[Karl Wildey]

sorry forgot the riots

[Matt Read]

Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Policy Officer £26k to £28k to help members of LGBT to access council services .

£26k to teach em how to pick up a phone and dial the council ? Thats where all our stealth taxes go and theres hundreds more "posts" like this available under labour.

 

[Ken Wainwright]

I've always been a true blue. Having said that, I find Tony Blair to be an almost acceptable face of socialism. But there are so many left wingers standing in the wings waiting for the president to retire. Until the advent of New Labour, the socialists were unelectable. TB's most likely successor is to the left of centre. I'm not comfortable with that.

A lot of praise has been heaped on the Chancillors success. The way I read it, Kenneth Clarke had got everything moving in the right direction. The new man at No 11 had a really good place to start and just made his own tweaks to suit the new doctrine.

Safe and happy voting
Ken

[Matt Read]

The bank of england control interest rates anyway not GB...plus we can all hark back to the major years...Maggie gave you the right to buy ya council house sorted the unions and completely overhauled the country from what i can see.
I was only a kid but i can remember my dad on a 3 day week and waiting for the electric to come back on etc etc rubbish piling up outside while the binmen strike..but you could go on and on about previous gov's ....new labour have had 8 years and should stand by what they did not go on about tory rule from almost a decade ago.

The old tory values always appealed to me as standing on your own 2 feet whereas labour were the opposite until blair/brown took on those values to get in power ...i get the feeling old labour is starting to shine through again ..i refer you to my previous post 

[paul@ctcs]

Karl,

You cant base an argument on what happened the best part of ten+ years ago, mistakes are bound to be made and in hindsight this is easy to see.
Labour have let this country down in many ways and IMO cant be trusted to do whats best for most of us anymore, I cant stand the governments feeble aproach to crime, Its pathetic!! We need more prisons with appropiate sentences to put the scum bags off the idea of repeat offending and if they continue bang em up for good!!
Gypsies are another problem that the conservatives should improve, they and so many others get off on Human Rights   with things as they are serious problems are inevitable.

The UK is going to the dogs and it needs a government with balls!

Paul
 

[Ken Wainwright]

On the subject of Mortgage Rates. I keep a personal ledger recording my personal finances and Mortgage rates going back to 1995. All figures below are for Nationwide.

April 95 8.44%
Oct 95 7.95%
Gradually decreasing until at Election May '97 6.99%
Now under Labour
Jun '97  7.35%
Aug '97  7.85%
Sept '97 8.1%
Sept '98  8.5%
Nov '98 8.2%
Then a gradual reduction with an occasional blip to a low point of :
Aug '03 4.54%
Nov '03 4.89%
Mar '03 5.14%
Gradual increases until:
Sept '04  5.99% Current rate.

The trend I observe is that the outgoing Tory Govt in '97 Were on a downward run which in May '97 was only 1% higher than present. We are currently on an upward run from a low of 4.54% in Aug '03 to  the current 5.99%  The real effect on my mortgage payments in monetary terms has been to increase them by a whopping 45% and the likelyhood is that the next movement will be upwards again.

Ken

[dustycorner]

Karl,

While there is some merit in your criticism of previous tory govts, you neglect a few points, namely that in 1979 they inherited a economy that was on its knees and the country was being led by the union paymasters of labour. The same year was the winter of discontent rubbish was not being collected all down to union using strike power.During the eighties the tory govt did create the environment to amass wealth through your endeavours. yes i admit their was a negative side to that.

But what about the negative side to all that new labour is fostering upon us the minimum wage is a good idiea but how long before how manufacturing industries are price out of business due to the more competitive areas like eastern europe and the south east asian countries.

It seems this govt only way of resolving social problems is to issue a on the spot fine i.e. fining bar staff for serving heavy/binge drinkers hardly getting to the root of the problem there.

They are now talking about increasing paid maternity leave to 12 months how many small businesses will be able to absorb the additionals cost that will incur.

I not just some tory having a moan, personally i would like to see, third world debt eradicated, tougher punishment for criminals and better care for the elderly and vulnerable.

One last thing since we got this umbrella act the human rights bill, its uncanny how many high profile cases reported in the media the prosecuting qc is mrs cherie booth what a coincidence?

Cheers Mark.

