June 8th General Election

[jmothecat]

I would probably vote for any MP willing to ban chuggers from Edinburgh to be honest.

[Mr Heliums]

1 hour ago, Fide said:

Expect absolute zero response from Oaksoft on these two posts.  He picks and chooses what he replies to based upon whether he wants to stick his fingers in his ears and go "la la la" or not.

He's probably waiting until the Government publishes its plans for state pension age. Legally required to have done so by now, but delaying until after the election.

After all, how can people vote to protect their pension if they don't know when they're going to get it?

[DI Bruce Robertson]

But you seem to be missing the crucial point, despite the age changes to the pension, Alec Salmond's wife is old.

And barren, don't forget barren!

[Jambomo]

22 minutes ago, DI Bruce Robertson said:

And barren, don't forget barren!

and fat, can't forget that either.

[Tetragrammaton]

7 hours ago, Randy Giles said:

I see the "they agreed at the ballot box" thing is a new toy. Because oaksoft is arrogant and ignorant enough to believe he actually knows the reasons behind the votes.

Wish this thick ignorant bigot would just f**k off.

 

I wish you would f**k off, you boring twat!

[pandarilla]

 

 

I have read your posts for a long time without being urged to reply, but this has done it for me. I work in the charity sector after a lifetime in industry. I am retiring in five weeks having worked for 44 years. I have paid into a pension for almost twenty years after the non contribution scheme was closed by the multinational I then worked for. They then "spent" the pension fund on "investing in the future of the company". Get people into work, pay them a living wage, like in the bad, bad 70's and the country will have no problem paying the pension, which after all is the fourth worst in Europe. Companies have denied their responsibilities for their employees in the Thatcher style and yet they are lauded as wealth creators, but not for the common 5/8, only for their chums.

 

Outstanding post, and one I hope oaksoft replies to.

 

Pension pots are one area where the city of London have gorged off the working people off this country (in some cases with the help of the state). There are others.

 

The idea that left wing economic policies are somehow damaging prosperity is simply not true - unless you're talking about the prosperity of the super rich.

 

[lanky_ffc]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/07/nicola-sturgeon-finally-heading-towards-belongs-the-electoral/

Was checking some football gossip and saw this was the top story on the Telegraph website. Anyone read the full article? The first paragraph is absolutely laughable.

Quote

A straight choice between the SNP and the Tories isn’t one between nationalism and Unionism, because only a referendum can decide that; and the chance of one deciding to change the status quo in the present climate are, as Nicola Sturgeon well knows, nil.

It is a choice between a hardline, confiscatory and redistributive socialism that borders on Bolshevism, and a liberal conservatism that champions private enterprise, aspiration, prosperity and efficiency.

[D Angelo Barksdale]

2 minutes ago, lanky_ffc said:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/07/nicola-sturgeon-finally-heading-towards-belongs-the-electoral/

Was checking some football gossip and saw this was the top story on the Telegraph website. Anyone read the full article? The first paragraph is absolutely laughable.

'It is a choice between a hardline, confiscatory and redistributive socialism that borders on Bolshevism, and a liberal conservatism that champions private enterprise, aspiration, prosperity and efficiency.

Voters should also notice how badly the SNP run public services, notably education. To take seats off the SNP now will prove that the Sturgeon ideal of a Scottish republic with her as Queen has been effectively put in the dustbin '

 

[DrewDon]

If you find yourself on the opposite side of an argument to Simon Heffer, there is a 99.99% likelihood that you are in the right. This has been proven by science. 

[jmothecat]

I don't think there should be another referendum personally, but I don't see why folk can't just vote for which party they think will provide the best MP for their constituency then vote no in a referendum if it comes. I'm really struggling with this notion that a handful fewer SNP MPs is going to make much of a difference between whether there will or won't be a referendum, and why this slight difference makes it worth left of centre people voting for an increasingly right-wing Tory party.

[D Angelo Barksdale]

4 minutes ago, oaksoft said:

In the 1970s the country was on its knees economically. When Thatcher came into power we had 3 million out of work and she reduced that.

I can't believe anyone would try and defend that.

Well this clearly just fucking wrong.

As you can see below, she more than doubled it.

I can't believe anyone would try to defend that.

[Bring Your Own Socks]

4 minutes ago, oaksoft said:

Why did they allow companies to get away with this?

It's called free enterprise dear. No place for politicians. MDs & CEOs at the year end left to choose between dividends to shareholders or pop some dosh in the pension pot. Tricky! Especially after the 80s when Maggie destroyed the Unions, although the greed of some so-called trade unionists was easy enough to turn them too.

