Well I do, and I agree with Brooker that hating the Tories is probably the most natural activity anybody could partake in. Anybody who had the misfortune to live through Major and Thatcher's rule knows the current administration is a paragon of competence, virtue and liberty in comparison.
I also left this comment about the ridiculous right-wing attempt to defend the nasty Boris Johnson's past history of beating up journalists;
"I find it amazing that right-wingers are trying to turn Johnson’s admittance on tape that he would supply a journalists address to his fraudster friend to beat up, as some sort of heroics. You are propagandists of the utmost skill. If Johnson was being so noble, why the repeated pleas ‘you better not ***k this up, darry, if this gets out I’m finished’.
Well, it did get out and Johnson should be finished by it because this little episode reveals him to be the nasty weak little thatcherite hypocritical creep he is, and that goes for Cameron and Osbourne as well. You may not mind this nasty cabal running the country, but give me incompetent Brown any day compared to the damage these corrupt little Tory twerps will do to the country."
"Anybody who had the misfortune to live through Major and Thatcher's rule knows the current administration is a paragon of competence, virtue and liberty in comparison."
ReplyDeleteAre you having a laugh!?! Labour inherited a sound economy in 1997. The Conservatives will inherit an economy sinking fast in 2009 or 2010 just as they did in 1979. You will blame them for having to use harsh measures to fix this mess rather than Labour who got us all into it!
No country can continually spend more than it earns!
Why hate Tories? Should I hate socialists or just disagree with them?
Snafu: "Why hate Tories? Should I hate socialists or just disagree with them?"
ReplyDeleteTaking money off the rich to help the poor is an inconvenience for the rich. Taking money off the poor to help the rich causes real hardship. That is why it is right to hate the Tories and only disagree with Labour.
This 'Labour inherited a sound economy' rubbish is propaganda of Dunkirk proportions.
Labour inherited an economy coming out of a deep Tory made recession where health, education, transport and inequality were bad and getting worse. Labour have largely turned this around. You can hardly credit growth to the Tories just because they created a recession that made growth from a lower base easier.
Labour's big failing has been a reluctance to take on city and media vested interest in the Thatcherite credit bonanza. Ever since Thatcher scrapped credit controls in the Eighties, eternal boom and bust is assured until this is changed. Germany has credit controls and that is why their housing market has stable growth and they can have lower long term interest rates rather than explosive housing costs followed by collapse and volatile higher rates.
I fundamentally disagree that the best thing for the poor is to be given more money for doing nothing.
ReplyDeleteIt's a short term fix rather than a long term solution.
Has Africa been helped by being given billions of dollars in aid over the last couple of decades? Why is it still in such a quagmire when India and China are challenging for economic supremacy this century?
The UK economy had already been growing for a couple of years when Labour came in. They even adopted Conservative spending plans for the first two years!
It's good to know that you at least temper your thoughts by admitting that the British economy was coming out of recession when Labour took over!
Perhaps you could tell me how inequality has reduced under Labour, inequality per se is not an evil. You will always have some people who grab opportunity, learn, study and work hard. You will always get people who lack ambition and are work shy.
I am all in favour of providing opportunity and good quality education, but not in favour of supporting the work shy or their children with my taxes. It's not good for me, it's not good for them and not good for this country.
PS Do you think GPs earning over £100k is a good thing? Do you think it's good that more teachers, nurses and police officers are now higher rate tax payers!?!
"Taking money off the poor to help the rich causes real hardship. That is why it is right to hate the Tories and only disagree with Labour."
ReplyDelete10% income tax band, ring any bells?
While your at it how about the basic allowance that has risen at the speed of a dead snail.
I can only assume that you must hate Labour and the Tories.
If you come back on this with tax credits I may get sweary, they are a fundamentally stupid idea.
Falco: You forget that Labour actually introduced the 10p rate in the first place.
ReplyDeleteScrapping the 10p rate is a bad move, but the overall result of 10 years of Labour government has seen the poorest 10%,20%, 50% gain more (in percentage terms) than the richest 50%. The Tories did the reverse, which is why Labour are ok and the Tories are scum.
