The new coalition government policies are looking at least as Lib-Dem orientated as they are conservative orientated.

 

It's now coming to light that theCapital gains tax increase from 18% to 40% which was proposed in the Lib-dem manifesto is going ahead which is going to be a huge hit to many people with investments.

 

An increase in the threshold for income tax also straight from the lib-dem manifesto, is going to be of huge benefit to low wage workers.

 

There was some initial anger from Lib-Dem voters that the Lib-Dems might be going against their principles by coalitioning with Conservatives, but the amount of concessions that they've got despite only coming third place is starting to look quite staggering.

I find the Brown bashing posters I last posted a bit hypocritical, cutting 6b off public spending doesn't help anyone. And why the [bleep] do they give 1b to the richest 3000 estates every year in benefits?

I find the Brown bashing posters I last posted a bit hypocritical, cutting 6b off public spending doesn't help anyone

 

Yes it does, the fiscal deficit is huge and cutting it should be the first priority for any new government, as the conservatives have rightly made it.

I find the Brown bashing posters I last posted a bit hypocritical, cutting 6b off public spending doesn't help anyone

 

Yes it does, the fiscal deficit is huge and cutting it should be the first priority for any new government, as the conservatives have rightly made it.

 

I wonder if any government manages to run budget surpluses to repay debt during the next decade. It's not even about reducing public deficits to less than 3% of GDP anually. It needs to be about building up surpluses, while we raid the world of all non-renewable soruces. What's going to be left for everyone after us?

I find the Brown bashing posters I last posted a bit hypocritical, cutting 6b off public spending doesn't help anyone

 

Yes it does, the fiscal deficit is huge and cutting it should be the first priority for any new government, as the conservatives have rightly made it.

 

I wonder if any government manages to run budget surpluses to repay debt during the next decade. It's not even about reducing public deficits to less than 3% of GDP anually. It needs to be about building up surpluses, while we raid the world of all non-renewable soruces. What's going to be left for everyone after us?

 

Renewable sources. If the government does what it's supposed to do, there'll be renewable sources.

Even if the 6b in cuts 'helps', why do they give the top 3000 estates £1b annually in benefits, which could be better used to employ 25 thousand teachers and nurses?

Even if the 6b in cuts 'helps', why do they give the top 3000 estates £1b annually in benefits, which could be better used to employ 25 thousand teachers and nurses?

 

I can think of one reason, but i don't know the details to really make judgement. it's just a "possible reason"

 

Rich people can move. then you get no taxes from them. That happened in norway with Norway's richest man, because the state wanted to squeeze a couple million extra out of him with a new tax. he finally got enough, and they ended up loosing about a billion, so far.

Even if the 6b in cuts 'helps', why do they give the top 3000 estates £1b annually in benefits, which could be better used to employ 25 thousand teachers and nurses?

 

I can think of one reason, but i don't know the details to really make judgement. it's just a "possible reason"

 

Rich people can move. then you get no taxes from them. That happened in norway with Norway's richest man, because the state wanted to squeeze a couple million extra out of him with a new tax. he finally got enough, and they ended up loosing about a billion, so far.

 

I thought it was given to estates as in the old historical estates that otherwise fall into dis-repair due to age; yet being inrepair supply valuable tourism income via being a palce to visist or a hotel or w/e

I found these funny and relevant;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xUy2inkGHQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsAa9VmwOaI

At the end of the day, while I don't like the Tories I hope they do a decent job because like it or not we are all stuck with them for the time being. Some of their policies are quite frankly madness but hopefully the Lib Dems can keep them from their more problematic policies. It's interesting to me how successful they were in avoiding the Europe issue during the election, it is the traditional fault line within the different wings of the party and when you add the Lib Dems into the mix it could make things interesting when it does ultimately come up.

 

I find the Brown bashing posters I last posted a bit hypocritical, cutting 6b off public spending doesn't help anyone

 

Yes it does, the fiscal deficit is huge and cutting it should be the first priority for any new government, as the conservatives have rightly made it.

