General election

You'll not find heaven.

The problem with Britain's politics is that both political groups only half believe in Keynesian economics.  It almost works because they each believe in different halves!

The Conservatives believe that the country should not live beyond it's means and should reduce it's debt in good years so that it isn't so burdened with interest and debt re-payments during the lean years, even if this policy is hard to endure and results in hardship.

The Labour / SNP / Green grouping believe that in the lean years you should invest in employment support and infrastructure even if this means borrowing heavily; unfortunately in the good years they believe you should intensify that policy rather than clearing the debt.

Given the paucity of candidates for the leadership of the labour party, the climb back to electability might take more than five years, Tony.  The only plausible candidate I can think of is Umma Chukka who is unstained by any association with the Brown government perceived to have wrecked the economy. But he's pretty inexperienced.

Mind you, the Lib-Dems have an even bigger mountain to climb.   

naim forum populated by rich Tories - who'd a thunk it...

Lionel,

You would mortgage future generations for jam today. You are not a good person, just like the unlamented Ed Miliband or Balls.

ATB from George

If being a "bad person" is defined by not agreeing with you and your screw-the-poor, diasbled, disadvantaged, unemployed, low-wage, sell the NHS Tory philosophy then I am the baddest bloke you can imagine. People have fought and died in the class war so that you can enjoy all the benefits that brings. the Welfare State was a Labour policy - watch your hero Tories sell it to the lowest bidder. Shame on you.

A bad person is one who live at others' expense including the expense of future generations, as you seem to advocate.

ATB fron George

George

You seem happy that the Tories will destroy the welfare state in all its forms thus denying future generations.

I am not. I have nothing more to say since repetition does not reinforce an argument.

Lionel, in your terms:

To provide the bolster up the poor, disabled, disadvantaged, unemployed, high-wage unlimited funded NHS philosophy, first you need a buoyant economy.  Alternatively you can just have another round of excessive government spending, then you mortgage the country's future and bind all future generations to pay for your policy; hence dragging them into just the situation you claim to deplore.

To get the buoyant economy you have to have the austerity to offset the last period of excessive government spending.  Only then can spending rise again.

Spending more income than GDP all the time just doesn't work.  I remember the disaster of the 'Winter of Discontent' and rampant inflation of the late 70's and I can't believe that anyone would even consider a return to those policies.

The true measure of any society can be judged by how it treats its weakest members, said Ghandi.

We will grind the poor into the dirt while doing everything we can to support our Old Etonian brethren is the mantra of Cameron and Osborne.

Take your pick.

Huge

There is balance to be struck between screwing the poorest in society to achieve a "bouyant" economy - which in Tory terms means huge profits and tax avoidance for big business funded by state subsidies for minimum wage and zero hours workers, and sensible and prudent borrowing to fund growth.

Anyway, the public have decided, God help us all.

I did  take my pick Nigel and I'm quite happy with my choice and so were a good many other citizens. Now, be a good sport.  Vox Popoli!

Problem with labour supporters is that they suffer from selective amnesia!

At least we will continue to get more of Steve Bell's wonderful cartoons. 

Lionel, if you look at my posts carefully you'll see that I am arguing for balance (a balance dependant on the prevailing economic circumstances).

I also vehemently oppose the current unjust use of zero hours contracts.  Oh, and I'm also an atheist!

I've also recently had a blood test for BNP, it came out as 18 (normal range is up to 50) so that proves I'm not a right wing political extremist (I bet you didn't know there was a blood test for right wing political extremism!).

Vox populi, please! 

How we voted.

G

Apologies, my iPad hasn't been to public school! 

Just as Tory supporters conveniently forget that the Banking Community nearly bankrupted the World which, apparently, was Labours fault. Never mind Tony, you are, and will continue to be immune from the economic consequences that poor people will suffer. Serves 'em right after all...

I would not have predicted that the British and UK voters would have been so prudent. Sorry that the followers of Brown, Blair and Miliband found themselves so un-expectedly trounced, but to my mind one of the sweetest moments was to hear that Balls is now UB 40.

Strangely the electorate often seems to come out trumps. But this is democracy, and those who find themselves disappointed need to consider the national interest, which continues to be solving the National Debt ...

I voted for a party that was heftily defeated, but am pleased that the nation has been so prudent.

ATB from George

Ah, Wat, don't be downhearted, in the long term things really are improving, after all Maggie did shoot Mr Burns!

George, It sounds as though your preferred outcome was the same as mine: Another C + LD coalition.  I feel it worked surprisingly well last time; sound economics and moderation - in short, a necessary balance!

True mistakes were made (e.g. the excessive rise of zero hours contracts), but overall the country's in a better state now than at the start.

When there are no slaves to ship off to the colonies, no opium to force on the Chinese, no big fat juicy empire left to bully and exploit, no resources left in our sea or viably placed under our feet, no workers actually working (there was a decade of that) what else is there to do but spend, spend, spend like it was Inca gold pilfered by state-sponsored piracy from the Spanish.

In France a night in A&E costs €350 (plus ambulance!) Strangely the staff spend all night reading books waiting for 'patients'. When people have an interest in their own wellbeing they tend to act and spend less recklessly and are consequently more 'socialist' ie less burdensome.

if people fought and died in some kind of class war then the Labour campaign should be ashamed of itself for running such a piss-poor effort.