[Karl Wildey]

ken - you pay 45% more now at 5.99% than you did at 8.44%, and you have not increased your mortgage. Thats strange,

Paul - Fair enough no mention of old. 10 years is to far back.
To reduce crime would mean more police, more prisons, more prison officers and therefore an increase in spending which can only come from one source, the taxpayer.

[strakercleaning]

Karl.................the riots in Brixton were great fun for some
plus i never had to put my heating or hot water on at all.

[Karl Wildey]

Dusty - I agree old labour was no good, the unions had too much control, but that was 26 years ago.

Would you  like to see people being paid less than £4.85?

I never knew who Mrs. Blair was until Mr. Blair got to No.10, so her media present comes with her husband's job, you do not hear of any other high profile prosecuting qc's cos no one would give a damn about who they are.

I agree with your 3rd world debt, better care for elderly etc

[paul@ctcs]

But what about the negative side to all that new labour is fostering upon us the minimum wage is a good idiea but how long before how manufacturing industries are price out of business due to the more competitive areas like eastern europe and the south east asian countries.

How long?? Its already happening   As an engineer I have seen huge job losses over the past 3 years in this country due to losing contracts to the middle and far east countries.

Paul

[dustycorner]

Yes the foxes highlight what this government is about wastes loads of parliamentary time on a minor but emotive issue such as foxhunting whilst failing to deliver on key areas such as education,health, crime unless you call adding layers of bureacracy progress.

Cheers Mark.

[paul@ctcs]

The 4.1 billion and counting wasted on the war could have done so much good If Tony wasnt trying so hard to please Bush.

 

[Ken Wainwright]

Karl

You've probably misread my post. The difference between my mortgage repayments of Aug 03 4.54% and the present 5.99% is that the repayment, on the same mortgage, has increased by45% in monetry terms. That is purely interest without capital. If others have access to their repayments during these times, work it out for yourselves. It might only be a change of 1.45% but the ££££'s can hurt all but the lucky few (like me ) And as I said, look at my figures above and you will see a very definate upward trend.

Ken

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I personally do not think it is healthy for a country to have the same party in for more than 2 elections they tend to get a bit too big for their own boots and taking advantage thinking that they public will always vote for them, here in Sheffield where it can be very working class in the big vote people usually go for Labour but in the smaller vote between general elections there is the occassional swing to the Libs, I am tactically voting Libs as Conservative have no chance here and a vote for Libs will hopefully upset the balance and not give Labour a seat here.

Shaun

[John_Flynn]

But the same Faceless people will be pulling the strings from their offices in Whitehall they never change they just pull the In Parliment Parties strings!!

[Karl Wildey]

well said John, the power of whitehall controls the long term,
and sorry Ken still don't see your point. The mortage rate has decline over the last 6 years (over 3%) and therefore you must have saved money, now it is up 1.5% and you are complaining. Remember 15%, now thats worth moaning about,

[paulchambers]

a 1/4 % on 5 is a lot more then a 1/4% on 10   Paul

[Karl Wildey]

so paul you woruld perfer a 10.25% mortgage than a 5.25% mortgage

[therapist]

If I expressed my honest beliefs here, or publicly, I would be accused of Racial Discrimination.

So, let me say that I am old enough to remember the speech made by Enoch Powell and at the time I realised it was a wake-up call to the British public.

Regrettably, he was ignored and we are in the position now where, according to recent figures, there will shortly be more recent immigrants in the UK than the entire population of Scotland.

It's a very unfortunate fact of life in this country, that government at national and local level are, reactive.
Nothing happens until there is a crisis-disaster-tragedy, bit like 'holes in the road'

What we need, I think, is someone with the guts to stand up and say what the public really think and start a remedial process.

We have a clown in Scotland called Jack McConnell who claims that Scotland needs 1500 or so, immigrants each year to fill job vacancies.

Like most of you, as I drive around daily and see literally hundreds of young unemployed people, many are the partners of 'single parents' many will never work, many are stuck in a subculture of drink and drugs.

Virtually all of these people are capable of training, some to levels well beyond there aspirations, or expectations.      

Finally, I'd like to know;-

What's wrong with marraige
What's wrong with NOT drinking alcohol
What's wrong with being honest-moral-concerned for others

Yes I am married    No I'm not a 'holy willie'  No I don't drink alcohol.  Was a social drinker for a while but never drunk to get ped.  Anyone who does has problems.

The last few lines are directed at society in general !

rm