The current black hole in private pensions in the UK is just above £700 billion. Just one of the many reasons Scotland needs to get away from those pirates in EC1.

£700,000,000,000,000. 

[DublinMagyar]

Well this clearly just fucking wrong.
As you can see below, she more than doubled it.
I can't believe anyone would try to defend that.

What the f**k are you DOING!
Never bring verifiable facts into an argument with Oaksoft, he'll only change the subject, run away or tell you that's exactly what he meant anyway.
Amateur.

p.s. Have a greenie

[NotThePars]

As we've established you can prove anything with facts. oaksoft prefers to rely on his own instincts and blind prejudice.

[JMDP]

In terms of the telegraph article on education, one of the strangest things to me is the free ride that tories have been given on education in England and Wales given the comparatively hard time the SNP get of it in Scotland.

It is an utter clusterfuck in England. There is a huge funding gap to the point where it is a serious consideration of scaling back the school week by 10%. Budgets have been squeezed so badly that it's the norm for teachers to spend their own money on supplies, support staff are not being replaced, teacher retention is a nightmare and teachers are dropping out the profession at an alarming rate.

The academisation programme has contributed to this - especially some of the big name chains and their cut throat attitudes towards staff has undermined confidence, development and increased turnover of staff, giving children very little continuity.

The growing academisation answers none of the fundamental questions facing education, has shown no discernible results and is, to be brutal, an indication of ideology driven policy that hasn't worked and contributed to the utter clusterfuck that they've made of it.

I love teaching, it's my career and is incredibly rewarding. Every colleague I know throws their heart and soul into it, but they've ripped a lot of our hearts out of it. It saddens me to genuinely contemplate leaving the profession.

They have been an utter fucking disaster for the children of our country, education just being one part of this and I can't believe the free ride they get over it.

[dorlomin]

Quote

Conservatives: 49% (up 2 since Guardian/ICM last week)

Labour: 27% (down 1)

Lib Dems: 9% (up 1)

Ukip: 6% (down 2)

Greens: 3% (down 1)

Conservative lead: 22 points

Martin Boon, ICM’s director, says these poll ratings set a record with his organisation for a Conservative lead over Labour.

This is going to be an absolute bloodbath. You have better get a fire lit under your arses on that whole independence thing because currently you are locked in here with the rest of us and these mad axe wielding c***s about to be unleashed like never before. 

[Bring Your Own Socks]

Conservatives: 49% (up 2 since Guardian/ICM last week)

Labour: 27% (down 1)

Lib Dems: 9% (up 1)

Ukip: 6% (down 2)

Greens: 3% (down 1)

Conservative lead: 22 points

Martin Boon, ICM’s director, says these poll ratings set a record with his organisation for a Conservative lead over Labour.

This is going to be an absolute bloodbath. You have better get a fire lit under your arses on that whole independence thing because currently you are locked in here with the rest of us and these mad axe wielding c***s about to be unleashed like never before. 

Spot on. Whitehall knows they don't have the negotiators, quantity or quality, to do Brexit right. If they had respect for Parliament House and all it supposedly represents in this great democracy it would take a decade to change laws by the correct procedures. Guarantee the first bill in the new session will be about how to shovel through single -sentence white papers and wholesale change.

Axes are no match for broadswords[emoji6]

[strichener]

4 hours ago, Bring Your Own Socks said:

It's called free enterprise dear. No place for politicians. MDs & CEOs at the year end left to choose between dividends to shareholders or pop some dosh in the pension pot. Tricky! Especially after the 80s when Maggie destroyed the Unions, although the greed of some so-called trade unionists was easy enough to turn them too.

The current black hole in private pensions in the UK is just above £700 billion. Just one of the many reasons Scotland needs to get away from those pirates in EC1.

£700,000,000,000,000. 

That's incorrect, the Finance Act 1986 introduced rules that forced schemes to reduce surpluses.  It is however the case that the government had planned to reduce the state pension by 3% in 1980 and eventually settled on removing the link between pensions and earnings.

It is far too simplistic to blame the capitalist companies for the state of the UK pension system.  Every government, no matter which colour, has fucked with the system to it's detriment.

[D Angelo Barksdale]

The BBC have announced their shambles of a 'debate' schedule.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39845685

Question Time style, May v Corbyn, then wee Nic v Farron.

UKIP get their own show

[Fide]

What exactly do UKIP have to do to stop getting invited onto the BBC?