Re: June 8th General Election
 

More well known than famous.

Writes columns for a lot of the broadsheets, contributing Editor for the Spectator, compered Have I Got News For You, written quite a few books.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

True, but he would get a bigger turnout than Jeremy Corbyn!

---------- Post added at 19:16 ---------- Previous post was at 19:14 ----------

Dismantling the NHS? How? Are you referring to that layer of bureaucracy (the Primary Care Trusts) that nobody seems to have missed since the Conservatives abolished them and put the savings back into hospitals?

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Sad but true.

They'd rather vote for a lying, multi-millionaire, property magnate and renowned champagne socialist than a sad 1970's political throwback. Not much of a choice though.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

I think he's referring to the staffing problems, which are greatly being exacerbated by Brexit, the longest financial squeeze and biggest crisis in the NHS's history, coupled with an increased demand from an ageing population. The Tories are sitting on their hands and quietly letting it die, secure in the knowledge that private healthcare is there for them whilst the plebs can suffer, and they can reap the financial rewards from their friends in the private sector.
The Royal College of Nursing are voting on strike action, something they have never even contemplated before, I suggest they choose June 8th for a day of action. It'll be interesting to see whether the Govt. can persuade the public, that the nurses are the same as militant miners.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Tony Blair wants to 'get his hands dirty and return to POLITICS in Brexit battle'


his hands are still dirty from the Iraq war it'll take a lot of scrubbing to get all the blood off those hands ,any hoo toxic tone want to " shape policy" ,i look forward to the carnage and chaos that this nutter can inflict


http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/798...beral-Democrat

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Source

How many jobs and investment will that cost? This isn't "free" money and you can bet prices will soar to cover it.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

it's easy to make pledges when you know you can't win and will never have to act on them

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Twas ever thus with Labour wasn't it. The message and MO has never really changed - spend, borrow, tax, spend, borrow, tax, spend spend spend until finally you get booted out.

PFI provided them the last opportunity to rack up a vast amount of debt and look what the supposed anti-privatisation party did with that. Their cynical spending splurge is going to cost us dear for decades.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Indeed its certainly is easy to make pledges when you know you can't win but its also easy to make pledges when one does win and not keep to them either.:)

Re: June 8th General Election
 

... and the PM has refused to make a pledge not to raise taxes.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

She's pledged not to increase VAT. Big deal anyway seeing it's at its highest ever rate, introduced by the Tories in 2011, despite promising not to do so. Also irrelevant since she's left the door open on other taxes. Brexit is going to cost and guess who's going to pay?

tbh the public also aren't really honest on taxes. They say they want increases funding for the NHS etc, but then vote for parties giving them tax cuts...

Re: June 8th General Election
 

The staffing problems are caused by the massive increase in demand for the NHS, which is fuelled by uncontrolled immigration.

I think people are getting fed up with people who are constantly advocating that we keep tipping barrowloads of extra money into the NHS, which badly needs to go on an efficiency drive.

Most people also don't want to see the NHS dismantled, and that includes the Conservative Government, which is putting more money into the NHS than Labour was prepared to do after the 2010 election. The constant bleating by left wingers that the NHS is safer under Labour is manifestly untrue, a fact that more people, at last, are beginning to realise now.

Brexit will eventually enable us to control immigration, and in my view, this should be coupled with inducements for those with the means to use private health providers instead of the NHS in order to reduce demand. That, together with better control over who gets to be treated at A&E and extended hours for surgeries should help hospitals to cope better, but much more needs to be done to make the service run more efficiently.

Labour controlled councils that fail to work with hospitals to avoid bed blocking should be ashamed of themselves. The Government needs to do something to incentivise them!

---------- Post added at 17:18 ---------- Previous post was at 17:10 ----------

It's not at all irrelevant. Are you forgetting that VAT increases directly impact the poor, whereas income tax is not paid by the poorest, thanks to a Conservative Government?

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Also remember that V.A.T rises were required by the EU to establish an EU wide rate so not just down to our poor quality politicians.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

I don't think this is right in practice. For example, in France, there are four rates of VAT in France (2016):[LIST]
2.1% Special rate - applies to medical drugs reimbursed by the French social security. TV licences, the sale of live animals, press publications and certain entertainment events.
5.5% This applies to food, water and non alcoholic beverages, books, special equipment for the disabled and school canteens, some entertainment events and some domestic personal services.
10% This applies to restaurants, transport, renovation/improvement works and certain medical drugs.
20% This is the standard rate.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

It is an EU policy and goal and our politicians have been the ones implementing it whilst other nations have ignored it and done whats best for them it's one of the minor reasons why I'll be happy to the back of the EU.