TORIES

[Eilatan]

if they get in:

They'll end HIPS so my husband will loose his job
He's actually a teacher but can't get work cos the last time they were in they brought in 'cover supervisors' ...unqualified people who are doing our jobs
They do away with the 15 hours nursery care...all we do is wait for our little un to be 3 so we can just break even each month... but no doubt these evil so and sos will take it away to pay for the w(b)ankers ineptitude
I expect they do away with the trust funds too
Teachers wages will be frozen ...
Over 60s cold weather payments? Ha! last time they were in Edwina Currie advised them to knit woolly gloves!
Any tiny power the unions have been able to claw back will go...
We'll be back to teaching kids that homosexuality is wrong and if a piece of literature wasn't written by someone dead, white and male it isn't worth reading
...if they get in I'm jacking it all in... going to sell the house and live in a caravan... no way am I working on Maggie's farm again!

Don't be fooled by all that caring for the family rubbish. All those c care for is making their own kind richer.

PLEASE don't vote for them.

ElephantsAndMiasmas "unless you'd like to enlighten me now"

lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+one+nation+conservatism%3F

...consider yourself enlightened...

"They'll end HIPS so my husband will loose his job"

Hurrah - HIPS are a waste of bloody time and money and the quicker they're gotten rid of, the better.

"They do away with the 15 hours nursery care...all we do is wait for our little un to be 3 so we can just break even each month... but no doubt these evil so and sos will take it away to pay for the w(b)ankers ineptitude"

Says this where? Or just maybe they will make it easier for people to get better jobs, therefore allowing people to have the money to pay for stuff themselves.

"I expect they do away with the trust funds too"

Don't be so bloody stupid. Trust funds are trust funds. I have heard no mention of them stopping the pointless tiny payment given to each new baby and even if they did, so what. Waste of time. Start your own trust fund with your own money if you want one - this is just another Labour bribe to the masses.

"Teachers wages will be frozen ..."

What - like most people in the private sector who have had pay cuts or pay freezes last year due to Labour's incompetence with the economy? Shame.

"Over 60s cold weather payments? Ha! last time they were in Edwina Currie advised them to knit woolly gloves!"

U-huh so that means they'll stop it? I don't think so. And even then, how stupid is a blanket payment to everyone of a certain age no matter whether they need it or not?

"Any tiny power the unions have been able to claw back will go..."

Thank God - the power hungry ignoramuses which run them will have to go back into their holes rather than blackmailing the country with another winter of discontent.

"We'll be back to teaching kids that homosexuality is wrong and if a piece of literature wasn't written by someone dead, white and male it isn't worth reading"

Oh yes, you're right, I saw that on the Tory manisfesto! I'm so glad you pointed this out - I'll be voting Labour now. Jeez - is this supposed to be some kind of high brow, logical persuasive argument or just some stupid scaremongering? Jeeez.

"...if they get in I'm jacking it all in... going to sell the house and live in a caravan... no way am I working on Maggie's farm again!"

Ok. Fine.

"Don't be fooled by all that caring for the family rubbish. All those c** care for is making their own kind richer."

Their own kind being the British People? That's the ones - the people who have been taxed half to death by this crappy bunch of ignorants who have then spent it on nothing and put us all in a great financial hole.

The truth is, no matter who comes in next time they will have a helluva job fixing the appalling mess that this outrageously awful "government" has made of the place.

Bring back the Torys, I say.

Applauds givescarrotsachance.

Custy a fulldays workfare?

Ama supporter of it generally but I am just thinking of the sheer amounts of timeit took Dh doing applcaitions forlast job (200 interviews it took!). Or would you factor jobsearch time in?

carrots - so would you be OK with their proposal on inheritance tax then?

I don't get why this would be a good thing for our economy right now

time off for interviews - b ut like working people, one can do the applications in an evening.

mumbot Personally I'm thrilled as I've bullied my parents/elderly relatives in to signing it all over to me and any day from May 10th onwards I expect to become a very rich lady. Ffs, really - who is this going to affect?

See Dh couldn't have done the same amount in evenings- if you'reapplying in workmy experience is there is far less pressure to get a job immediately.

I'd have workfare with set aside time for appliations, but limited and supervised rather than some of the silly apper reading you hear about.

What about aprents etc, wouldn't it possibly be mroe expensive to cover childcare (hardly feasible from benefits) than what you'd gain?

Not picking hokles btw- generally interested in how itwould work. I like the idea, but see so many problems.

Would there be the same rules RE employment law? Am thinking time off for dependents,school closures etc.

