A worryingly consistent result from polls is the "who do you prefer as PM" question - May has been getting over 50%, Corbyn down at about 15%. That's Labour's floor.
General Election 2017 | Cabinet reshuffle: Hunt re-appointed Health Secretary for record third time
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Doesn't she look tired
Exactly what I said here. They're doing an awful job. I have a lot of sympathy for the Tories, and appreciate what they have achieved (implementing a high minimum wage, raising personal allowance, etc, reduce unemployment rate)...
But they've not done a good job. They're not close to balancing the books, and won't be for another 20 years
Sounds like a good time to move ahead with the long overdue banning/heavy restriction on zero hour contracts.
We've been suckered into a place where people feel like asking for even small increases in their working conditions is some huge risk, while large companies profits rise year on year. Mike Ashley employees people on shitty wages/hours that can barely keep a roof over their heads and the fat feck is now a billionaire. Multinationals dodge tax while paying their employees peanuts, and their profits are in the billions.
When do we turn around and say 'enough of this shit' instead of acting like Oliver Twist standing at the gruel counter asking if we might possibly, pretty please have just a little more so we can have both somewhere to sleep AND something to eat this month?
True, the bigger problem for Labour is less Corbyn's policies and more Corbyn himself. In the right hands a lot of his policies would go down well. Disappointing people are so easily swayed by that...guess it's reality, though.
I was reading a report recently saying that the levels of "significant" financial distress were up 26% across certain sectors of the supply chain in the UK due to inflation and the impact of the new NLW was set to make the situation even worse.
That's wholesale, food and drink, logistics etc etc, so huge industries which are already struggling and about to get worse. Simply increasing the minimum wage will not only not fix the problem it will send many businesses under and make it worse.
Don't get me wrong the minimum wage isn't great, but just lifting it is not the answer, there needs to be a fundamental rethink.
Yep, that's what our closed hospitals, slashed police forces and schools and crushed welfare support bought us.
Our best hope is that Corbyn's anti-establishment focus steadies the losses in the north, while LibDems regain some of the many seats they lost to the Tories last time out. Hung Parliament? Probably not unfortunately, but a small majority would mean a meaningful vote on brexit, and a possibility of a softer deal.
Opposite I think. He started off with austerity and abandoned darling's plan, then gave up and just gave away money like it was going out of fashion the budget before the election when it became clear that eliminating the deficit by 2015 was just hot air and we were actually heading for another recession. He actually used fiscal stimulus to avoid that recession, which was darling's previous direction and precisely what corbyn is currently proposing.
It depends. I think you work on the assumption that the public at large are heavily invested in the ideology of a particular party.
Most voters are swayed by one or two policies. My friend told me before one election that he was voting Labour because 'the misses told me too because we get child tax credits from them'.
I thought they'd give me the best reflection of what Brexiteers think. Was my assumption wrong?Banning Zero Hour contracts would be a very anti-EU immigration move funnily enough. Huge numbers of Eastern EU people work on them.. it allows them to go "home" for a few weeks every few months, and to do seasonal work, etc.
But the Tories couldn't do that because they a "pro-business"
I'd love to see the number of UK vs non UK workers on them
Good to see the broadcasters holding firm on holding the debates. ITV have said there will be a debate regardless of May being there.
Another problem
If we're headed to a low turnout GE...
If we're headed to a low turnout GE...
I think it's nailed on at this point to be honest.
so seems like it would be a mixed bag..... i really dunno all i can say is that the people who i know who are struggling the most it isn't becuase of their hourly wage its the finding enough hours to add up to full time work on a regular enough bases, and i get the feeling this would make things even harder for them.
Could be wrong, but thats just where my mind goes when i think that policy through.
So there's a good way of bringing the two sides together. Allow EU immigration but guarantee better working conditions so there's less of a draw for as many people to want to come.
You can still get seasonal workers by allowing for temporary contracts with guaranteed hours.
The government deficit was 153 billion in 2009. Its now 57 billion and forecast to continue falling. You don't need opinion pieces to see the government has done a good job overall with the economy - opinion pieces are probably what has half this thread thinking otherwise.
im completely with you, their needs to be something to be done about the way companies are abusing the employment system. I just think that raising the minimum wage before you've dealt with problems of minimum hour contracts, and the other explorations you mention among many others, is the wrong way of doing things and may cause more problems then it helps.
It was £50 billion in 2009, £103 billion in 2010 and 2016 was just shy of £40 billion. The estimate for 2017 is £15 billion. If we're going to put all the blame or praise on the government for the deficit then should we praise Labour for having a budget deficit of only £20 billion in 2005?
That's not the only measure of a good economy. The pound has tanked and the cost of living rising are more important measures to me. And there are other measures that matter more to different people. Besides, if a government is using a single, narrow point of reference for a complex economy, it stinks. That's how individuals think, not how a government should function.
It was supposed to be eliminated by 2015, the Tories basically ended up following Labour's deficit reduction plan having called it reckless prior to 2010.
I think he means debt when he says deficit.
Other things may matter to individuals more but it does not mean they matter as much. If the debt markets move against a govt then all else is secondary.
The greeks, spanish and italians can think anything they like but their govts are forced to dance to the tune of bond owners.
*sigh*
Need to upgrade their meme game a little.
That makes him look cowardly, like hes trying to hide from someone.
To be honest I'm with you on the idea that it needs to be done carefully, and not just a load of huge changes all at once. It's essential though that we have government who actual want to bring about the big changes over time, and not just fob us off with some crap rearranging of the deckchairs.
If you have a foundation in economics as you claim that a very lazy analysis to blame Labour and claim Tories have done good work.
That majority of the deficit reduction is nothing but cyclical recovery. Imagine a deficit reducing after a recession shock horror.
Dear god thats just crying out for a photoshop. Don't want to cost the poor sod any more votes though.
So much for that
What's your source for that? ~£50bn anywhere else I've seen for 2009.
Traditionally I'm a Labour supporter but they don't stand a chance in my area, which has only ever voted Tory or Lib Dem. Last time I voted Lib Dem, just to keep the Tories out, so I'll probably do the same.
In all honesty, any vote feels wasted in the current climate - the opposition is a shambles. Lifetime of Tory rule.
In all honesty, any vote feels wasted in the current climate - the opposition is a shambles. Lifetime of Tory rule.
That 153 billion figure looks false.
Deficit for 2009 was £50 billion and 2010 was 103 billion.
http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/uk_national_deficit_analysis
This following site could be what @11101 is referring to. The graph mentions a 153.5 billion figure for net borrowing.
http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5922/economics/uk-budget-deficit-2/
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Maybe it's an old figure? Some website called the "tax payers alliance" is quoting it for 2009/10... However, the website does a get an "Amber" rating on Web of Trust, which is usually a bad sign.
Seems to be different figures on different sites.
BBC graph also shows the figures being what i mentioned and the graph is from the ONS.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25944653
I just looked at that as well. Unfortunately their website is broken (typical) so can only use excel...
Someone will explain how the two figures come together... I assume one includes borrowing to bail out the banks, and the other, not.
Edit - Updated the above image.
The two sets of data are as follows:
Public sector net borrowing, excluding public sector banks (£ million)
Public sector current budget deficit, excluding public sector banks (£ million)
One is borrowing, one is the deficit.
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