General Election 2017 | Cabinet reshuffle: Hunt re-appointed Health Secretary for record third time

How do you intend to vote in the 2017 General Election if eligible?

  • Conservatives

    Votes: 80 14.5%

  • Labour

    Votes: 322 58.4%

  • Lib Dems

    Votes: 57 10.3%

  • Green

    Votes: 20 3.6%

  • SNP

    Votes: 13 2.4%

  • UKIP

    Votes: 29 5.3%

  • Independent

    Votes: 3 0.5%

  • Plaid Cymru

    Votes: 2 0.4%

  • Sinn Fein

    Votes: 11 2.0%

  • Other (UUP, DUP, BNP, and anyone else I have forgotten)

    Votes: 14 2.5%
  • Total voters
    551
  • Poll closed .
Economist plumps for Lib Dems. They also hammer Corbyn and tell May she is being a bit mean. Seem to be clinging to a new Blairite party post-election.
 
Jippy said:
Voice of hard fact. Economies ebb and flow- we clearly aren't going to be the top G7 performer every year and with Brexit coming up, we probably won't be for ages...
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Oh OK. I must have missed the bit when the Tories said "...some of the time, and just ignore latest figures."
 
Just a general observation based on a range of MSM articles I've looked at this morning: Maybe the damn has burst. More and more political commentators seem to have reached the end of their tethers with May and the Tories. Quite a few seem to have actually turned on them. The next day or two will show whether it's a flash in the pan or a real sea change. If it's the latter - get your bets on Labour!
 
Unmutual said:
The thing people always forget about the privatisation arguments is that private companies bring capital into the system. Its not a question of profit vs no profit*. Its whether the cost of getting "free" capital investment up front but paying a profit margin over time is better than the Government borrowing up front and paying interest or other payments over time.

For what its worth, Ive never seen any sign that the Government knows how to handle the private sector and usually gets ripped off when it outsources anything from NHS services to stationery procurement. But then the argument boils down to whether a better understanding of the private sector and more private sectors skills would lead to better value for money, or just disconnecting from it entirely.
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Looking at the big picture, historically things were always in private hands. This idea of social services and basic infrastructure being funded and managed by an electorate is a relatively recent phenomenon, and has always been under attack by the monied elite who would prefer a return to the days when the rich and powerful called all the shots.
 
Rams said:
Yes, it will cost more for the user. But I believe that some kind of privatization is inevitable because the government on its own cannot sustain funding the NHS without raising ridiculous amount of taxes or borrowing even more crazy amounts of money.
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This is absolutely right but no brit wants to hear it because they don't like paying for stuff. I was fkin shocked at the hospital my mum lay in, it was like time travel back to the 50's and the care was shit.

I think anyone that Bigs up the nhs needs to go abroad and get sick so they can see what 21st century care looks like and how much it costs.
 
Stanley Road said:
This is absolutely right but no brit wants to hear it because they don't like paying for stuff. I was fkin shocked at the hospital my mum lay in, it was like time travel back to the 50's and the care was shit.

I think anyone that Bigs up the nhs needs to go abroad and get sick so they can see what 21st century care looks like and how much it costs.
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You keep saying this, like it's reality. Very amusing.
 
Stanley Road said:
This is absolutely right but no brit wants to hear it because they don't like paying for stuff. I was fkin shocked at the hospital my mum lay in, it was like time travel back to the 50's and the care was shit.

I think anyone that Bigs up the nhs needs to go abroad and get sick so they can see what 21st century care looks like and how much it costs.
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Stop wittering on about your mother, it's boring. One experience within the NHS isn't representative of an entire system, irrespective of how much that may piss you off.
 
Sure, the NHS could be prettier and more modern, however to suggest that it's shit in anyway is farcical.
 
Stanley Road said:
This is absolutely right but no brit wants to hear it because they don't like paying for stuff. I was fkin shocked at the hospital my mum lay in, it was like time travel back to the 50's and the care was shit.

