to dread a Conservative govenment?

[tryingtobemarypoppins]

As a teacher and mother I feel I should dread Conservatives getting in.....

southeastastra I wondered that too.

You are entitled to your opinions but personally I can't wait.
As a mother I see my sons future being much brighter under a Conservative government.

It's not an unfortunate misunderstanding! I asked you why your OP and you refused to answer and then just cut and paste. I asked for YOUR reasons.
I am not forgetting anything, you have no idea about my political allegiance.

And some of those 50 achievements have actually come at quite a cost as we are now finding out....

Have you read the conservatives policies MaryPoppins?

The labour party is rife with liars and cheats. The ex-PM is a disgrace and the 'circumstances' surrounding the Balmoral incident leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

There will have to be cuts in public spending, whoever gets into power.

We are deeply in debt.

everyone should just accept that some parties are interested in different issues so represent that.

its mad that we have to vote for one party to represent all those things..

system must have been invented by a man

look at the egos on them, there is no way they would be able to share responsibility and place nice!

Hi ThePhantomPlopper off course, although only education related. I hate the way the policy has no 'how' just lots of buzz phrases such as "every child will get the school place they wanted." They seem to have no clear strategy.

Libras I don't know why you are being so rude. Are you going to tell us your 'political allegiance' and explain your last sentence?

C&P'd from a recent article in the Independent about David Cameron's economic policies and his proposals to cut taxes for the rich:-

"Remember: this is a man who said his wife is "highly unconventional" because "she went to a day school."

If you bother to read Cameron's statements, it's clear how he will pay for these cuts for himself and his friends ? by slashing the few redistributive programmes for the poor built up over the past decade, like the Educational Maintenance Allowance for poor kids to stay on to sixth form which his team derides as a "bribe", or the tax credits which his frontbench openly compares to the disastrous nationalised industries of the 1970s, or the SureStart centres which he has described as "a microcosm of government failure." They belong to a world he has never seen, or shown any interest in."

Rest of the article here.

I'm not being rude, I'm just asking you to explain yourself. I'll ask you again WHY are you dreading Conservatives coming in? Listing why you think Labour is good does not explain why you think conservatives are bad. If you are going to start a thread like this at least be able to back it up.

Most of those 50 achievements have cost money to provide, money that the gov't doesn't have, money that we have borrowed but needs paying back or at least halting at some point. I think a lot of those things are very very good achievements but that doesn't mean that everything is balanced.

My political alleigence is nothing to do with this.

PutDown MrsFlittersnoops link may explain why DC didn't have to worry about funding his childrens care - 30milion, I would have married him!!

For the last time Libras I DID answer your question on PAGE 1 of this thread,

"ummmmmm I have memories of mum and dad bragging me on miners marches, high unemploymemt, poorly funded schools and hospitals, rich gits and poor families........ "

Although I'm not a fan of the present Labour government and do believe that consistant power eventually corrupts whatever party is in charge, it worries me a lot to think what will happen if the conservatives get back into power.
Health is top of that list, anyone here who actually does not think the conservatives will be a bad thing cannot possibly remember the really dark days of the 80's, patients waiting years for hip replacements, leaking ceilings in rundown hospital buildings.

Admittedly Labour have squandered millions on ill thought out computer projects but as least they have invested, I really don't think the same would happen under the Conservative policies, mind you I don't know as I have no clue what policies DC is planning.
Labour have screwed up and whilst it's almost inevitable that the conservatives will get in next time i'm with the OP in dreading it.

Labour have buggered up our economy for the next 20 years. They have done a couple of good things, I agree, but wasted billions in the process. What a heap of sh*te. I can't wait for the conservatives.

