The 2017 UK General Election Thread - Voting open today from 7am - 10pm

[Moggy]

Thinking about that £350m a week instead of spending it on the NHS why don't we spend it on things to get people in shape so they don't need the NHS.
£350m a week could pay for millions of people to join gyms or other sporty activities and also help people stop smoking. We'd also have some left to help with older people to take classes in all sorts of things so they get out and meet people and this will help with mental health.

The trouble with that is that the £350m a week doesn't actually exist.

[Peter Crisp]

Thinking about that £350m a week instead of spending it on the NHS why don't we spend it on things to get people in shape so they don't need the NHS.
£350m a week could pay for millions of people to join gyms or other sporty activities and also help people stop smoking. We'd also have some left to help with older people to take classes in all sorts of things so they get out and meet people and this will help with mental health.

The trouble with that is that the £350m a week doesn't actually exist.

I know I'm just thinking about what could be done with that sort of money.
They could also just give it to me and I will honestly spend it wisely due to trickle down .

I won't spend it all on cake, honest .

[satriales]

The trouble with that is that the £350m a week doesn't actually exist.

The Conservatives are planning to cut $64B from corporation taxes over the next 5 years, they could easily reduce/stop that and find plenty of money for the NHS if they wanted, but they dont.

[Moggy]

The trouble with that is that the £350m a week doesn't actually exist.

The Conservatives are planning to cut $64B from corporation taxes over the next 5 years, they could easily reduce/stop that and find plenty of money for the NHS if they wanted, but they dont.

Why would they make their corporate friends pay more just to fund something they want to privatise?

[Meep]

At least they are not quite as shameless about it as Trump. The state of that budget.

The worry is that the Cons follow in his footsteps and reduce tax further to "stay competitive in the global race (to the bottom)".

The thing is, all the evidence says cutting rates is not effective. Despite the previous cut investment is still historically very low, so clearly it is not the magic bullet the hard right seem to think it is and yet they persist despite that. I think at this point tax approach has proven unsuccessful and we need to start looking at more intelligent ways to boost investment and productivity beyond that such forcing up wages (which is currently a low risk policy now that unemployment is quite low) and offering direct state assistance to modernise (i.e. target monies specifically at modernisation in key sectors rather than just give them away by cutting tax and crossing your fingers).

Sadly, I don't see anyone in British politics who is economically competent enough to implement such a policy and the aversion of the Tories to intervention means we will stuck crawling along in first gear for years to come. I was cautiously optimistic when May launched her leadership with a surprising endorsement of the power of the state, however since then there has been no discernable action and it seems the rhetoric was just that.

[Knoyleo]

I love the photo used on the BBC article about Paul Nuttalls running in Boston and Skegness.

[Squinty]

twitter.com/hrtbps/status/858367354937462785

twitter.com/rosschawkins/status/857631756396187648

She's a bit like a Nintendo 3DS software update. STABLE AS strawberry float.

[Meep]

She has the strong and stable leadership needed to provided strong and stable leadership to a country that needs strong and stable leadership to ensure that there is strong and stable leadership through these difficult negotiations, which can only be a success with strong and stable leadership.

Had to turn off one of her interviews before I screamed this morning.

[Moggy]

You know who else had strong and stable leadership? Zionist loving Hitler that's who!

[Errkal]

And that's the world we live in folks, say the same line over and over so everyone bitches about it on Facebook etc. so the idiot masses just see the phrase "Strong and Stable Leadership" with "Theresa May" and make the association and start believing it regardless of anything else.

[Samuel_1]

She has the strong and stable leadership needed to provided strong and stable leadership to a country that needs strong and stable leadership to ensure that there is strong and stable leadership through these difficult negotiations, which can only be a success with strong and stable leadership.

Had to turn off one of her interviews before I screamed this morning.

She could have gone for make Britain great again, or Britain first, seems like both would suit her. I hate the way that she's talked about a hard Brexit for the British people that have voted for it. Her rhetoric seems to suggest that the populace voted overwhelmingly in favour of said action, as we all know that is far from the case. The hateful woman should be advocating as soft an exit as possible.
She's called this election because she thinks it will be a land slide, I just hope that the young get out and vote and give the Tories a seriously bloody nose.

[satriales]

I hate the way that she's talked about a hard Brexit for the British people that have voted for it. Her rhetoric seems to suggest that the populace voted overwhelmingly in favour of said action, as we all know that is far from the case. The hateful woman should be advocating as soft an exit as possible.

She wants those UKIP votes.

[Irene Demova]

She's a bit like a Nintendo 3DS software update. STABLE AS strawberry float.

I can easily exploit Theresa May and download games via QR code after doing so?

[Return_of_the_STAR]

She has the strong and stable leadership needed to provided strong and stable leadership to a country that needs strong and stable leadership to ensure that there is strong and stable leadership through these difficult negotiations, which can only be a success with strong and stable leadership.

Had to turn off one of her interviews before I screamed this morning.