Whata bout charities that rely on a young non working aspect of society to fillranks? Would they be able to get volunteers still, or would they be weighed down with related ppaperwork? A good few of our homestart vollies werepeoplegaining experience tore-enter workforce but we couldn't have managed the admin for official status.

Sorry got torun but will read later

And of course acarers are exempt (though a lot of us would like accessto jobcentre support which we cannot get atm)

Thank you Peachy (and I want a Waitrose here grr ). Through your training your DH is going to make the overall situation better - for yourselves and the government!

And yes I also understand completely the idea of having the DC's you can afford. However I think the bigger picture also needs to be seen. We need a system which is more supportive of those trying to work.

Hang on a minute Manatee - I didn't say I was going to vote Tory, although I might well do.

"What a disgusting sweeping generalisation!!!"

I didn't intend to suggest all BNP supporters used to be Labour. How patronising of you to think I would be so stupid. Of course they are from a mix of backgrounds but you might be more likely to swing that way from a right wing position. (This is also a generalisation but one you would find more palatable.) I was referring to the voters Labour has lost to those parties. Sorry if you find that disgusting but it is a real issue under discussion in the party now (I have a friend who is a speech writer for a prominent Lab MP and he confirmed this is a current concern.)

"Why did you not just take your form into the office? I imagine that would be the Tory response - you have to look after yourself under the Tories."

My form was hand delivered four out of five times - it wasn't lost by Royal Mail - amazingly. It was lost whilst going through the black holes of the system. You have to look after yourself whoever's in power. Isn't that what you are doing by voting Labour? You vote for the party most aligned to what you and your family needs. Right or left. Certainly most posts here use personal examples.

"My mother despaired under Thatcher. I Don't blame her, it was pretty damned hideous."

I had a good free education under Thatcher. I hate what happened to the miners and thier communities. I love what happened to the off milk forced down our throats - that was hideous. One of her successes was getting rid of that misery. Swings and roundabouts like the rest of them.

"Why would the Tories motivate social workers? Why would Labour. SWs have a fucking grim job to do and I think they can only possibly do that job if they care enough to want to, and we should be grateful that they do."

Quite, my problem was that they didn't (in my area at a particular time). I guess you feel SW is a lost cause as far as any govs are concerned since no-one can make it a more appealing job in your opinion.

"I shop with Waitrose on benefits "
Peachy, I just had lunch. Cost £1.13 (Soup 52p, noodles 28p, can of Pepsi Max 22p, small cherry bakewell 11p)
Now I know this stuff because money is really tight. We shop at Lidl, Farmfoods and Iceland for the staples. Things we cannot buy at those stores we get from Sainsburys or Tesco. Waitrose aint even on the radar. I went in once and was shocked by how expensive it was.
Funny thing is we are not on benefits apart from CB of course. DP and I bring in over £50K a year.
How is it right that you can afford to shop at Waitrose? Something is seriously wrong.

Middle income earners are being seriously squeezed. It's not right.

Scaryteacher posted the stats that income tax receipts this year are projected to be £140 billion with welfare payments at £160 billion. That is not sustainable especially with trillion pounds debt we are also saddled with. Something has to give.

New Labour have had 13 years and fucked up royally. Lord help me and never ever thought I would say this, I'm gonna give the Tories a chance. They cannot possibly be worse than the shower of $^1t we have in now.

The census information was interesting. I have pasted that onto Labour list so that people can have some more accurate information about Mums net.

It has also put me in a really bad mood as I realise I am in the oldest 1% of mumsnet users.

Reading this thread last night, plus some more information about how Conservative cuts are likely to work has prompted me to send a new post to Labourlist
ow.ly/11krX
I think this is something which should be of interest to anyone who does not expect to have an individual income of the equivalent of £30,000 a year by the time they are in their 80s. It should also be of interest to anyone with ageing parents.

There are a couple more posts on there at the moment which are trying to get to grips with some of the different approaches of the parties. At the moment I think it is fair to say that it is all as clear as mud.

We have massive amounts of detail from the Labour government, and the general consensus is that Conservative policy at present is to give as little information as possible about what they might actually intend to do.

lots of people will still go for a pig in a poke of course.

Hi Mulberrybush.

interesting article, I'm also interested in social care and especially in the area of dignity in old age - so I can appreciate what you're saying.

However, I do think your premise is dodgy. Do you have any evidence to back up idea that "comprehensive long-term planning of the National Care Service" is better than "localism...and the private and voluntary sector"? I'm not sure that's right. I think in many cases the voluntary sector especially, with the right support and encouragement, can really do a better job for less money than the state in many areas.

