Why are you dreading a Tory government?

[Swedes]

Social mobility under Labour has fallen to the levels experienced in the 1950s. That means if you are born poor, you remain poor and if you are born wealthy, you stay wealthy.

I heard this morning on R4 that the NHS is experiencing the worst funding crisis in its history.

I could go on but I'm sure you get my drift.
Labour have had over a decade to fulfill their promise that "things can only get better". It's time for a change.

Can you please give me a few good reasons why Labour should remain in office?

[mumblechum]

Um, so all the horsy set in my village can no longer spend their Saturdays tearing foxes to bits (I suspect they still do it but are a bit more sneaky about it these days)

[FluffyBunnyGoneBad]

I don't have any. There's no trust in them any more, if you don't have the trust and respect of the people who put you there then it's time to go. They lost my support after helping the US invade Iraq so it's not just the recent events. They should be ashamed.

[Callisto]

Swedes - the value for money thing they were talking about this am on R4, did it refer to govt services in general or just the NHS?

Mumble - I think you will find that since Labour banned hunting it has become more popular than ever with more followers and far more fwuffy foxes being torn to shreds each Saturday in the season. Yet another Labour own goal. Lifting the ban will make no difference to this.

[midnightexpress]

Because David Cameron is empty-headed. What exactly are the policies that are going to turn round the state of affairs that you mention in your OP?

Not that Labour are any better.

[Swedes]

Callisto - It was specifically the NHS. It was on the Today programme this morning at about 7.45am. You can probably listen to it on iplayer.

[Tortington]

i think a tory govnment would be good for me personally.

under the tories, the poor will remain poor and social mobility will definately not happen. uber capitalism will arise and that will make things great for my job, becuase when they have finished ignoring the poor, lots of funding will be available.

[morningpaper]

The NHS will suffer a funding crisis regardless of who is in power - but labour has put millions into re-inventing the NHS and it's been a massive success. It will be dismantled under the Tories which is a massive shame, because it is really the best healthcare system in the world. We will be back to the old days of crappy service and huge waiting lists.

[Peachy]

A lot has happened under Labour that has massively inproved our lives and those of many like us- WTC (ncludingt he associated disabled allowance), shorter waiting times in hospitals, emplyment laws that allowed DH to take flexible working when the only other opetion might have been benefits (when our oldest austistic child was aprticualrly violent)

Secured depsoits on tenancies, so many things

BuT I can't say I'm happy with what's going on now

But i'd stillr ather this than a Tory Government: the first part of my life (well from 7) untiol I was in my mid twenties I lived under the Tories, including a stint of working in the NHA. No thanks.

And absolutely I support teh fox hunting ban (No i'm not a ciry dweller, Somerset bred in ffact)- regardless of whether soem idiots continue to pursue the sport, it is a Good Thing in mind that is is illegal and that people in Parliament were prepared to say this is not an OK thing.

[mumblechum]

I'll still carry on voting labour till I pop my clogs, even though we don't get any tax credits,have private health insurance, pay massive tax etc because it just goes against the grain that the better off should kick the poorer in the face.

[myredcardigan]

Where to start really.

The NHS is always in funding crisis. It is stickng plaster on gaping wound and it has been the same long before this government came to power. Having said that, this Labur government hasactually poured huge amounts of money into the NHS and although it's still in a mess, it could have ben far worse. The pevious Tory administration were leaving it to rote as they saw it as an endless money hole.

All 3&4 yr olds now have at least 12 hours free nursery provision a week. No, it's not enough but it is more than was available pre 97 and it is state funded.

I am old enough to remember the last recession as an adult. I also remember the eary 80s recession as an 12yrold. The 80s one mainlt affected mining and factory manafacuring and the government didn't care. It didn't fit in with Thatcher's image of a wealthy self-made Britain.

I think it's laughable to suggest that social moility will improve under the Tories. They haven't actually got a problem with social mobility per se and welcome with open arms the 'poor boy done good'. The problem with the Tories is teir attitude to those who continue to struggle. Who will never ull themselves out of poverty and buy a big house in Essex. They have a very blinkered view that if yo want to escape poverty,you can. Utter rubbish!

Oh and btw, a Tory government wold probably be very good for me personally. DH earns a 6figure salary and we live in a nice area and send our ids to independent school. They like people like us! But, it's not about me,is it. It's about collective responsibility and making sure those in need and taken care of and helped up rather than belittled and patronised.

Never, never never!

[myredcardigan]

Sorry, keyboard prblems.

[margotfonteyn]

Well said myredcardi

Esp the bit about collective responsibility. I, too, appear to be on paper the archetypal Tory voter, but I would never vote for them. I remember the Thatcher years all too well.

