I'm at a loss - why are the LD's being punished and who is voting Tory?

[smashingtime]

It feels to me as though the LD's are being punished for the Coalition but really it is mostly Tory policies which are in the process of ruining the country. The Tories haven't done badly in these elections so are most people really unaffected by cuts or is it the grey vote that is making the difference?

What has improved for the majority (until recently) are the important things: health and education. Economic growth is only necessary if it is shared. And I agree that there has to be a balance, which is lacking at the moment.

If your specialised part-time work is rewarding and you enjoy it, continue doing it. If not, do something else. It's not all about the money, imo. I think that highter taxation is an incentive to the sort of economic growth I am talking about as it makes for a healthier, better educated working population.

I don't want to get personal, but as an example of what I am talking about, does your specialised part-time work provide employment for anyone else? Does it mean that you support struggling local businesses in any way? If not, then this sort of 'economic growth' does only benefit you, not the wider community. (Not blaming or criticising you in any way, so please don't be offended. For all I know, you could be a neuro-surgeon in your spare time!)

I am not at all offended but my example shows very clearly that the growth generated by my extra work is shared. Nearly half of the extra money generated goes to the govenment and not me. The government then decides what to spend the money on and this includes the causes that you care about - so it does not only benefit me (whether or not I employ anyone else or support local businesses). I may well also spend the extra money on goods and services from other entities which also benefits our economy in the same way. This is basic economics and another reason why people who seek to generate wealth should be encouraged and supported instead of being derided as selfish and / or greedy. I do not begrudge the rich what they have one bit, because in general they will have worked hard to achieve it.

That justification is quite apart from the potential good that can come out of the work itself (which is writing software to aid scientific research).

I am surprised that you think that health care and education are not improving at the moment. The average life expectancy has never been higher and goes up every year. More people are educated to a higher level than ever before although it could be argued that the benefits of this are marginal as there is a lack of suitable jobs in many sectors. I fully accept that there are still problems with both our health and education systems but nothing can ever be perfect.

Burro, I got the impression that you thought 40% tax was too high. Of course society benefits from your work, both because of the taxes you pay and the inherent value of the work itself.

You could also be right about health care and education, if the government doesn't carry out its proposed changes. I never thought the NHS was broken, and couldn't for the life of me see why it had to be privatised.

The reason I think I am rich is because I have benefitted from a free education and health service and as a result I am healthy and able to earn my living. I am desperate that my grandchildren should also have the same opportunities. Yet, in spite of the fact that you and I both religiously pay our taxes, the government says we should be paying off the deficit and the money has to come from the institutions that contributed towards making us able to work and pay taxes. So what is going to happen in the future if people can't get jobs and therefore don't pay their taxes?

Sorry - I feel a rant coming on, and I appear to have hi-jacked the OP. I'll shut up now ...

I think 40% is about right - any more would be a disincentive to me personally (and I suspect many others). Several on here seem to be calling for tax rises without really thinking it through. Like you I do not want our institutions to be dismantled but that does not mean that they cannot be improved. In my work, I visit hospitals from time to time and I am fairly certain that there is a lot of waste and inefficiency. I am sure that this is not the only area where savings could be made (e.g. the MOD, from what we are told seems like a shambles of a department). The thing that strikes me about Cameron & co is that they keep making fairly bold policy announcements and then retreating when someone objects. This has not been picked up on too much by the media so far.