National politics

[Hugo]

It seems that the old fox hunter David Cameron was out foxed by the SNP when he tried to bring in his bill to get around the anti hunting legislation.
It just goes to show how low the Cons will go to appease some of their supporters and without thought to what the majority of the population think.
"One Nation"   that's just rubbish when the party just looks after its own.   It'll be very interesting to see next year's New Years honours list as I expect that the Cons financial backers will be prominently featured in the list because of the Cons unexpected victory in the General Election

[born2run]

  Hit the nail squarely on the head.
The Tories don't even appease the majority of their own supporters only the ones who 'matter'

A simple calculation will tell you a large percentage of the people who voted tory will be in one way or another worse off.
Most of their voters simply 'fell for it'

An example in my work (summed up as simply as I can put it) we had a very 'forward' thinking manager who wanted to change the pay deal so that not everyone got an equal pay rise.
Say there was 100 people in our workplace - he wanted say 15 to get a very large pay rise and the other 85 to get a very tiny one.
Of course nobody would know who the 'lucky' 15 would be until after it was decided!  We knew he had no chance of getting a majority to go along with this ludicrous idea so we let him have a vote on it.

We won by about 65/35 - despite everyone knowing that only 15% would benefit - 35% of people voted for this. So 20% of people voted for themselves to get a massive pay decrease.
Because of course everyone thinks they are that 'lucky one' - they are not 

Be interesting when those sleep walk voters start coming around and realising what they have done.

[DaveR]

Should you place your vote based purely upon how much you benefit personally then?

[born2run]

Should you place your vote based purely upon how much you benefit personally then?

Of course you should.

If everyone did that the mass majority (working classes) would win every election.
But for some reason we are still being ruled by the minority upper classes.
Makes no sense at all.

[DaveR]

Should you place your vote based purely upon how much you benefit personally then?

Of course you should.

If everyone did that the mass majority (working classes) would win every election.

..and the country would be bankrupt, I imagine! 

[Fester]

Should you place your vote based purely upon how much you benefit personally then?

Of course you should.

If everyone did that the mass majority (working classes) would win every election.

..and the country would be bankrupt, I imagine! 

It pretty much already is isn't it?   £1.5 TRILLION overall National Debt?  At a time when we have record low interest rates.

[Ian]

It pretty much already is isn't it?   £1.5 TRILLION overall National Debt?  At a time when we have record low interest rates.

If anyone could fathom how international macro economics actually worked, then that might make sense.  As it is I don't think anyone can, so it doesn't.

Me - I'm patiently waiting for the criminal gangs who caused all this to be charged and convicted. It's incredible. The bloke who swipes a bottle of sherry from Asda incurs the full wrath of the justice system, yet the bank employees and managers who criminally conspired to make themselves billions and in the pursuit of that brought the world's economy crashing down are still enjoying the high life.

Sadly, I believe this says more about how our society regards the acquisition of wealth than anything else.

[Hugo]

The Cons have indeed conned the public but anyone who has voted for them shouldn't complain when the cuts hit them personally.   As you quite rightly say BTR,  they don't even represent the majority of their own voters only those who are very well off.
They have hammered the Public Sector workers for years now by cutting staff and reducing their pay increases to 1%  but  MP'S are  public sector workers themselves.
I know that they have a different pay review body to other Public Sector workers but it seems hypocritical for them to restrict public sector workers increases to a 1% increase,  but at the same time accept a pay increase of about £10K
I expect the Cons MP's to have their snouts in the trough but I'm afraid that there are a lot of other MP's from other parties who would also accept the increase without question

[SteveH]

PAY RISE: There has been mixed reaction to proposals to award MPs a 10% pay rise, increasing their salary from £67k a year to £74k.

Some MPs and members of the public have are angry about the plans as it comes at a time when many people are feeling the pinch due to pay freezes or below-inflation pay rises.
A website Donate My Pay Rise has been set up which tracks which MPs are donating their pay rise to charity.
So far, 43 have signed up.
None of North Wales MPs have made a decision yet.
RefDP.

[SDQ]

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-07-16/david-cameron-tells-itv-news-he-will-take-10-pay-rise-saying-the-right-thing-to-do-is-to-be-paid-the-rate-for-the-job/


They tell the press they don't agree with it but behind closed doors they're saying 'about time too!'

[born2run]

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-07-16/david-cameron-tells-itv-news-he-will-take-10-pay-rise-saying-the-right-thing-to-do-is-to-be-paid-the-rate-for-the-job/


They tell the press they don't agree with it but behind closed doors they're saying 'about time too!'

"The Prime Minister did not say what he would do with his pay rise but did say that it "gives you the opportunity to do more in terms of charitable giving and things like that."

Perhaps give it to some of the food banks you have caused  D)

What a total muppet!

[SDQ]

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-07-16/david-cameron-tells-itv-news-he-will-take-10-pay-rise-saying-the-right-thing-to-do-is-to-be-paid-the-rate-for-the-job/


They tell the press they don't agree with it but behind closed doors they're saying 'about time too!'

"The Prime Minister did not say what he would do with his pay rise but did say that it "gives you the opportunity to do more in terms of charitable giving and things like that."

Perhaps give it to some of the food banks you have caused  D)

What a total muppet!

The fact he said he already gives to charity shows this rise is going anywhere but.
I guess they say charity begins at home!

[SteveH]

North Wales MP David Jones says giving his 10% pay rise to charity wouldn't be charitable

A North Wales MP has said he intends to take his bumper 10% pay rise - claiming to give it all to charity wouldn’t be charitable.
The bizarre explanation came from Clwyd West MP David Jones , when asked whether he would take the salary hike that will see his pay go up to £74,000 a year.
Some MPs - including North Wales ones - have decided to give the extra cash - around £7,000 - to charity, saying the rise was inappropriate in straitened times.
But in a blistering defence of his decision to accept the rise, David Jones MP said it was no-one’s business other than his and that the money “ceases to be public money the moment it is paid to me”.
Some MPs have decided not to take the money - which will take their pay up to £74,000 - and are to give it to charity.
MORE PLUS POLL....http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-mp-david-jones-9681072

[Hugo]

I’m not particularly interested in Politics,  but because of this thread I started to think in an unbiased manner what various Political Parties have done that have benefitted not just their voters, but  the majority of the UK population. 
My first thoughts were  of the introduction of the Old Age Pension Act of 1908 by the Liberal Government and the NHS  Act of 1946 by the Labour Party.    Both acts benefitted the entire population of the UK without exception.
I then tried to think what the Tories had done that benefitted everyone, after all they have been in power for long periods but I just couldn’t think of anything.   
 I could think of The Enclosure Acts of the 19th Century that enabled the likes of the Mostyn family to legally steal common land from the commoners and in the 20th Century they did a number of reforms such as selling off council houses at a 40% discount.    Then they sold off all the nationalised industries at prices below the market value and mainly to the large companies.
In the 21st Century they are still at it and sold off the Royal Mail and Banks at prices below the market value and have other such sales in the pipeline.
They must have done some good things as people some how still vote for them but I can’t readily think of anything that they have done that benefits anyone other than a minority of their voters
 

[Fester]

North Wales MP David Jones says giving his 10% pay rise to charity wouldn't be charitable


But in a blistering defence of his decision to accept the rise, David Jones MP said it was no-one’s business other than his and that the money “ceases to be public money the moment it is paid to me”.

How arrogant!!   That just about sums up politicians in my mind.
Can I get away with saying... 'It ceases to be the bank's money, the moment I steal it'??