 

All 3 parties were agreed that the deficit had to be slashed, the problem with the Tory plan (and to a lesser extent the Labour plan) is that it is too reliant on efficiency savings. They also have too many unfunded policies which will cost - raising the threshold for inheritance tax (which will benefit the few) and giving married couples £20 per year (which won't particularly benefit anyone and has been shelfed in this parliament period because of the Lib Dems). The real issue is the timing and placing of the cuts.

The real issue is the timing and placing of the cuts.

 

Where are the cuts being made? On the poor whilst the rich receive tax cuts?

 

That's the problem with these deficits in the first place. They don't happen from overspending, they usually almost always happen because tax cuts are given out. Nacho mentioned Norway, but it's pretty well documented that Norway's taxes are too high and should be cut. There's no magical number, but eventually it does squeeze the rich too much to the point of them leaving and/or evading. Luckily Switzerland is being squeezed, as are the Cayman Islands, to cut down tax evaders and work with foreign governments.

 

Either way, Britain does have a deficit problem, but I don't know their budget well enough to know where the cuts should be made. In a recession, cuts shouldn't be made to begin with. That's why you have low deficits and/or surpluses during booms; it's basic econ 101.

The real issue is the timing and placing of the cuts.

 

Where are the cuts being made? On the poor whilst the rich receive tax cuts?

 

That's the problem with these deficits in the first place. They don't happen from overspending, they usually almost always happen because tax cuts are given out. Nacho mentioned Norway, but it's pretty well documented that Norway's taxes are too high and should be cut. There's no magical number, but eventually it does squeeze the rich too much to the point of them leaving and/or evading. Luckily Switzerland is being squeezed, as are the Cayman Islands, to cut down tax evaders and work with foreign governments.

 

Either way, Britain does have a deficit problem, but I don't know their budget well enough to know where the cuts should be made. In a recession, cuts shouldn't be made to begin with. That's why you have low deficits and/or surpluses during booms; it's basic econ 101.

 

exactly. the issue with democracy and social benefits of all kinds is that people take them for granted, especially if someone else is paying.

 

therefore, spending cuts have to take place, then paying down the deficits to respectable levels (total of say 25-35% of GDP is a reasonable number) and only then tax cuts. you have to pay down your loan before you pocket the difference.

Why I hate the tories.

There policys on:

Education.

Health.

Immigration.

The real issue is the timing and placing of the cuts.

 

Where are the cuts being made? On the poor whilst the rich receive tax cuts?

 

Most likely. I just hope the Lib Dem influence can help soften the blow and not make things as bad as many people imagine. I'm still not entirely optimistic though.

The real issue is the timing and placing of the cuts.

 

Where are the cuts being made? On the poor whilst the rich receive tax cuts?

 

Most likely. I just hope the Lib Dem influence can help soften the blow and not make things as bad as many people imagine. I'm still not entirely optimistic though.

 

Well given they already confirmed they scraped half tht sort of policy and are going to try and up the income tax threshold...

There will be some good and bad decisions (Mainly good) by Cameron and Clegg. But, I'd rather want a Labour leader (David Milliband) than David cameron tbh.

Why I hate the tories.

There policys on:

Education.

Health.

Immigration.

 

What about their immigration politics don't you like?

(just a question - don't know enough about UK to give you a pro/no reply)

Why I hate the tories.

There policys on:

Education.

Health.

Immigration.

 

What about their immigration politics don't you like?

(just a question - don't know enough about UK to give you a pro/no reply)

What I don't like, not sure if this is the same for Hex, is how they've cleverly made people think that the arbitrary cap on immigration applies to ALL immigrants, not just non-EU ones. So yeah, cap non-EU immigrants. It's not going to do a THING to stop immigration from the EU.

Why I hate the tories.

There policys on:

Education.

Health.

Immigration.

 

What about their immigration politics don't you like?

(just a question - don't know enough about UK to give you a pro/no reply)

What I don't like, not sure if this is the same for Hex, is how they've cleverly made people think that the arbitrary cap on immigration applies to ALL immigrants, not just non-EU ones. So yeah, cap non-EU immigrants. It's not going to do a THING to stop immigration from the EU.

