and desperately sucking up to multinational corporations and the right-wing press barons who frame the political debate.

[Baz]

The massive surge in the number of Labour party members since Jeremy Corbyn burst onto the scene is a clear indicator that there is a strong latent desire for a change of direction away from the neoliberal crony capitalist agenda that has completely dominated Westminster politics since 1979.

The Labour party now has more members than it has had in decades and the last thing the party needs now is to go back to alienating ordinary people by aping disastrous Tory economic policy and desperately sucking up to multinational corporations and the right-wing press barons who frame the political debate.

Thats all well and good, but unless you win the middle ground swing vote, Labour will remain in opposition. They need to pull the Tory trIck of getting elected on a central-ish mandate, then go about a set of policies Thatcher may have backed away from. Corbyn isnt that guy who can get those marginal voters.

Andy Burham or Dan Jarvis are the 2 electable people in the Labour Party at present.

[Mike E]

I definitely like Andy Burnham. He strikes me as a guy who talks to the centre vote like regular human beings.

Eg: Clegg had an 'EVERYTHING centre' centre philosophy.

Burnham seems to have more of a 'some left, but some right' centre philosophy, which strikes me as more like the man on the street.

[Al]

I repeat, Labour are unelectable without support from Scotland who now vote SNP. It's brilliant!

[K-Hod]

I repeat, Labour are unelectable without support from Scotland who now vote SNP. It's brilliant!

I wouldn't be so sure, after 4 more years of Tory, the swing voters could well change their mind. There would most likely be another coalition at least.

[Al]

I wouldn't be so sure, after 4 more years of Tory, the swing voters could well change their mind. There would most likely be another coalition at least.

I think that is the very best that Labour can hope for and I doubt that they would be part of the coalition.

[K-Hod]

I think that is the very best that Labour can hope for and I doubt that they would be part of the coalition.

I think you'd be surprised, folk do strange things in pursuit of power.