Pre-election budget

[Des 56]

This thread has been like a pat on the back conservative voters platform for Tony Blair knockers,so a few truths need stating


He led the party and the government under the banner of the labour party,however, Tony Blair is not and never has been a socialist in my definition

He may have been a liar on the world stage,incompetent and lives a double standard life,but he was a watered down conservative with watered down conservative policies

There has not been a socialist government in all its resplendent glory since Clement Attlee led the country with Nye Bevan pushing through the sincerity of care and help for fellow men that the socialist label should portray

You may argue Labour or Tory and agree or disagree about the niceties,remember both parties are Conservative,its just the depth of depravity of carelessness for their fellow man that divides each of them



For the record the last socialist prime minister (Attlee)was responsible for these changes to which the dog eat dog Tories had no answer and had to grudgingly accept as the best way forward


The government he led built the post-war consensus, based upon the assumption that full employment would be maintained by Keynesian policies and that a greatly enlarged system of social services would be created – aspirations that had been outlined in the wartime Beveridge Report.
Within this context, his government undertook the nationalisation of public utilities and major industries, as well as the creation of the National Health Service. After initial Conservative opposition to Keynesian fiscal policy, this settlement was broadly accepted by all parties for over three decades until Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in1979.

 

[Guest77]

Nice budget, allowances up to 11000, tax free savings, relief for oil sector (helps one of my clients) , fuel duty frozen. Surplus predicted in near future to start to get the overall debt back down...... As good as it gets.. Now lets make sure Labour don't get in a mess it all up again

Gordon brown was the last chancellor to have a surplus,only the american banking system collapse stopped it getting bigger, the banking collapse stopped the whole world economy in it's tracks, sure labour made mistakes, so do the tories, regarding the 11000 allowance, that is a libdem policy, if the tories win the next election that will be stopped, just like the 22 broken promises from their manefesto after the 2010 election.

Although I will not vote for UKIP, it has to be said they will change British politics forever regardless of whether they win any MPs in the next election or not, the main stream parties are running scared, I read labours manefesto a day or two back and one of their main ploicies is to look at border control LOL, without Farage that would have never happened, so even though he is a numpty, he has created a stir. The2 main parties are neck and neck at the moment, Farage has said he will form a government with the tories if the tories promise a 2015 EU referendum, the SNP were on the TV yesterday saying they would side with Labour if they stopped austerity, Labour has however said they will not team up with them, I don't believe them by the way, the Libdems with their 20 MPs which they will get after the election may actually still decide who governs the country.

 

[Slowhand]

I've had brain freeze, can someone remind me which party is offering a 4 day week and free beer on Friday?

 

[Octopus]

I've had brain freeze, can someone remind me which party is offering a 4 day week and free beer on Friday?

If you are self employed you can give youself a 4 day week - not sure about the free beer!

 

[Octopus]

Gordon brown was the last chancellor to have a surplus,only the american banking system collapse stopped it getting bigger, the banking collapse stopped the whole world economy in it's tracks, sure labour made mistakes, so do the tories, regarding the 11000 allowance, that is a libdem policy, if the tories win the next election that will be stopped, just like the 22 broken promises from their manefesto after the 2010 election.

Although I will not vote for UKIP, it has to be said they will change British politics forever regardless of whether they win any MPs in the next election or not, the main stream parties are running scared, I read labours manefesto a day or two back and one of their main ploicies is to look at border control LOL, without Farage that would have never happened, so even though he is a numpty, he has created a stir. The2 main parties are neck and neck at the moment, Farage has said he will form a government with the tories if the tories promise a 2015 EU referendum, the SNP were on the TV yesterday saying they would side with Labour if they stopped austerity, Labour has however said they will not team up with them, I don't believe them by the way, the Libdems with their 20 MPs which they will get after the election may actually still decide who governs the country.

But he left us with a bit of a deficit AND if you look at the history books UK plc was running a deficit since 2001-2002 - LONG before the 2008 crash

What a stupid point to post!

