The Tories

[IanMcL]

There's enough posts for Labour bashing and plenty of it in the media.
I am thinking of voting Tory for the Brexit deal but I'm not impressed with what they stand for.

The question is 'Since coming to power what have the Tories done to benefit the country?'


Please just keep it to good things they have done (not promising to do) and not making it about Labours faults.

It was the Tories who 'negotiated' the totally lame 'deal' with Europe, upon which we all voted. Cameron, like all the Tories before him, said that he had red lines which would not be crossed and things he will secure....all of which turned out to be total fabrication. Don't give these incompetents another chance to wreck everything.

[Top Claret]

Cut benefits to make people more independent, to stand on their own two feet and not rely on state hand outs.

[joey13]

We had just as much zero hours under labour who also brought in tuition fees and now castigate the tories about them

Don't know if you realise the Tories trebled them !

[joey13]

Could you be more specific buddy?

Cos from where I'm sat, it's all factual.

Save the last paragraph!

You carry on believing that and the bile that's written in right wing press , you obviously are easily lead .

[AndrewJB]

Cut benefits to make people more independent, to stand on their own two feet and not rely on state hand outs.

Or killed people, however you want to see it:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... nefits-cut" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hampsteadclaret]

Careful examination of posts 40-50 including the two very useful charts suggests that what IIBYW has been saying here is pretty much correct, re money wages and real wages..

**I think I am correct in saying that inflation is currently rising at a much higher rate than average earnings...[MAY 2017]

'Consumer prices in the United Kingdom rose by 2.3 percent in the year to March 2017'
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united- ... lation-cpi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Two other factors are worth considering here.
1] apparently inflation is going to rise, going forward [Brexit, higher import prices]
2] I cannot see that an incoming Tory Government, with a large majority, will ensure that average real earnings [especially in the public sector] will rise as fast as, or faster than the current CPI [consumer price index.

This will mean falling real wages for most British people, going forward.

[kentonclaret]

After the vote to leave the EU many analysts described it as a "vote against the elite" but many of the better off have being doing very nicely since then, many increasing their wealth with rising stock markets etc. It is the less well off that will suffer as a result of Brexit with higher inflation, higher food and commodity prices all in the pipeline. There will also be Council Tax increases of 5% or more as less money is given to local authorities. There was an increase this year to pay for "Social Care" and others will follow to pay for repairs to infrastructure and to maintain the provision of public services. Many councils around the country have already voiced concerns that they do not have sufficient funds to repair potholed roads. Theresa May says that she will not raise taxes but no pledge on Council Tax rises due to insufficient government funding of Local Authorities. Council Tax rises and increased food prices will hit the middle income groups and lowest paid hardest. There is already under funding of the NHS and in Education and Local Authorities can be added to that list.

When making her speech outside 10 Downing Street and denouncing EU "dirty tricks" Theresa May was at least honest enough to say that this would be the case. "'Because while there is enormous opportunity for Britain as we leave the European Union, if we do not get this right, the consequences will be serious. AND THEY WILL BE FELT BY ORDINARY WORKING PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY." Don't worry the elite will be fine as soon as this darned fox hunting bill gets through the House of Commons.

[Hipper]

Foodbanks.

The rise of these needs more research because it hasn't just happened in the UK but Germany too for example and it is not necessarily linked to hunger.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_bank#United_Kingdom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_in ... ed_Kingdom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I seem to recall that before foodbanks existed, if someone didn't have enough food they went to the authorities and were given vouchers for use in local supermarkets. I suspect these people are now directed to foodbanks. I've no idea what the numbers were but I would have thought vouchers for supermarkets is a much better way as we all shop there and there shouldn't be any stigma attached to that. Going to a foodbank on the other hand suggests charity. Foodbanks also, in my rather cynical view, give an opportunity for churches and charities to have a purpose.

[quoonbeatz]

Foodbanks also, in my rather cynical view, give an opportunity for churches and charities to have a purpose.

i think they'd rather not have that particular purpose but at least they are doing something rather than thinking '**** 'em'.

