The General (Brexit) Election –(A gentle parody).

[Blatman]

12 hours ago, Captain Colonial said:

So you’re perfectly happy to be governed by an out-and-out liar because there are workforce’s being led by them?  Not exactly the same thing, is it?

I did not say I was happy about it. Nor did I say it was right. If I did, show me where. 

 

12 hours ago, Captain Colonial said:

Are you actually saying that the head of a national company has more influence over the population of the country than whoever the PM is?

There are all kinds of influence. In my daily life my influences are generally not dictated by the government. Yes there is the larger question of being a good citizen and all that that entails, but I'm not sure I'm always good because government influences me to be. And some things are (almost) unavoidable, like taxation but that's not an influence, that's the price of a free(ish) society. 

 

8 hours ago, Mark Stanton said:

Free internet provided by government nationalised industry ................... sounds very controlling and communist  

I'm betting at least one contributors paranoia level has reached critical on hearing that news...    

 

I was musing on the tree planting thing over a cuppa with one of my mates (yes I have mates  ) and did the maths. I know how to have a good time with my mates, yes indeedy. But I digress...

60 million trees a year according to The Grauniad

52 weeks a year, that's 104 weekend days where most folks don't work. 365 days - 104 = 261 working days and yes I'm ignoring Bank Holidays.

60,000,000 / 261 = 229,885 trees a day. Is it me or is that bonkers? And what does "planting trees" actually mean? Will they be saplings carefully planted with a silver shovel and cared for until maturity, or are we talking about throwing a bag of seeds over a large field and waiting 30 years for a forest to arrive?

[DonPeffers]

What is on offer as Leaders of Countries?

 

Serial liars, serial shaggers, B movie actors, retired cricketers, retired comedians, reality TV stars.......

 

I just thought of a few Countries to make the list above and daresay could add more with a bit of thought.

 

Can we really believe these people are really in charge?..... or are they just frontmen being controlled by others?

 

I guess we have to assume it is the latter and hope that the string-pullers are benign.

 

Like Blatman I did the trees Maths and wondered how it would be achieved especially as the domestic Smart Meter roll-out has been such an interminable shambles.

[ACW]

its less than one tree per person in the UK. Why dont we all plant a tree every time our free broadband isnt working.

 

Or pehaps a new bank holiday from Labour on 5th May that is plant a tree day.

 

Its all buzzcocks just especially buzzcocks this time around. Its chips every lunchtime from the kids put in charge of school.

 

[jeff oakley]

What I find really annoying is that after Blair we entered an era where how someone looked or could be made to look was more important than ability. Some of our past PM's have been not without demons and skeletons however now in the 24 hour media world things have changed and looks and mannerisms count more.

 

It was in the US which is why Truman, who was in a wheelchair, got elected because no one saw him in it, after TV he would not get elected there at that time. 

 

Last year when Corbyn went to the cenotaph he wore an old BHS style coat, this year after the the backlash he got, he had a suitable black coat. He still has not got the pride and gratitude for our service men and women but his team have smartended him up no end.

 

We have also got into the "TV debate" where it is who performs best regardless of substance or truth. Corbyn waved some papers about with lots of redactions and claims the NHS is for sale, a sensible person would ask how would he know if it was redacted? It isn't for sale but spin and pulling a rabbit out of the hat is now seen as the required way.

 

People need to remember that if it is too good to be true it isn't true. I have heard so many bad manifestos Corbyn's is a work of fantasy that no one sane could have come up with.

[CraigHew]

I think Boris is a breath of fresh air...💘

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

I don't think I have been more worried about an election in the whole of my life before. 

 

[Alan France]

36 minutes ago, Nick - Joint North East AO said:

I don't think I have been more worried about an election in the whole of my life before. 

 

Electricity generator, 4 x 4, shotgun? Not sure we’re quite there yet.

 

If JC gets in will they run out of other people’s money by this Christmas or next?

[Kingster]

1 hour ago, Nick - Joint North East AO said:

I don't think I have been more worried about an election in the whole of my life before. 

 

Don’t worry - JC will have us back to the 70’s quicker than Dr Emmett Brown in a DeLorean -  free everything, no need to work, just sign on 🤣

[Alan France]

Even more bad news. Victoria Secrets cancels its annual fashion show.

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

1 hour ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said:

Don’t worry - JC will have us back to the 70’s quicker than Dr Emmett Brown in a DeLorean -  free everything, no need to work, just sign on 🤣

 

Yeah, exactly 😱 I was working through the 70's and 3 days weeks, 15% mortgage rates etc I've seen it all before and it was ****, I'll be booking my one way ticket the day after if they do get in. 

[Kingster]

1 hour ago, Nick - Joint North East AO said:

, I'll be booking my one way ticket the day after if they do get in.

Yup you and every large tech giant and huge corporate employer with 100s of 1000s of tax paying employees on the books!

[DonPeffers]

It seems Labour reckon the cost of Nationalising Energy, Water, Rail, Royal Mail is   ZERO   as all they have to do is issue Government Bonds in exchange???!...a sort of Government I.O.U.------how tempting??