I think anyone that Bigs up the nhs needs to go abroad and get sick so they can see what 21st century care looks like and how much it costs.
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What the NHS does better than almost anywhere else is emergency and acute care. After that I agree it can be pretty awful, and id not be against privatizing the rest as long as they do it properly. They need to ship out all the old guard management and bring in people who are not afraid of the private sector. If they did that they probably wouldnt need to privatize though.
 
This government can afford to spend more money on the NHS. That it doesn't is a political choice.
 
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The way it works:
Labour builds up government. Conservatives sell it off. Rinse. Repeat.
 
Kag said:
This government can afford to spend more money on the NHS. That it doesn't is a political choice.
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They don't do it because they know Brits don't like paying for stuff. Which is why you never hear "they only cost us X pence per person" used to defend keeping the royals in a life of luxury and why the Greens are seeing such a nationwide surge for wanting to ditch Trident and HS2 so the money can be used elsewhere, whilst the Tory vote bombs due to them wanting to cough up for both.
 
DenisIrwin said:
Looking at the big picture, historically things were always in private hands. This idea of social services and basic infrastructure being funded and managed by an electorate is a relatively recent phenomenon, and has always been under attack by the monied elite who would prefer a return to the days when the rich and powerful called all the shots.
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True, Thatcher's attack on local authorities was the beginning of the end for munipal politics. Nowadays you get the impression that any devolved power will merely serve to show why we need cenralisation. Northern Powerhouse etc - not sure who that will benefit politically.
 
Rams said:
Yes, it will cost more for the user. But I believe that some kind of privatization is inevitable because the government on its own cannot sustain funding the NHS without raising ridiculous amount of taxes or borrowing even more crazy amounts of money. The fact of the matter is that the NHS will get more & more expensive as we live longer and make even more use of the NHS. On the other hand, if the public actually pays for the NHS that will mean that additional funds will become available to invest in the NHS. I believe that the quality of the service the NHS provides far out ways whether or not the NHS is free at the point of use. I also believe a fair system should be in place, whereby for the people who can afford it will pay for the NHS and the people who can’t afford it won’t pay for the NHS, and thus still ensuring that everybody gets the healthcare they require. Vote for me!
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Your proposal would need tens of thousands of people to charge, process and chase up such payments, and I do mean tens of thousands. Whether they were employed by the NHS or private companies they would have to be paid for by the NHS users, a huge increase in bureaucracy for nothing in return. Taxation is a far more efficient way of raising the money needed.
 
I would happily pay more tax to improve the NHS, as I'm sure most would. Feck an American style system.
 
Jippy said:
I'm sure you judge Labour statements by the same standard.
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Well, yeah. Who knows, eh?! You hear people that know about these things say such things as "Under Labour, the large budget surplus was eroded to the point that it actually became a deficit, which hadn't been the case since shortly after they came to power, while the Tories have massively reduced our national debt to..., ummm..., wait a minute... Look! A refugee!"
 
I'm sure many will disagree here but i think Labour have ended up playing a 'political' blinder by not trying to block Brexit. May is now trying to push Brexit but it doesnt matter as Labours policy at first sight is a more reasoned approach.

Whilst the Lib Dems have shown in the polls, there isn't the appetite to block it.
 
Smores said:
I'm sure many will disagree here but i think Labour have ended up playing a 'political' blinder by not trying to block Brexit. May is now trying to push Brexit but it doesnt matter as Labours policy at first sight is a more reasoned approach.

Whilst the Lib Dems have shown in the polls, there isn't the appetite to block it.
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Yeah but it's a blinder which will still leave them as the opposition.
 
Theresa May: "You can only deliver Brexit if you believe in Brexit."
Hmm.

Also "If you vote to back me and strengthen my hand, I'll fight to get the best Brexit deal for Britain"
So, if she loses seats does that mean she'll send Amber Rudd?
 
They're still repeating the deal with SNP attack. Worst campaign ever
 
Dobba said:
Theresa May: "You can only deliver Brexit if you believe in Brexit."
Hmm.

Also "If you vote to back me and strengthen my hand, I'll fight to get the best Brexit deal for Britain"
So, if she loses seats does that mean she'll send Amber Rudd?
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Given that she voted to Remain that doesn't give a huge amount of confidence that she believes in it. :lol:
 
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