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 .
Electing a government that answers to no-one sounds a lot like electing a dictator to me.

Unmutual said:


Paid for by an increase on the taxation of health insurance premiums.
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I used to care about this, but have completely changed my mind (as someone who has paid £100+ a year in hospital charges for the last 5 years)

Firstly, if they raise the cost of parking too much, then people will stop parking there (get a lift from a friend, uber, bus, etc) giving an automatic check. Secondly, paying a few pounds for a hospital visit is fine. Just like we pay some money to have our teeth checked, our pay a small amount for prescriptions.
 
rcoobc said:
Electing a government that answers to no-one sounds a lot like electing a dictator to me.


I used to care about this, but have completely changed my mind (as someone who has paid £100+ a year in hospital charges for the last 5 years)

Firstly, if they raise the cost of parking too much, then people will stop parking there (get a lift from a friend, uber, bus, etc) giving an automatic check. Secondly, paying a few pounds for a hospital visit is fine. Just like we pay some money to have our teeth checked, our pay a small amount for prescriptions.
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I completely disagree. When my father was in hospital for 4/5 years of his life it cost an absurd amount of money for parking. It's a parking fee which as a one off is acceptable, you'd be pissed at the price given it can be stupidly expensive but for any family who has to go to the hospital daily for a considerable amount of time it's just unacceptable.

It's bad enough that you have to spend so much time in the Hospital in the evenings/weekends. But when you have to pay up to £10 each day (especially given the price of food/drink inside the Hospital as well) it becomes something that you rant about.

Also, it's not as easy as you suggest. Hospitals are closing and Super Hospitals are starting to become the norm, which means people have to travel further to get there. Bus' are simply a no go for these people as it would take way too long to get there (and back). Friends wouldn't drive you there given the journey time.

It's a stupid system.
 
RedSky said:
I completely disagree. When my father was in hospital for 4/5 years of his life it cost an absurd amount of money for parking. It's a parking fee which as a one off is acceptable, you'd be pissed at the price given it can be stupidly expensive but for any family who has to go to the hospital daily for a considerable amount of time it's just unacceptable.

It's bad enough that you have to spend so much time in the Hospital in the evenings/weekends. But when you have to pay up to £10 each day (especially given the price of food/drink inside the Hospital as well) it becomes something that you rant about.
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There needs to be discounts for people who have to come regularly of course. My local hospital has a secret way of paying for parking that only costs £12(?) For however many days you've stayed there.

I guess it depends on the hospital.
 
rcoobc said:
Electing a government that answers to no-one sounds a lot like electing a dictator to me.


I used to care about this, but have completely changed my mind (as someone who has paid £100+ a year in hospital charges for the last 5 years)

Firstly, if they raise the cost of parking too much, then people will stop parking there (get a lift from a friend, uber, bus, etc) giving an automatic check. Secondly, paying a few pounds for a hospital visit is fine. Just like we pay some money to have our teeth checked, our pay a small amount for prescriptions.
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I don't agree either. It's not even as if the punitive parking fees go to the NHS, they go to a private contractor. It is indiscriminate in who it affects too, eg it can be the poorest having to pay it, when they can ill afford it.
 
rcoobc said:
There needs to be discounts for people who have to come regularly of course. My local hospital has a secret way of paying for parking that only costs £12(?) For however many days you've stayed there.

I guess it depends on the hospital.
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Also, I used to work at a Hospital for 8 years of my life and then crossed over to being a visitor due to my Dad, so i'm well versed in Parking Fees and they're an absolute con and take advantage of people who are already having a shit time of it (patient/visitor wise). It's even worse given I know where the Parking Money is going.
 
Jippy said:
I don't agree either. It's not even as if the punitive parking fees go to the NHS, they go to a private contractor. It is indiscriminate in who it affects too, eg it can be the poorest having to pay it, when they can ill afford it.
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:) Having managed car parks you can be pretty sure the landowner will get the bulk of the fees, the contractor will get a percentage or a flat fee.

My very large hospital has free parking for families for long-stay patients, although they don't advertise it very well. A problem as big as charges though is capacity, during the day it's usually full, and making it free for all would make that even worse I'd have thought.
 
712 said:
:) Having managed car parks you can be pretty sure the landowner will get the bulk of the fees, the contractor will get a percentage or a flat fee.

My very large hospital has free parking for families for long-stay patients, although they don't advertise it very well. A problem as big as charges though is capacity, during the day it's usually full, and making it free for all would make that even worse I'd have thought.
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Indeed, which means funding is needed to make bigger car parks. I never understood why most Hospitals have normal outdoor parking, I guess because its cheap. The multistories at Queen Elizabeth were terrific, but part of the problem is that Contractors and Staff tend to park in the Visitor Car Parks. They'd arrive early in the morning and so there wouldn't be a huge amount of space left for Patients/Visitors.

