I hated the Thatcher terms, but this shower we have had for the last 13 years don’t know the meaning of the word truth.
Ashamed beyond belief.

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And, (Comment 1) Do you have nothing specific to say about the policies of any of the parties? What purpose does it serve to indulge in childish name-calling?

Steve, I’m sure the idea of benefit scroungers could get us all irate – though I doubt if you have full knowledge in the case you accuse. I don’t suppose you have access to these people’s bank accounts or DWP or medical records, so how would you know that they run their Audi on benefits? Or is it more a case of ‘I know a bloke who had an Uncle who reckons there are people living in council houses on benefits etc.’ – the usual sort of hearsay tabloid nonsense.

As far as University education goes, we now send far more people to University than ever before – too many in my opinion – but the changes were well-intentioned.

As for the cost, well – you can’t have it both ways, and the fact is that student loans are given at very low interest rates, which only have to be paid back when a certain threshold of income is reached. Compare that to low-paid workers who choose to go into industry and gain their skills in the workplace – they have no such preferential schemes, often acquire debts (at commerical interest rates) in order to pay for accommodation, training and transport to work, and end up in lower-paid jobs.

In the end, the real injustice in the economic climate is that no matter what government is in power, 95% of our wealth is owned by just 5% of the population. We can talk about immigration, benefits fraud, foreign aid and any number of other ‘scapegoat’ items, but this simple social inequality is really at the heart of the matter.

The factor by which company bosses pay exceeds that of their lowest paid workers has risen inexorably over recent years, with bosses of the largest 100 UK companies now earning (sorry – not earning – being paid) 81 times their average worker’s salary, compared to 47 times that in 2000 – not for them the pay freezes and low single-digit pay rises. In the public sector, the differential is much lower – more like 10-11 times – so it’s clear where the fat cats are.

Given that these greedy people wil hang on to as much power as they can, it’s always going to be difficult to rein them in – but I think I’d rather vote for a party that doesn’t have a history of giving them huge tax breaks, and isn’t planning to help them out further by cutting corporation and inheritance tax.

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Peter, you said, “In the end, the real injustice in the economic climate is that no matter what government is in power, 95% of our wealth is owned by just 5% of the population. We can talk about immigration, benefits fraud, foreign aid and any number of other ’scapegoat’ items, but this simple social inequality is really at the heart of the matter.” Can I suggest that you put “justice” into it’s deserved and proper context. If there was any “justice”, this labour Government and in particular Brown and Blair would be tried before a Court of Justice, because what they have done to our country is criminal, pure and simple. They have utterly wrecked our society.

FACT, the gap between rich and poor and social inequality has risen by leaps and bounds under your Labour, pseudo socialist government. Where are all the promises from Blair and Brown to give us a more equal society and where are all the results of that buffoon, John Prescott shouting his head off that Labour have brought about social justice at last. Nobody can see any evidence of this apart from Brown and Prescott.
As for the pay of bosses, just in case you forgot, your mates have held the reins of power for 13 years and they have allowed and overseen the obscenity of Health chiefs earning 20 times as much as nurses, Chief Constables earning almost 10 times as much as Constables, Leaders of Councils earning more than the Prime Minister. Want me to go on. These are in the Public Sector where one can expect any Government with a moral, humane and socially just agenda to keep the lid on such extravagances. At least in the private sector the shareholders can curb them if they are of a mind and plainly, the income tax weapon could have been used to curb the bosses in the private sector if Brown was of a mind. Clearly he wasn’t, he allowed them to let rip and only now, with an election in the offing does he break his promise to raise taxes on the fat cats. Brown has allowed the rich to get richer at the expense of the poor, he has totally failed to wield the tax option to rein in obscenely rich bankers and commercial/industrial chancers, now that falls to a Tory party IF they gain power. Can you tell us who it was who raised the 10 pence tax band to 20 pence, thereby doubling the tax take of the poorest paid in our society. It certainly wasn’t cameron or the Tories. No, it was your mate. You have the gall to defend your Labour mates, therein lies the biggest dose of hypocracy that one can possibly imagine. Gripe, moan, complain, slate about the inequalities in our society, then you defend those who are wholly responsible for it. With you, it is a “class” thing, an idealogical thing, never mind the facts, never mind the evidence, if someone speaks with an educated accent, if he / she comes from a good background, if they have a pound or two in the bank, forget their personal qualities/abilities and philosophies, they are automatically tarred by you as being a “class” apart and untouchable. What a sad, dour, grey and unintelligent approach in this day and age.
And, just for information, did you listen to the small business people in Battersea moaning about Corporation Tax, I suggest that you speak to a few small business people in Telford and see what they say about it. Brown has done that to them. And then, we have inheritance tax, raised by Labour to it’s present level the day after it was first mooted by Cameron. A brazen Labour steal. With property price increases, many, many people particularly in the south-east will have properties valued at a million, these are not necessarily rich people or fat cats, they are ordinary down to earth, common or garden workers who bought years ago and saw property prices reach unheard of levels under your labour Government. In a few years, the house that I paid £43,000 for 35 years ago will not be far from that itself and I am no exception. And I am no fat cat or rich, neither did I go to Eton, I went to Coleham Infants, Monkmoor Secondary Modern and Aberystwyth Uni in my work time. Again, we see the envy, jealousy and and blatant “class” antagonism rising to the fore again.
Brown and Blair made our present society what it is, recognise that and stop coming out with the stupid cliche’s that mark you down for a “one track minded” extreme left winger who regards anything else as beyond the pale.
If Brown and his gang get in again, sit back and wait for our country coming apart at it’s very roots, the silly Nick Clegg and his Greek style public unrest will have nothing in it.
I hope Brown does get in, we need to be taught a severe lesson and that will come as sure as night follows day and neither you or I will like it one little bit – neither will 60 million other people.

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Stuart,

You’re clearly in the category of ‘Turkey voting for Christmas’. I mentioned in my post that public sector bosses get multiples of what the lowest paid in those areas earn, but in the private sector the differentials are much, much higher.

Yes, Labour should have raised tax for the wealthy, and latterly have begun to do so with th 50% tax rate, but the Tories plan to remove that!

I’ve often said in these threads that we need a more left-leaning Labour party, to genuinely hit back at the wealthy for the recession they’ve caused – although we all know that the wealthy, unlike the poor, will always find ways to protect their income and avoid paying their full dues.

And what do the populist public seem to want? Cut public sector jobs, pay and pensions, blame immigration and benefit fraud and let the company bosses carry on freeloading at the expense of all of the rest of us!

You are someone who has complained about your pension. You’ve also worked in the public services, so I assume at least part of your pension is index-linked. With the Tories dogmatic hatred of the public sector, and the fact that average earnings are unlikely to rise in forthcoming years, don’t plan on getting any better off under Cameron, and unless you have private healthcare, don’t look forward to decent hospital treatment should you need it as you grow older. I foresee waiting lists growing again, just as they did last time.

Do you really deny that the 95%/5% ratio is the defining factor in our lack of economic well-being?

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only time to confirm new labour to win by 18 seats, could the lb dems come second, they have the most sensible policies. back on the hustings

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