The General Election Thread

[FamilyWiggs]

Robin, you see you can't leave us- it just falls into chaos!

Joce - wasn't trying to leave. Just busy at work/home/election!

 

[skier-hughes]

* a very positive Prime Ministerial David Cameron - who looked and sounded ready to "roll up his sleeves" and lead.;
* an unrelentingly negative and desperate Gordon Brown (who seems incapable of grasping that people might not see the world his way - reference the contempt he poured forth on a life-long socialist grandmother who had the temerity to mention immigration amongst a long list of other questions;
* a slick Nick Clegg, but who was flaky and uncertain on policy. How quick did he try and distance himself from his manifesto commitments on the Euro and an amnesty for illegal immigrants?

Having seen some of all 3, but not all of any of them, I saw the immigration issue 3 times, whereas Clegg says amnesty to those who speak English, want to integrate and want to work, at no time did he say amnesty to all.
I never heard what Cameron or Brown were going to do with all these Illegal immigrants. close borders, points system, cap on coming in, but why were they so bothered about Cleggs amnesty when they appear to be just leaving them as they are?
I couldn't believe Clegg didn't bring this up and ask them?

What are Cameron's intentions on all of these people?

 

[middi]

,Nice one FF

 

[Gareth Hughes]

* a very positive Prime Ministerial David Cameron - who looked and sounded ready to "roll up his sleeves" and lead.;
* an unrelentingly negative and desperate Gordon Brown (who seems incapable of grasping that people might not see the world his way - reference the contempt he poured forth on a life-long socialist grandmother who had the temerity to mention immigration amongst a long list of other questions;
* a slick Nick Clegg, but who was flaky and uncertain on policy. How quick did he try and distance himself from his manifesto commitments on the Euro and an amnesty for illegal immigrants?

Having seen some of all 3, but not all of any of them, I saw the immigration issue 3 times, whereas Clegg says amnesty to those who speak English, want to integrate and want to work, at no time did he say amnesty to all.
I never heard what Cameron or Brown were going to do with all these Illegal immigrants. close borders, points system, cap on coming in, but why were they so bothered about Cleggs amnesty when they appear to be just leaving them as they are?
I couldn't believe Clegg didn't bring this up and ask them?

What are Cameron's intentions on all of these people?

To hope that no voter thinks much beyond the promissory sound bites before the election, and then to hope something comes along to distract attention from any hard decisions about it afterwards.

 

[Flyfisher]

I suspect that applies equally to all three main parties. The economy will be a poisoned chalice for whoever 'wins' next week.

:lol: or ?

 

[biffvernon]

I never heard what Cameron or Brown were going to do with all these Illegal immigrants.

Just another bit of denial. The much more important area of denial is that the sort of economic growth that all the parties are depending on is impossible when total energy supply declines. No peak oil question has been asked in the leader debates. The next government will have an insuperable problem.

 

[biffvernon]

That is so good it has to be copied here:

It works. I would vote Green if there was a candidate but there isn't so I have to vote second best which is Lib Dem.

 

[Schoolmarm]

:lol: :lol: It does work.

 

[LadyArowana]

:lol: didn't work for me.

 

[Flyfisher]

There are a number of web pages that will suggest the best way to vote based on your answers to various questions:
http://whoshouldyouvotefor.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7541285/How-should-I-vote-in-the-General-Election-2010.html
http://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/free_stuff/vote_2010/frameset.htm

There are also some amusing views on the subject here: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100120154527AA9lvgc

Someone said their Granny voted for Mrs Thatcher because she didn't like Neil Kinnock's ginger hair. And I thought it was just unthinking dogma that jeopardised real democracy. :lol:

However, this sort of manifesto lateral-thinking would normally secure my vote:
Wheelie Bins:
The idea of weight monitoring chips in wheelie bins should be scrapped, instead the wheels should be removed, this would mean that if people generated too much waste they could not put their non-wheelie bin out for collection.

. . . . except for the fact that there's no MRLP candidate for my constituency.

 

[Poot]

Loved the voting tree. :lol:
Sadly we don't have MRLP, to champion wheel-less bins, in our constituency in which a donkey on a stick would win if they wore a certain coloured rosette. My vote is worth about 0.003 according to vote power.
Just to bring us back to issues, does anyone know if any party promises incentives for living in period properties, like lower council tax, VAT relief for repairs not just alterations, or reduced tariffs for extra heating bills? :wink:

 

[Flyfisher]

Just to bring us back to issues, does anyone know if any party promises incentives for living in period properties, like lower council tax, VAT relief for repairs not just alterations, or reduced tariffs for extra heating bills? :wink:

Now there's an optimist.

I suspect it's more likely that PP owners can expect higher council tax because of generally lower energy efficiency ratings and VAT being added to alterations. Cynical? Moi?

Edited for BBCode correction

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Just to bring us back to issues, does anyone know if any party promises incentives for living in period properties, like lower council tax, VAT relief for repairs not just alterations, or reduced tariffs for extra heating bills? :wink:

I started this thread by searching through the two main parties' (and Lib Dems' :wink: ) websites for various keywords relating to period properties. I found absolutely zilch. It was indeed a depressing and bleak experience all round!. I couldn't bring myself to similarly search through the manifestos - but suspect there is scant reference to those of us blessed with "heritage assets".

 

[Feltwell]

I hear the Tories are proposing a tax on period properties with nice views, to be trialled initially in North Wales..... :wink:

Seriously, I can see the "energy rating" of your home being tied into some form of local or national taxation eventually.

 

[Flyfisher]

Seriously, I can see the "energy rating" of your home being tied into some form of local or national taxation eventually.

Me too, which is outrageous really when the real issue is the amount of energy actually consumed - so why not tax the fuel directly instead?! Bah! :evil:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I hear the Tories are proposing a tax on period properties with nice views, to be trialled initially in North Wales

Lol - I'd best brick up the windows, then! :lol:

 

[Moo]

But aren't the Tories promising an immediate cull of HIPS?

 

[Feltwell]

I hear the Tories are proposing a tax on period properties with nice views, to be trialled initially in North Wales

Lol - I'd best brick up the windows, then! :lol:

Hmm, a window tax..... - has that one been tried before??? :wink:

 

[Moo]

But aren't the Tories promising an immediate cull of HIPS?

Or was that the Lib Dems?

Or both of 'em?

 

[Stephen]

The Heritage Alliance has carried out an assessment of the manifestos relating to Heritage matters. Here's the link:
http://www.heritagelink.org.uk/2010/04/14/the-party-manifestos/

Stephen