Has the Government done anything so far which we can say is of benefit to society?

[Waltraut]

I don't really want to talk economics, mainly because there are opposing views of how the Coalition's approach is going to pan out [understatement]. I'm quite interested in the "small" things that governments do to make life fairer, safer, easier, more productive, or simply more pleasant for the citizens of a country.
I honestly cannot think of a single thing.

I can't speak for UK govt really (although obviously some matters are reserved) but am happy with the Scottish government.

Peachy, do you think one of Britain's best and most famous journalists, Henry Porter, is not engaging in serious discussion, when he compared some of Labour's laws to the Stasi?

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/nov/06/ukcrime.prisonsandprobation

I prefer Henry Porter's thinking to yours. Bye Bye.

Amen to the speed limit change! Did I miss the press release when they made Clarkson Min of Tran?

Peachy it isn't so much that "Labour didn't" work towards scrapping zero-hours contracts, it is that business won't allow this to happen. The name/flavour of the party doesn't matter.

Henry Porter says:

'The attack on liberty from Blunkett and Mr Blair has been so broad that it has been difficult to keep track of the measures being pushed through parliament. The proposals come thick and fast. They are widely drafted and often disguised in a bill which appears to address one or other of the public's major fears about terrorism and organised or violent crime.'

Politics isn't all about welfare benefits. There are many other important issues for the nation, some maybe more important than benefits.

There is a reason why ShinyDave has raised the speed limit on motorways.
Next,he will demand all the unemployed to pick up litter from the motorways.
He will then tick them off one by one as they catapult off car bonnets.
Benefit bill halved...voila.

So no-one else thinks the pensions link to earnings is a good and important thing?

agree, scaevola, it was an excellent move.

They have stopped my sickness benefit as I am able to turn my head, lift my arm, walk 100m, use the loo unaided etc.

I am not able to anything for more than 2 hours at a time (so getting up having a wash getting dressed, eating breakfast and traveling to work would mean I'd need a 2 hours rest vas soon as i got there)

Im also unable to get out of bed approx 2 days per week

Would you employ me? I wouldn't and there are plenty out there in the same situation as me :(

Well they scrapped the dodo of ID cards.

They halted the viperous enhanced vetting & barring scheme.

Not that I can think off. Worse off due to tax credit cuts and will be far worse off if the stupid CSA charges come into effect.

Actually, I will give them the scrapping of ID cards. That was a balls up in the making.

Just heard on the news that they are planning a reintroduction of weekly bin collections. Which reminded me that they scrapped the Stasi-like bin police and their bin fines.

I hope that means that Hertfordshire are backtracking on their latest bin 'news'. At the moment we have one week rubbish collection and then the following week a recycling bin collection. They reckon they are replacing the recycling bin with a food caddy .

Let's hope so. It's flipbin insanity, these bin policies. Did the Stasi just move?

Erm...they've inspired loads of great music & comedy.

Oh no, hang on, that was last time we were stupid enough to let the buggers in. This time they aren't even funny.

I wouldn't call Billy Bragg great music. Comedy maybe.

hocuspontas - where's your 'bin news' from? Bloody Tory councils...

It was in my local paper. It reported that an issue up for discussion at the next council meeting is to change the brown bins for smaller kitchen caddies and introduce a subscription-based garden waste kerbside collection service. Grr.

I'm pretty sure the pensions 'triple lock' (that pensions are raised by the higher of earnings, prices or 2.5%) was a Lib Dem policy.

And yet I noticed in that poll last week, 'Which party would you NEVER vote for?' that 43% of pensioners said they'd never vote Lib Dem. Go figure.

Well, let me see jackshit springs to mind here.

As a business owner they are crippling me. At least they have yet to put up interest rates, but am sure that day will come.

scaevola and riven
eaglewings your local anti cuts group will help you demonstrate against ATOS for their disgraceful treatment of you. We did it yesterday, try Benefit Claimants Fight Back on facebook.

eaglewings Do you live in London? A few weeks ago,my group (London Coalition Against Poverty) demonstrated and had a sit-in at the local ATOS office. As Alice says....check out the anti-cut groups for support.

Did you have guards and dogs crazy? We had guards and dogs. Oh, yes. That's how hard we are. Continuity Anti Cuts, we are.