They built a Staff Multistory but didn't make it big enough and it gets filled pretty quickly. It's all down to the usual poor planning ultimately.
 
Jippy said:
I don't agree either. It's not even as if the punitive parking fees go to the NHS, they go to a private contractor. It is indiscriminate in who it affects too, eg it can be the poorest having to pay it, when they can ill afford it.
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Do they? Oh feck that then
 
I'm not convinced on the policy. It seems to incentivise driving to hospitals, which for city hospitals in particular is the last thing you want. There's the green impact on cities like Mcr that are about to target pollution from cars, for example. Then there's the fact that free car parking would probably mean most car parks were filled to capacity all the time. I know its not nice having to pay when you're off to hospital for some grim reason, but circling for 20 minutes looking for a space in a packed car park ain't great either. Especially at places like MRI or Salford Royal where the nearest on street isn't that close. And what about staff, do they get it free? Won't that encourage them to drive to work too? We should be pushing people away from cars, not towards them.

Personally I'd settle for clear standardised national criteria on exemptions &/or reimbursements, something like that.
 
RedSky said:
Indeed, which means funding is needed to make bigger car parks. I never understood why most Hospitals have normal outdoor parking, I guess because its cheap. The multistories at Queen Elizabeth were terrific, but part of the problem is that Contractors and Staff tend to park in the Visitor Car Parks. They'd arrive early in the morning and so there wouldn't be a huge amount of space left for Patients/Visitors.

They built a Staff Multistory but didn't make it big enough and it gets filled pretty quickly. It's all down to the usual poor planning ultimately.
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Multistory car parks cost about £10,000 a space to build. Amazing really.
 


Cool. Not a head to head, but each person taking questions by themselves. Think this was the one where Miliband got done for saying he didn't think Labour spent too much money.
 
Having said all of the above, I remember struggling to pay dentist fees at £50 every 6 months. Or at least, knowing that the fees would be the difference between making money or losing it each month.

But now I'd be happy to pay a £20 contribution every time we visit a GP.

I don't know. Complaining about paying a few pounds is wrong considering private costs.
 
712 said:
:) Having managed car parks you can be pretty sure the landowner will get the bulk of the fees, the contractor will get a percentage or a flat fee.

My very large hospital has free parking for families for long-stay patients, although they don't advertise it very well. A problem as big as charges though is capacity, during the day it's usually full, and making it free for all would make that even worse I'd have thought.
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Ah, that makes sense. Regardless of capacity, does sound a grim that someone could be profiting off those visiting ill family.
 
Dobba said:
Blimey, Corbyn's Labour are so 'far left'.
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One of the enduring comedies of left wing politics in the UK is watching every left wing group try to claim they're the most left wing group out there, only to come over all insulted when you call them "far left".
 
Unmutual said:
One of the enduring comedies of left wing politics in the UK is watching every left wing group try to claim they're the most left wing group out there, only to come over all insulted when you call them "far left".
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I'm only insulted because the party is just barely leaning to the left, much to my disappointment. The idea that this Labour party is 'far left' is flat out laughable.
 
rcoobc said:
A prepositionally elected House of Lords would be a fantastic counterweight to the FPTP House of Commons. The House of Lords would represent the people more accurately; 20% Green, 30% Liberal, 40% Conservative, 40% Socialist, etc, whilst the House of Commons would represent what the people wanted for Government. What's the alternative, referenda ad infinitum?
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This sounds like a good idea. The downside perhaps being that obstructionism could become a thing.

rcoobc said:
Having said all of the above, I remember struggling to pay dentist fees at £50 every 6 months. Or at least, knowing that the fees would be the difference between making money or losing it each month.

But now I'd be happy to pay a £20 contribution every time we visit a GP.

I don't know. Complaining about paying a few pounds is wrong considering private costs.
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If it was compulsary then people on the breadline wouldn't go for potentially life threatening illnesses
 
Dobba said:
I'm only insulted because the party is just barely leaning to the left, much to my disappointment. The idea that this Labour party is 'far left' is flat out laughable.
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You must be wetting yourself at the prospect of John McDonnell taking over after a Corbyn demolition.
 
rcoobc said:
Having said all of the above, I remember struggling to pay dentist fees at £50 every 6 months. Or at least, knowing that the fees would be the difference between making money or losing it each month.

But now I'd be happy to pay a £20 contribution every time we visit a GP.

I don't know. Complaining about paying a few pounds is wrong considering private costs.
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Despite the recent criticism of rich pensioners there are still millions of very poor ones, and others poor due to no fault of their own.