 

Scrapping the Married Tax Allowance would cost at least £250 yearly per married couple so not just tax increases for those above the £80k pa salary threshold as Labour claim.

 

The IFS reckon Labour's spending plans amount to a 4% Budget deficit which exceeds the EU max. of 3%. That would seem to suggest Labour's choice is (a) stay in EU so economy doesn't potentially shrink BUT accept the 3% limit (moderate spending)  OR  (b) leave EU with possibly a smaller economy but be able to run a higher Budget deficit.  Between a rock and a hard place! No wonder Jezza can't decide.

 

Would the vast Government spending put up interest rates if the Bond Market lost faith in UK's ability to repay? If interest rates rise, so do mortgages, salary increase demands from ever-strengthened Unions and the rate of inflation.

 

Like Nick above I recall the 1970s Labour Government with 15% mortgage interest rates, 27% inflation rate, pay rises almost every month (40p extra for every 1% RPI increase but only for workers earning below £8500pa salary). The saying was " we'll soon all be millionaires and starving to death".

Also the Government had to call in the IMF to provide emergency loans and BE TOLD what must be done to reset the public finances.

 

Possibly Labour think if £350BN (quantitative easing) can be printed by the Bank of England to help out bankers then they could do the same but that ship might have sailed with little room left for manoeuvre.

 

During the recent England v Kosovo football match many fans remarked how lovely and friendly Kosovo was. I might consider it. 

 

Tory manifesto, delayed until 24 Nov, should be a great read.

 

P.S. I have concluded that Corbyn is best as a protest movement and not a leader.

[DonPeffers]

On 21/11/2019 at 17:14, ACW said:

its less than one tree per person in the UK. Why dont we all plant a tree every time our free broadband isnt working.

 

Or pehaps a new bank holiday from Labour on 5th May that is plant a tree day.

 

Its all buzzcocks just especially buzzcocks this time around. Its chips every lunchtime from the kids put in charge of school.

 

It's a good point ACW that 60 million trees planted per year is about one each BUT the problem is always talk is easier than action.

I've seen interviews on TV with young Extinction Rebellion activists who were asked would they be giving up flying away on Summer holiday or giving up a car and the answer was "no....not until everyone else does so". So much for idealism.

 

Many of my neighbours are having lawns removed and  astroturf laid and some front gardens concreted over to provide parking. Urban creep it's called and must contribute to flood risk when there are less plants and less areas for rain water run-off.

 

With Labour's 4 day week we'll have time for the tree planting.

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

4 hours ago, DonPeffers said:

It seems Labour reckon the cost of Nationalising Energy, Water, Rail, Royal Mail is   ZERO   as all they have to do is issue Government Bonds in exchange???!...a sort of Government I.O.U.------how tempting??

 

Scrapping the Married Tax Allowance would cost at least £250 yearly per married couple so not just tax increases for those above the £80k pa salary threshold as Labour claim.

 

The IFS reckon Labour's spending plans amount to a 4% Budget deficit which exceeds the EU max. of 3%. That would seem to suggest Labour's choice is (a) stay in EU so economy doesn't potentially shrink BUT accept the 3% limit (moderate spending)  OR  (b) leave EU with possibly a smaller economy but be able to run a higher Budget deficit.  Between a rock and a hard place! No wonder Jezza can't decide.

 

Would the vast Government spending put up interest rates if the Bond Market lost faith in UK's ability to repay? If interest rates rise, so do mortgages, salary increase demands from ever-strengthened Unions and the rate of inflation.

 

Like Nick above I recall the 1970s Labour Government with 15% mortgage interest rates, 27% inflation rate, pay rises almost every month (40p extra for every 1% RPI increase but only for workers earning below £8500pa salary). The saying was " we'll soon all be millionaires and starving to death".

Also the Government had to call in the IMF to provide emergency loans and BE TOLD what must be done to reset the public finances.

 

Possibly Labour think if £350BN (quantitative easing) can be printed by the Bank of England to help out bankers then they could do the same but that ship might have sailed with little room left for manoeuvre.

 

During the recent England v Kosovo football match many fans remarked how lovely and friendly Kosovo was. I might consider it. 

 

Tory manifesto, delayed until 24 Nov, should be a great read.

 

P.S. I have concluded that Corbyn is best as a protest movement and not a leader.

 

If Labour do get in and actually enact the Budget they have in their manifesto, the question will be not will the country go BUST but just how long will it take ?? That's when the fixed term parliament act becomes really scary. Most big International Businesses & seriously wealthy people will have left long before.

I can remember in the 70's not being able to buy petrol just to get to work, due to shortages, thankfully food didn't get that bad, but was getting close. 

 

What's really worrying Don, is we can see exactly what is going on but so many can't or choose not to. Don't see the IMF bailing us out this time with the rest of the EU looking like its going into recession and other global economies not looking so good.

[Alan France]

Spent the morning campaigning with Steve Baker, really don’t want to lose this one. Lots of support and only a little abuse.