 

[Guest77]

I disagree clive, he had a surplus, accurate and fact, the rest of your post I cannot disagree with without further investigation, you may well be correct.

 

[Octopus]

I disagree clive, he had a surplus, accurate and fact, the rest of your post I cannot disagree with without further investigation, you may well be correct.

Not from 2002 he didn't

Edit: Graph & link added

For all to see:


http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5922/economics/uk-budget-deficit-2/

 

[andyb]

But he left us with a bit of a deficit AND if you look at the history books UK plc was running a deficit since 2001-2002 - LONG before the 2008 crash

What a stupid point to post!

2001 there was a surplus of £8.4b, which was more than all the surpluses of the 19 years of the Tories added together.

Mind you that's not saying much, in the 19 years that the Tories were in there was only 2 years of surplus, 1988 & 1989, £3.9b & £4.2b. Don't forget these years were when north sea oil really started & the revenues were at their highest, also there was a major selling off of our assets with major nationalizations.

The first 10 years of Labour up to 2007 & before the financial crash saw 4 years of surplus & 6 years of deficit.

Whats also interesting is that the Tories ran up the 2 largest deficits in this time, £50.9 & £45.9 b, Labour's largest was £42.6b

 

[Octopus]

2001 there was a surplus of £8.4b, which was more than all the surpluses of the 19 years of the Tories added together.

Mind you that's not saying much, in the 19 years that the Tories were in there was only 2 years of surplus, 1988 & 1989, £3.9b & £4.2b. Don't forget these years were when north sea oil really started & the revenues were at their highest, also there was a major selling off of our assets with major nationalizations.

The first 10 years of Labour up to 2007 & before the financial crash saw 4 years of surplus & 6 years of deficit.

Whats also interesting is that the Tories ran up the 2 largest deficits in this time, £50.9 & £45.9 b, Labour's largest was £42.6b

Did I say ANYTHING about any other Party? NO

Just making sure that MDJ's rose tinted glasses can actually see the reality of what ACTUALLY happened, rather than how memories recall things.

That said I'd liked Brown to continue in 2010 then Labour would have had to make cuts and difficult decisions...... which they've never really had to make, in my memory

 

[Guest77]

Clive, you need to calm down, what has rose tinted glasses got to do with my comment regarding gordon brown having a surplus? he did end of, and as I posted before I cannot argue your other points which may well be correct because I have not investigated them yet, calm down, take a chill pill.

 

[telectrix]

strange how the only srplus the kast labour government ever had coincided with the scottish pratt selling off about 400 tons of gold.

 

[Guest77]

strange how the only srplus the kast labour government ever had coincided with the scottish pratt selling off about 400 tons of gold.

Not sure how much the sweaty sock sold, but he did sell it cheap and that is his legacy, I won't support him at all, I am just stating fact regarding a surplus, I only support Tony as you know, not gordon.

 

[Anthony S]

Wonder who sold off BT well under value ?

 

[andyb]

Did I say ANYTHING about any other Party? NO

Just making sure that MDJ's rose tinted glasses can actually see the reality of what ACTUALLY happened, rather than how memories recall things.

That said I'd liked Brown to continue in 2010 then Labour would have had to make cuts and difficult decisions...... which they've never really had to make, in my memory

Just pointing out that if you have a debate then the whole picture needs to be looked at not just the odd year, I'm not trying to make a case for Labour although I will vote for them it will not be for their economic policies, I'm firmly in the 'their all the same' camp.

I think that a lot of the cuts implemented in the first few years of this administration were introduced by the last government under Brown in the last Labour budget.

 

[Guest77]

This election will be difficult for me, I will never vote tory obviously, but think Milliband is a buffoon, Farage is a total --- but to his credit has changed politics in this country forever, the lib dems are finished and the greens are just a pointless vote for various reasons, very hard to know what to do, it must be labour, then again I might wake up on polling day and decide to stay home lol.