I think the Coalition aren't doing a bad job

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Things could be worse. We could be paying through the nose for our debts like the Italians or the Greeks. We could have a much steeper rise in unemployment & faster slowdown in the economy. Tough times mean governments can't make popular decisions.

Settling an argument therefore, AIBU?

RuleBritannia, which measures exactly are working? The economy is shrinking day by day and we're about to have a double dip recession.

12 countries in Europe have AAA credit rating, more than a few.

Well according to your post in Chat, you have posted this as some sort of experiment well done.

In answer to your question yabu, I don't understand how penalising the vulnerable and needy whilst painting them as benefit scroungers so that the general public believe they deserve what is happening can ever be a good thing?

Depends on who you are and your circumstances doesn't it??

If you have been made redundant, are disabled or on a low/middle income then I expect this government has pretty much made your life that bit worse.

If you are well off, have owned your own house for over 10 years, still in work etc then yes, I expect you feel the coalitition are great - they look after themselves and people like them...

Pathan they don't actually oppose anything, which I feel may be a mistake in an Opposition

No they have been utterly useless and I say that having voted Tory at the last election.

They should have come in and immediately decapitated the top 10% of the civil service and also shut 3 Govt departments and shut down 90% of quangocracy as promised. Then removed all tax breaks that only the very rich can get and used the money to raise the tax free personal allowance to 10k, introduced a flat tax, and dramatically simplified the tax and benefits system. That would have stimulated growth.

Instead we have a double dip recession already upon us and they have hardly implemented anything they promised.

^me laughing hollowly

YABU

You know what, I am not a Tory

BUT WE ARE IN A GLOBAL RECESSION

caused by many issues, one of which is collective greed

and if there is no money, something has to be cut!!!! and Labour did piss money up the wall, sorry but they did!

I am so glad I am not a MP these days

I agree with Edith, there are many issues and I think the SN/carers issue whnilst important, is NOT the only issue right now.

I also think people dont get that some of the stuff they dont like, is actually needed to stimulate the economy

Depends on how you're measuring them.

In absolute terms, they're rubbish. They aren't making any of the necessary changes, and are essentially putting up a false pretence of 'massive cuts' (spending is actually forecast to increase. That's not much of a cut, is it?) in order to secure our AAA credit rating and prevent us collapsing in a Greek-style debt spiral. They've been very successful at this. Relative to other nations then, they've done very well.

I think they've done better than Labour would have. But they still haven't really made any of the big or difficult changes necessary, and therefore overall I still think they are rubbish.

Ha! Yabu, of course.

YANBU, things could be worse.

They could also be better though.

You have got to being kidding, right? They are a joke, they are making cuts left right and centre. Might I add the wrong cut obviously as they are not working. They have made lots of people redundant, cut benefits so everybody but the rich are skint, then they moan that there is no growth because nobody is spending any money. Erm! Really sherlock and why do you think that is?

YABU.

Just cos Milliband is doing a really bad job, it doesn't follow that Dave is doing a good one. Cos he isn't. Neither is the other guy, you know, the invisible one? Yellow tie guy?

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

oh and

I voted them in too, (were any other party going solve the mess made by the previous lot) and the double recession is hardly their fault, this is a global problem.

Yes things could be better, but they wernt Ever going to be were they?

Tories are awful. Instead of cuts they should be using magic to conjure up all the money the country needs. Magic and feathers and fireworks. Not cuts.

Wilson. Yellow tie guy? Invisible? So they ARE using magic!!

Glad to see that the tories are winning over the female vote..

It was their masterplan to seduce us back into submission a little while ago

morebeta just out of interest, which 3 govt depts do you think need to be shut? I am hoping/assuming you mean merging some depts as they all do some work but there is probably fat to be trimmed still in many of them....

The DTI for one as it does nothing useful. The Welsh, Scottish, Northern Ireland Ofices for another as they now have their own Parliaments. I would also shut DfID.

There are others that can be merged too such I should imagine.

YABVU, and could you send me a wee bit of whatever it is you've been smoking?

Pls let us keep the fireworks and feathers though...

Ha ha I know loads of people who work for DfID, they would be VERY indignant! Not sure about shutting DfID but I could certainly make a few cuts there (although they are probably better than they used to be!). I think DfID is a little misunderstood, a lot of what they do is helping with things like corruption and economic reform. But I digress!