She could have gone for make Britain great again, or Britain first, seems like both would suit her. I hate the way that she's talked about a hard Brexit for the British people that have voted for it. Her rhetoric seems to suggest that the populace voted overwhelmingly in favour of said action, as we all know that is far from the case. The hateful woman should be advocating as soft an exit as possible.
She's called this election because she thinks it will be a land slide, I just hope that the young get out and vote and give the Tories a seriously bloody nose.

I've long said that I don't understand Mays position on Brexit. She was known to want us to stay in the EU, so you would expect that she would want us to have as soft a Brexit as possible. If it's a negotiation tactic, go in hard and settle or what you really want which is a softer Brexit then surely all that makes her look is weak.

My other look is that she was Home Secretary and she surely understands more than anyone the numbers of illegal immigrants getting into this country so I believe her when she says she wants control of our borders. She isn't wrong with her belief that most people who voted to exit the eu did so to get our borders back. However most these people don't have an issue with most eu nations coming into the uk. They don't mind someone from Holland or Denmark coming here, they are bothered though by Romanians, Syrians, Afghan's, Moroccans coming to the country. It's not the case of straight forward colour of their skin racism, they wouldn't have an issue with someone from Jamaica or South Africa or india. They also wouldn't have an issue with a person of African origin who was born in France to parents who were maybe born there's themselves. This is just from my experience of talking to a lot of people who voted to leave. Others did so but are happy to remain in the customs union and have free movement.

[Moggy]

They don't mind someone from Holland or Denmark coming here, they are bothered though by Romanians, Syrians, Afghan's, Moroccans coming to the country. It's not the case of straight forward colour of their skin racism, they wouldn't have an issue with someone from Jamaica or South Africa or india.

Really? Most of the vocal anti-immigration people I know use their dogwhistle racism to make clear that they would not be happy with black or Asian immigrants. They don't outright say "keep Britain white" anymore, they say things like they want to "protect the indigenous" citizens of the UK. It means the same thing.

Obviously that's not all Leave voters or even all anti-immigration voters, but it's a high percentage of them. They want to support the Commonwealth instead of the EU, but they mean Canada, Australia and New Zealand, not Pakistan, Rwanda and Trinidad.

[Meep]

It's an electoral tactic designed to enhance the dominance of her own party. There is no remainder opposition because the only party advocating it is the Lib Dems, who are miles away from any kind of power, therefore she does not have to worry about that part of the population; or at least their opinion in regards to Brexit. That leaves her competing for leaver voters. In adopting a hard leave stance she reasons she can transform the referendum outcome into a strong Conservative voter base, destroying any competition for votes from UKIP in the process. Any hard liner leave voters from working class areas that would usually support Labour will likely be sway also and help her out that way; helping the Tories gain seats that were previously impossible for them.

The other thing to consider is that she is trying to limit possible damage. Rather than try and fail to secure single market access she has decided not to try at all, thus removing any risk of failure. That way she cannot be accused of failing to secure the desired outcome in the negotiations by her opponents. Low expectations will help her defend any resulting outcome from the negotiations.

[Cuttooth]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... be-ditched

May getting so confident now she's willing to bite the hand that feeds.

[Moggy]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/30/general-election-may-signals-tory-tax-lock-promises-will-be-ditched

May getting so confident now she's willing to bite the hand that feeds.

Worst Nine Inch Nails cover band ever.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

They don't mind someone from Holland or Denmark coming here, they are bothered though by Romanians, Syrians, Afghan's, Moroccans coming to the country. It's not the case of straight forward colour of their skin racism, they wouldn't have an issue with someone from Jamaica or South Africa or india.

Really? Most of the vocal anti-immigration people I know use their dogwhistle racism to make clear that they would not be happy with black or Asian immigrants. They don't outright say "keep Britain white" anymore, they say things like they want to "protect the indigenous" citizens of the UK. It means the same thing.

Obviously that's not all Leave voters or even all anti-immigration voters, but it's a high percentage of them. They want to support the Commonwealth instead of the EU, but they mean Canada, Australia and New Zealand, not Pakistan, Rwanda and Trinidad.

I find there's several different viewpoints. Yes there are the super dooper ones who only want indigenous i.e. White people. But there's a lot who are totally fine with multiple generation families who already live here from Africa or india however they don't want anyone from the Muslim dominated countries. That seems to be the sticking point. Also I pointed out Romania and there's also a lot who are happy with many Eastern European people with the exception of Romanians.

100% I agree on the commonwealth thing, the more popular attitude is just what you describe.

As I say this is all based on me talking to hundreds over different people over the past few years on the subject.

I've also met many 2nd/3rd/4th generation Indian/brits, Caribbean/brits who think the same. They essentially don't want anymore people in this country who follow the Islamic religion.

[Denster]

And that's the world we live in folks, say the same line over and over so everyone bitches about it on Facebook etc. so the idiot masses just see the phrase "Strong and Stable Leadership" with "Theresa May" and make the association and start believing it regardless of anything else.

And while 'bitching about it on facebook' is all that most people will do to stop it - that's the world we'll continue to live in.