Well I support abolishing tax credits, and I think the sure start money should be spent on more health visitors, so your post has cheered me up MrsFlittersnoop

Tax credits cost so much money to administrate - they are not good value for money. A higher personal allowance would be cheaper for the whole country and could be set at a place where lower income people wouldn't be worse off (thereby saving money), or set at a level where the lowest incomes would be better off (thereby spending the money saved on admin). It just needs to be structured carefully so those earning £20-35k aren't worse off because of it, but this is eminently possible, since those are the people the Conservatives need to attract to get in and stay in.
My other issue with tax creidts is how unclear it is for families how much they will get. I tried to help my sister work out if she would earn enough to make a profit after paying childcare if she went back to work (her DH is in work, so they get tax credits) and the tax credit advice she got, and the actual amount after she accepted the job, were totally different (lower). Then, after a year she was told she'd been paid too much, and is gradually repaying. She's totally fed up of the system, and she's just the kind of person it was set up to benefit.

Unfortunately I'm not aware of the Conservatives actually committing to getting rid of tax credit system; but if they did (and promised to replace it with something better value for the tax payer, clearer to understand, and that wouldn't make the poor even poorer) then they would have my vote!

Okay, rant over!

You are right, the conservatives wouldn't have invested as much as labour BECAUSE WE COULDN'T HAVE AFFORDED IT!

If it is true that the conservatives will stop EMA then they are one step closer to getting my vote

Lastly Libras I suggest you read MrsFlittersnoops link as it is very interesting. DC will push the country into greater financial hardship as he will make so many cut backs.
"Cameron is almost alone in the democratic world in disagreeing and demanding immediate cuts in public spending as the global economy grinds to a halt. When I asked this year's Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman whether this would make the recession worse, he replied: "Yes. For sure," and then added that Cameron's policies were "pure Herbert Hoover." ( more cut and paste especially for you!)

The tax credit system is a right mess, it is haemorrhaging money. DC doesn't plan to scrap it, it's going to be overhauled, people on an income of £50,000 + will no longer be entitled to claim I think is what was said.

The Armed Forces are a state, no equipment on the front line, Army wives are sharing their houses with rats, roaches and crocodiles.

The 80's had dark days, but this isn't the 80's and DC isn't Thatcher.

why would abolishing EMA be a bad thing? Are only kids whose parents can afford it allowed to go to on to further education?

I think whoever gets in at the next election, and lets face it is isn't going to be Labour, is doomed. This country has so much debt now through the squandering of our hard earned taxes that any party that gets into power will have to make cuts.

The list of items posted I believe includes some things that are EU funded e.g the fruit for school children. However it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Labour were trying to take credit for stuff they havent even done.

Gordon Brown made some very very bad decisions when he was chancellor and we are now going to be paying the price for many many years. To mention a couple - gold and pensions. You should actually be more afraid if Labour were to get back in.

One last thing, I am always amazed how many posters mention education and how good it has become. I often read people commenting how a state education served them well. I can see that if you work in education that things have improved however my understanding is that most of the money has been spent on teachers salaries and buildings. When I look at how many GCSEs children take these days and how many get A*s I really struggle to believe that is because it has become so much better and children are so much brighter. I wonder if it hasn't just become easier, with a raft of easy subjects and no respect for those children who choose a vocational careers.

Ok, maybe not abolish it, but make it fairer.

I can't afford to give my child £30 a week because I have a mortgage and other children. My child has a part time job. I don't understand what is stopping children of low income families doing the same?

EMA is ridiculous. I am not on any benefits as both me and dh work. However, I will never be able to pay my dcs to stay at school. It is absolutely ridiculous. I work in a very deprived area in a secondary school and their are a huge amount of 6th formers who openly state that they have staid on purely for the EMA. They are disruptive and unmotivated, purely there for the EMA.

aintnomountainhighenough really interesting thoughts. "no respect for those children who choose a vocational careers" do you really think this is true?? I really don't think exams has got easier, but I do think teaching (with better pay, attracting better gruduates) has got better.

Buildings have been expensive but the learning environment has a huge benifit. ICT has had a massive investement.