I'm happy to pay higher taxes personally, I'd feel a bit of a twat if I wasn't.
 
rcoobc said:
Having said all of the above, I remember struggling to pay dentist fees at £50 every 6 months. Or at least, knowing that the fees would be the difference between making money or losing it each month.

But now I'd be happy to pay a £20 contribution every time we visit a GP.

I don't know. Complaining about paying a few pounds is wrong considering private costs.
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The problem is that it isn't a few pounds. Fuel, Parking, Food it all adds up. Do that 5/6 times a week and it's far from a few pounds.

If it was a one off visit then I agree, but for those that have to go on a regular basis then it adds up fast. Maybe one thing that could be done is have a free car park say 10/15mins away from the Hospital with a free regular bus service? Say every 15mins. Park and Ride type service. Of the 4 Hospitals i've been too, none had this type of service.
 
WackyWengerWorld said:
If it was compulsary then people on the breadline wouldn't go for potentially life threatening illnesses
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Indeed, people earning less than (arbitrary threshold here) should be exempt, the same as prescription exemptions
You can get free NHS prescriptions if, at the time the prescription is dispensed, you:

  • are 60 or over
  • are under 16
  • are 16-18 and in full-time education
  • are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)
  • have a specified medical condition and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
  • have a continuing physical disability that prevents you from going out without help from another person and have a valid MedEx
  • hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability
  • are an NHS inpatient
You are also entitled to free prescriptions if you or your partner – including civil partner – receive, or you're under the age of 20 and the dependant of someone receiving:
  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or
  • Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
  • Universal Credit and meet the criteria
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Fair comment rcoobc, although I suppose a charge worries me as a thin end of the wedge sort of thing. Thing is you could be pretty up against it financially and yet fit in to none of those categories, tax seems fairer to me. I'd pay more anyway.
 
712 said:
Fair comment rcoobc, although I suppose a charge worries me as a thin end of the wedge sort of thing. Thing is you could be pretty up against it financially and yet fit in to none of those categories, tax seems fairer to me. I'd pay more anyway.
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Indeed. But you know, Tories can't raise income tax :(

My girlfriend and I got into trouble from a prescription exception funnily enough. She was pregnant at the time, but we lost the baby. They weren't happy that we didn't have a prescription exemption filled out. I think we were meant to pay and then claim it back. They let us off in the end for whatever reason
 
Dobba said:
Well there is certainly no chance of you being reported to Trading Standards with that username.
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Joking aside I'm genuinely interested, is it Corbyn's fault that the party aren't left wing enough for you or is he doing the best with what he's got? If it's the latter then what should Corbyn be doing after the election that would be more benefiticial than finally resigning.
 
Iain-Duncan Smith did an Eminem rap on This Morning.
 
Blind said:
Joking aside I'm genuinely interested, is it Corbyn's fault that the party aren't left wing enough for you or is he doing the best with what he's got? If it's the latter then what should Corbyn be doing after the election that would be more benefiticial than finally resigning.
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The party as a whole isn't left wing enough, look at the candidates that get through the NEC. It's why I find the idea of anybody even remotely left wing getting anywhere near leader again absolutely laughable and why as long as he's on a leadership ballot, he'll win. The 'powers that be' wanting him to be kept off the last one wasn't to save money on sending out postal forms.

Cheesy said:
Iain-Duncan Smith did an Eminem rap on This Morning.
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And the media is lapping it up even more so than he could have dreamed of. Anything to distract from the results of his flagship policies, they might make the people voting Tory next month think they're a bit of a cnut.
 
Dobba said:
So why not start a new movement and take your flexible principles with you?
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well given that the majority of pre 2015 members didnt vote for corbyn last time its quite obvious that when his clut followers throw their toys out of the pram with the absolute pasting their incompetent leader will get we will have our party back thanks...
 
Just like with other policies from the Corbyn team, what good intentions there might be or failed by its implementation and methodology. Do they imagine that all people who use private healthcare are worthy targets?
 
What could realistically happen now to stop the Tories from increasing their majority?
 
altodevil86 said:
What could realistically happen now to stop the Tories from increasing their majority?
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Theresa May punching the Queen and calling her a slag.

Oh, realistically... Blank.
 
sun_tzu said:
well given that the majority of pre 2015 members didnt vote for corbyn last time its quite obvious that when his clut followers throw their toys out of the pram with the absolute pasting their incompetent leader will get we will have our party back thanks...
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Labours problems are fairly substantial. They need to get out of the pocket of the trade unions (who elected Ed Miliband instead of David), they need to get out from under the thumb of the left wing of the party (as much as it pains me to say it).

Future leadership elections need to look at the US Style for bringing in new voters, but ultimately elect a Nationally 'popular' candidate.

Edit - David
 
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