"the current administration is a paragon of competence, virtue and liberty in comparison".
ReplyDeleteNeil, I know you like winding people up but that comment is pathetic, frankly.
I also don't remember you shouting bravo! when Lord Forsyth's Tory tax commission called for scrapping the 10% band and increasing the personal allowance to £7,000-plus.
And Longrider is a left-wing Libertarian, you know that perfectly well.
Mark, Reading Longrider's opinions over the last few years I find no evidence of him being left-wing, to the contrary.
ReplyDeleteThe 10p rate was introduced by Labour and I disagree with it being scrapped - but there is more than one way to reduce poverty. We have to look at the overall tax burden and where it has been shifted - in that regard Labour have helped the poorest 20% the most.
Cuts in public spending hurt the poorest the most - just raising the allowance is not on its own the answer. If the Tories are just going to put up indirect taxation like they did last time (doubled VAT) then once again they will triple poverty.
"And Longrider is a left-wing Libertarian, you know that perfectly well."
ReplyDeleteActually, I in the centre. I used to be very slightly left of the centre line but am now slightly to the right. This is a consequence of changing my mind on the matter of nationalisation. Either way, Neil's opinion is irrelevant - he is wrong, just as he is wrong on almost everything. One thing is perfectly clear, I am well to the left of his beloved Labour party.
Longrider: "One thing is perfectly clear, I am well to the left of his beloved Labour party."
ReplyDeleteWhich is why you prefer to see the Tories in power I suppose.
Oh yes, silly me, the Tories are to the left of Labour. Obvious of course!!
Forget that the Tories tripled poverty, harrassed gay and ethnic minorities and have exactly the same core policies as during the height of Thatcherism and also their 1997, 2001 and 2005 election defeats.
Longrider, with your skewed wonderful logic on what is left or right, what is the point of arguing with your assertion that 'I' am wrong on everything? I think you have got very lost and confused - you should stop believing the media and start really thinking about what you do actually believe. Rather than trotting out theoretical positions that mean nothing in practise.
Again you demonstrate my point for me. For a logical illiterate to acuse me of skewed logic, is absurd. I have repeatedly pointed out that I don't like any of the three major parties, because they are all as corrupt and self serving. A change of government is good for democracy - unless you want a one-party state. The Tories are, unfortunately, the only alternative under our electoral system.
ReplyDeleteAs for your silly, silly comment about the left/right axis, you merely demonstrate that you are politically immature and do not understand the difference between that axis and the libertarian/authoritarian one.
I'll go back to not bothering to comment her - it's a fruitless exercise.
Anybody who had the misfortune to live through Major and Thatcher's rule knows the current administration is a paragon of competence, virtue and liberty in comparison
ReplyDeleteCome off it. Labour authoritarianism is just a continuation of Tory authoritarianism. Blair has referred on more than one occasion to the 'great respect' he has for Thatcher. Brown honoured her by inviting her to Number 10. Labour is as corrupt as the Tories were in 1997. But they are rather more hypocritical about it.
Oh yes, silly me, the Tories are to the left of Labour
ReplyDeleteOn several social issues, they are. But that is more a measure of how right wing the Labour party is than a slip leftwards by the Tories.
stephen: "On several social issues, they are".
ReplyDeleteYes and on a vast many more the Tories are well to the right. This selective memory of people is going to end up giving us another Tory Thatcherite government.
Would Thatcherite Tories have doubled spending on the NHS and education?
Would Thatcherite Tories have passed legislation to protect minorities?
Would Thatcherite Tories have introduced a minimum wage?
Would Thatcherite Tories have given us the smoking ban?
And signed the social chapter? Devolution? Free bus travel? Fuel payments? Decent rises in pensions and public sector wages?
etc. etc.
If Labour can deliver electoral reform in its last 2 years, then this will be the most reforming, radical, redistributing government in all UK history.