Results like these at a general election would mean Tory annihilation

[noblegiraffe]

Says a BBC headline this morning.

Anyone else stockpiling popcorn?

I agree there's social issues.

Many of which have been fuelled by the hatred rhetoric spewed out of the mouth of our very own Home Secretary.

And what we see of her in the media doesn't even scratch the surface of how vile and full of hatred she is.

I was going to say.... many of the cultural issues have been directly caused by the current government - Brexit being a case in point.

People talk about housing distribution. So how about all the pensioners give up their excess bedrooms to families…”oh but” such tiresome hypocrisy. Take, take, take.

Yes antisemitism all caused by govt (sigh). And brexit was a symptom of dissatisfaction not a cause. You people seriously need to get out of your cosy middle class bubbles.

You are usually very sensible @Princessandthepea0 but how is that going to work seeing as how the prices are way more than younger people can afford?

I would actually stand as an MP, on a One Nation Tory platform. Liberal on social issues. Conservative on fiscal matters. Because I think that is the best balance of policy. But as I would unwind the Universal Credit bung to the companies that employ people on 15/16 hrs pw contracts so they can dodge their pension and sickpay liabilities to pay people cheap, I know I would be chewed up and spat out extremely fast. Subsidising shareholders is not part of the game I would be willing to play.

And re Brexit, I would be very happy to talk to Germany, who offered an olive branch this week, to make trade work better.

@Princessandthepea0 are you suggesting that my spare bedroom, occupied by visitors on Saturday and Wednesday this week, should be requisitioned?

He's straight out of the Gullis/30pLee mould. The fact that local Conservative parties keep choosing these useless candidates says far too much about how far their standards have fallen.

PFI is a contract. It’s very expensive to buy out of a contract. Labour wanted new buildings quickly. They didn’t have to
use PFI but instead they embraced it. @noblegiraffe If you knew anything about building you would know most RAAC predates PFI. Many schools were poorly built because design standards were cast aside. Build quick yes. But it’s rarely better. It’s suited all governments to offload building responsibility. Hence Housing Associations, Design and Build railways, PFI and Academies. I’ll be very interested to see if Labour change anything. The cost is prohibitive. Nationalizing anything is mega expensive and the tax payer will be responsible for investment. We simply won’t manage that on top of the hugely bloated NHS.

I am a pensioner @Princessandthepea0 , but I only have three beds, one occupied by DH and I, one by DS (probably not for much longer) and a spare.

Antisemitism has been around for centuries. I was referring more generally to the way this government has deliberately whipped up anti-immigrant sentiments, and to the way the right wing press have campaigned against the EU pretty much since the UK joined. The dissatisfaction was in large part manufactured by people with their own vested interests, although I agree that the UK should have held off on full accession for the new joiners in the way that other EU countries did - that was a massive strategic g error.

The deliberate demonisation of foreign nationals by this government is however very real. Theresa May's 'citizens of nowhere' speech and the creation of the hostile environment, Suella Braverman's rhetoric on the 'hurricane' of migrants, Tory MP talking about being 'besieged' by migrants - that sort of rhetoric is unprofessional and damaging to a country that likes to call itself a civilised democracy. Nothing to do with 'cosy middle class bubbles' (which in itself is the pejorative used by people who have no better argument), everything to do with understanding 20th century history. My parents were WW2 survivors. Perhaps UK students could do with learning a hell of a lot more about propaganda and the way it was used, and is being used again now.

No, it really isn't possible. There is nothing about Labour that could possibly make you think they could have got themselves into the whole sorry Brexit mess, that they could elect as leader another corrupt, lying, lazy lawbreaker like Johnson who is prepared to lie to the King and Parliament and who will end up being forced out by a mass revolt of all his ministers, that they could produce another incompetent like Truss who will crash the economy within weeks of taking power, that they will appoint deadlegs like Anderson and Pincher to positions of influence within the party, let alone that they will appoint downright cruel nakedly ambitious incompetents like Braverman.

"needy Muslim immigrants", you mean refugees?

I've seen some revolting anti refugee statements on MN, but that one is up there in the top 5. Disgusting.

If you knew anything about building you would know most RAAC predates PFI.

Obviously. And would replacing RAAC buildings with PFI buildings have been better or worse in the long run?

Ukrainians are mostly Muslim's from sub-saharan Africa?

I'm confused.

It won’t work. It was facetious really. Everyone is happy to redistribute when it’s not them. Oh but I need my spare room, oh but I paid for this house all my life, oh but. We have a huge house and I’m not giving it up. I’m open about that though. We paid for it. Same as taxes. Everyone is happy as long as it’s someone else paying. Lower tax payers (already paying the some of the lowest rates globally) oh no, can’t pay anymore to make us more inline with other countries. Those paying 70% marginals on some of their income need to pay more. Redistribution is fine - as long as it’s someone else.

@Freysimo

"The Tories are lacklustre but where in the Labour Party are politicians of the calibre of Tony Blair's cabinet"

+++

I don't disagree with you as there are some very lightweight politicians in the shadow cabinet.

That said I do rate Yvette Cooper (best PM we will never get), David Lammy and Hilary Benn.

Gove is probably the only member of the Cabinet who has skills to rival that of their opposite number in the shadow Cabinet.

Please God!!!

Many of us would if there was something affordable to downsize to.

What a load of rubbish. There's loads of money from high earners and big business. They have just mismanaged it and supported their corrupt mates. The money is there, just not in the right place.

Agree, does nobody actually remember this?!

You’re right they take a lot of money from high earners. They aren’t a large base though. There isn’t loads a money when most adults are not paying in and are taking out. Not enough adults are paying tax.