[southeastastra]

lol at getting the 'my husband earns a six figure salary in'

[Swedes]

It seems that some of you will just carry on voting Labour just because you always have. (Or perhaps because your mum and dad voted Labour.) Regardless of the fact that they no longer represent your views. I think that's really barmy and unthinking. Labour are no longer a left wing party - they are authoritarian centre-right. If you want left wing, luvvies, you need to look at LibDem or possibly Green.

[morningpaper]

No - I think that labour's achievements over the last ten years HAVE been left-wing enough for me, thanks

[myredcardigan]

Yeah, that's what the post was all about.
I mentioned it to illustrate how we as an individual household would do well under the Tories. They've already said they would cut corporation tax. That alone would significantly increase what DH brings home. I'm quite sure they'd also find a way of making independent education a little easier on the purse Again, we'd benefit from that.

But I'd need to live in a bubble and have no conscience to vote Tory.

[spookycharlotte121]

i dont want david cameron to be primister. He considers single mothers to be the scum of the earth so I for one am not going to vote for him. He is an arse. Plus there will be massive budget cuts and although something needs to be done in regards to the debt we are in as a country I dont think the torys sollution is the right one. The nhs will really suffer.

[myredcardigan]

Actually it has nothing to do with how my parents voted or how I have always voted. I don't align myself to one particular party I just see the Tory Party as a whole as self-serving and for the advancement of 'people like us' as they would say.

I'll vote labour mainly because I think that's the only way to keep the Tories out.

Oh and I agree that the LDs are probably more left wing than the parliamentary Labour Party.

[spookycharlotte121]

I think that our country is in a lot of trouble at the moment. I think that the tories will make this worse.
I think that tony blair could see what was about to happen with the ecconomy of this country and buggered off before he had to deal with it.
Gorden brown has been bery unlucky with his timing and although I do think he has made a lot of mistake I really do not want Davie twat face cameron bossing us all about.

Im not sure if this is true but someone told me he intends to get rid of tax credits..... if thats so then Im fucked because that is out main source of income.

[Reallytired]

I think its criminal what they have done to the NHS. Our local hospital has be decimated. The matenity unit, Accident and emergency, Intensive care, paediatric ward have all been closed. The nearest hospital that offers these services is miles away and the care is appauling. So much for patient choice.

I can't see how the tories can be any worse. I am writing this as someone who lives in a working class area where lots of promises were made to low income mothers but the promises have amounted to nothing.

[SomeGuy]

Labour's NHS investment programme has been an almost unmitigated disaster. PFI is a catastrophe for the taxpayer - we always get shafted. Spending has doubled but output has barely increased.

They have introduced endless targets which mean that hospitals lie and cheat to meet statistical goals rather than focusing on patient needs, for instance the A&E 'wards', where they wheel people off to fiddle the four hour waiting limit. Then there are the waiting lists for waiting lists (so they don't count), the destruction of NHS dentistry, the end of out-of-hours care from most GPs (it's now outsourced), and many more.

There's quite a bit about what Labour has done to the NHS on this site: nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com, written by a doctor who voted enthusiastically for Labour in 1997.

Try:

nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2005/12/waiting-list-for-mri-scans.html - Waiting list waiting lists
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2006/02/but-how-long-is-queue.html - waiting list queues
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2008/01/choose-and-book-scam.html - blocking patients from waiting lists
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2005/12/meeting-tony-blairs-targets.html - A&E 'wards'
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2006/10/new-labour-destroys-nhs-dentistry.html - end of NHS dentistry
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2006/09/closing-hospitals-labour-way.html - closure of hospitals only in non-Labour seats
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2008/02/new-labour-spending-sprees.html - the Labour NHS spending spree - a waste
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2006/11/new-labour-is-destroying-n_116248633722687187.html - Labour is destroying the NHS
nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2006/03/filthy-patricia.html - Labour NHS cleaning contracts

[Peachy]

I voted Green Slub, I don't just blindly vote, I research.

And my research ahs taught me that as an out of luck sort, Tories would most likely stuff me.

[Peachy]

Someguy, as a NHS user and former worker, regardless of stats etc, I know that my experience of it now is far better than it was when I worked there in 1992 onwards.

It's that simple. For me, anyway.

[sfxmum]

I expect the NHS will n longer be free at the point of delivery but Labour opened the door to that one, quite a lot of privatisations will happen I expect some good some not so good

I expect emigration policy will be talked about but not much will happen really, but there will be even less money available for social projects, social care and education, at first because of budget deficits/ recession and later just because it really suits

who knows?