[RingoMcCartney]

You carry on believing that and the bile that's written in right wing press , you obviously are easily lead .

OK

I'll ask you too.

Which of those points are factually incorrect pal?

I smell the classic Left impulse being displayed.

That is. If you hold a different view you are "easily lead"

The implications being your gullible and/or thick.

The Left obviously have been exposed to universal truth and are more sophisticated. Any body disagreeing with their opinion are simply people waiting to be enlightened!!

[Sidney1st]

Foodbanks.

The rise of these needs more research because it hasn't just happened in the UK but Germany too for example and it is not necessarily linked to hunger.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_bank#United_Kingdom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_in ... ed_Kingdom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I seem to recall that before foodbanks existed, if someone didn't have enough food they went to the authorities and were given vouchers for use in local supermarkets. I suspect these people are now directed to foodbanks. I've no idea what the numbers were but I would have thought vouchers for supermarkets is a much better way as we all shop there and there shouldn't be any stigma attached to that. Going to a foodbank on the other hand suggests charity. Foodbanks also, in my rather cynical view, give an opportunity for churches and charities to have a purpose.

Personally I believe there are people using foodbanks when they don't really need too.

[quoonbeatz]

Personally I believe there are people using foodbanks when they don't really need too.

there may well be but i'd expect it to be fairly minimal as with many foodbanks you can't just turn up.

most only accept referrals and people with vouchers so you actually have to make some effort and prove you need to use them.

[AndrewJB]

You can't just walk into a foodbank and use it. You have to be referred by a GP or other frontline service provider:

https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/ ... -vouchers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tory Britain.

[bob-the-scutter]

Don't know if you realise the Tories trebled them !

And labour would have done the exact same don`t kid yourself.

[Falcon]

Their lurch to the right to chase the UKIP vote has at least made me doubly sure I'll never ever vote for them, so I guess that's good in a way.

[Chester Perry]

The more real earnings rise in the public sector the more the tax payer is loaded with the pension pay out to public-sector. The single biggest public sector financial bomb going forward is the pension payments that have to be made from the public purse (earnings/borrowings). How many realise for instance that the first call on your council tax is the pension payments of local and regional authority pensioners. The last period of Labour Government saw the public sector increase by 650,000+. The alleged manifesto for Labour would again see huge increases in public sector employment.

While all governments have contributed to this issue, by not putting aside pension contributions in the way private sector organisations have to, it was Gordon Brown who effectively made it impossible for public sector pensions to be managed in the same way as private sector. The pension reforms he introduced led to the absolute collapse of final salary pensions in the private sector. This is because the shortfall in any pension fund with regard to it's liabilities would be visible on the organisations balance sheet. I worked for a global organisation with a very good final salary pension scheme that wanted to keep it, the same as for all other employees globally, but had to close it because the liabilities could have collapsed the whole group.

No government could operate a final salary scheme under those conditions and the switch to fully organised pension investment fund on a defined contributions basis would lead to so much public sector industrial action the economy would be tanked for a decade at least. Those of us who work in the private sector had no such opportunity to oppose the introduction of this scheme.

Imagine for a second what such public sector pension funds could contribute to our economy as investment vehicles while not being a burden on the taxpayer. If we were to still to pay the same level of tax but not have to pay the pension pot that would provide a huge level of extra funding for our frontline services in care and education or wherever the need may be.

Sort these pension issues and we will have a proper understanding of what finances we have to play with

[Castlerigg claret]

Took millions of the poorest paid out of paying tax altogether.

Gave us a referendum that labour or the illiberal antiDemocrats would not have even given us.

Asked the NHS top brass what it needed financially. Then gave it to them.

We're in power while Burnley FC were promoted to the premier league. And saw them them retain their status for the first time. A combination of a safe pair of hands and a strong jaw.

Taking the poorest paid out of paying tax was one of the lib dems ideas /visions in the coalition . Tory s wouldn't have been too bothered about that!!