I agree, they have tried to make out that they've 'capped immigration' when they haven't. It still irritates me that they won't say no to the EU when I'm fairly sure most of them want to.

 

 

By the way, isn't discriminating between immigrants based purely from their country of origin pure racism? It needs to be all or nothing.

Why I hate the tories.

There policys on:

Education.

Health.

Immigration.

 

What about their immigration politics don't you like?

(just a question - don't know enough about UK to give you a pro/no reply)

What I don't like, not sure if this is the same for Hex, is how they've cleverly made people think that the arbitrary cap on immigration applies to ALL immigrants, not just non-EU ones. So yeah, cap non-EU immigrants. It's not going to do a THING to stop immigration from the EU.

At least your parties are willing to do something.

Tories haven't even been in power a week yet and thats one Scottish family unemployed and homeless... :smile:

At least Gordon Brown left No.10 with some dignity.

By the way, isn't discriminating between immigrants based purely from their country of origin pure racism? It needs to be all or nothing.

 

 

I agree. It should be all or nothing.

 

As for it being racism, I wouldn't say that it is necessarily racist. It really just depends, however.

 

What are the quotas? I'm just curious.

By the way, isn't discriminating between immigrants based purely from their country of origin pure racism? It needs to be all or nothing.

 

you are in a political union within the EU. You are in an economic union within the EU. that comes with rights and obligations, privaliges for the british, and privaliges for Eu citizens wanting to go to britain.

 

If there were no difference in the treatment of people inside and outside the EU, what would be the point of the union at all?

By the way, isn't discriminating between immigrants based purely from their country of origin pure racism? It needs to be all or nothing.

 

you are in a political union within the EU. You are in an economic union within the EU. that comes with rights and obligations, privaliges for the british, and privaliges for Eu citizens wanting to go to britain.

 

If there were no difference in the treatment of people inside and outside the EU, what would be the point of the union at all?

 

That's not correct. The EU is not currently a political union (although I believe it's heading in that direction). However, you are right about the economic union part.

 

Also, that's an interesting argument, although it seems that most Britons are Euroskeptics and anti-immigration from the EU. It's something that the UK government seems to be fine with doing, but the vast majority of British citizens are against it. It's basically whether or not the people should have the voice or if the government should force the country to be in a union that most people disagree with.

 

Since immigration from the EU causes a lot of problems with the British people, it would only make sense to abolish the Open Door policy -- which includes everyone. From what I have heard from what some British people have told me, a quota system for immigration would be one of the best possible options for the country.

By the way, isn't discriminating between immigrants based purely from their country of origin pure racism? It needs to be all or nothing.

 

you are in a political union within the EU. You are in an economic union within the EU. that comes with rights and obligations, privaliges for the british, and privaliges for Eu citizens wanting to go to britain.

 

If there were no difference in the treatment of people inside and outside the EU, what would be the point of the union at all?

 

That's not correct. The EU is not currently a political union (although I believe it's heading in that direction). However, you are right about the economic union part.

 

Also, that's an interesting argument, although it seems that most Britons are Euroskeptics and anti-immigration from the EU. It's something that the UK government seems to be fine with doing, but the vast majority of British citizens are against it. It's basically whether or not the people should have the voice or if the government should force the country to be in a union that most people disagree with.

 

Since immigration from the EU causes a lot of problems with the British people, it would only make sense to abolish the Open Door policy -- which includes everyone. From what I have heard from what some British people have told me, a quota system for immigration would be one of the best possible options for the country.

 

Actually, with the Maastricht Treaty in '92-93 the EU became a political union based on its new "pillars"

Further, with the Lisbon treaty, the EU became even more centralized with the President of the EU and the HR foreign affairs representative. In effect, the HR for foreign affairs and security holds the "phone-number to Europe" that the americans wanted during the cold war.

 

This HR is currently british, in the form of Catherine Ashton as a matter of fact.