The big problem for voluntary organisations over the last few years is that many of their traditional spheres of activity have been so encroached on by the state that it's become harder and harder for them to function. They've been hindered by rules and regulations, changes to funding criteria, unnecessary bureaucracy and a "walled garden" approach to local authority funding.

Also, what's wrong with localism? Why should Sunderland need the same solutions as Surbiton? You may say that it's necessary to prevent a postcode lottery, but frankly all that national standards and benchmarks that have been introduced in the NHS haven't stopped a postcode lottery existing there.

"I had a good free education under Thatcher."

Your education wasn't free. And it was in spite of Thatcher.

However, as a former Labour voter, I'm in despair politically. The lies and more lies about Iraq are utterly unforgiveable.

But I cannot ever vote Tory. They are and always have been the party for the wealthy.

No, they are absolutely not the party of the wealthy. They are the party for those willing to take responsibility for themselves - although perhaps the crux of the matter is that only the responsible are able to amass wealth!

Under a Tory government and LA I was able to attend grammar school because I had the brains to do so - admittance to university was also upon merit.

Under old-style educational policies, those who were intelligent were rewarded - now proletariat are paying their own dole via the excuse of tertiary education. All they're doing is getting x amount in to debt and keeping down the unemployment figures.

I have had my education/role/job debased over the course of this government and quite frankly as a family we would have the same quality of life if we were to go on benefits. How can that be right? I wonder how many of the more "wealthy" mn'ers would be up in arms should the benefits class encroach on their lifestyle range?

Thanks for the 'ffs' skihorse

That's lovely and I'm sure that there are no wealthy people who will benefit from increasing the inheritance tax threshold

I don't think it's accurate to say they're the party of the wealthy now.

the overwhelming majority of their votes are going to come from middle earners. The truly stinking rich make up such a tiny percentage of the electorate.

It's that cloth caps n clogs 'I could never vote Tory me - my grandfather would turn in his grave' mentality that the Labour party rely on.

mumbot So you are advocating the continuing bankruptcy of the nation and the lower-middle classes because a very small number of people who are rich enough to have tunneled their money away for generations anyway? Tell me, how do you reconcile facts such as Sir Philip Green being an enormous Labour party supporter and yet hiding the money from the sale of BHS etc. in Monaco? The rich will always find a way.

I am actually filled with dread and fear at the thought of a conservative goverment. I remember all to well the hardship the last one created, in 1991 when I bought my first house the interest rates were somehting like 13%, now that sort of fact affects the majority of us so called 'working class' people, the people that are the foundation of this country, and we all know what foundations are for? To hold up the rest of the stucture, in this case it means the people who will vote for these demons, thinking that they are their 'class' and so will be kinder to them, but if you chip away at the solid foundation of a structure until it is all weak and crumbling, then the whole lot comes tumbling down and lay at rubble at your feet. And that is what will happen to our country if it is stupid enough to let a tory goverment take control again.
Labour and Gordon Brown have worked very hard at filling in the cracks in our foundation these last few years, please give them more time, it will be worth it.Of that I'm sure.

they've had 13 years! More time to do what?

skihorse Sorry I'm not following you, how does increasing an inheritance tax threshold bankrupt the nation

Not being sarcastic, I genuinely don't understand your point, as I said in my earlier post, I don't understand how this helps the economy

'How is it right that you can afford to shop at Waitrose'

because we use the boys DLA for the purpose it should be, to fund their
allergy diets and other types of therapy caused by their SN- that is cheaper in Waitrose for us, probably bgecause they dont use lactose so much asa filler
Did you note btw that we are not on JSA or IS,Dh is a PT worker studying FT and I get carers allowance,with the boys DLA X 2-dos that make youmorally more deserving of a better lifestyle I wonder?nah. Soooo different from choice benefits IMO

No way could I vote labour. As a home educator, I've had more than enough close encounters with the current government's attitude towards the electorate in the last year (contemptuous. lying. duplicitous. bullying. deaf. This might all just be Ed Balls and his ministers, but I fear it is more widespread than that)

I live in a constituency with a big lib dem majority, and I don't see anything shifting that whatever my preferences, so I have decided that, with the exception of the parties whose policies are utterly nauseating (the left-wing fascist end of the scale - Labour and BNP), I will be voting for whichever worthy candidate I consider to be in the greatest danger of losing his/her deposit. I urge all clean-living MNetters in constituencies with big conservative or lib dem majorities to do the same - you could actually do some GOOD for someone with your vote

Anyway ER am confused- post explained that with special dietary things it is cheaper to shop in Waitrose with freedelivery (no supermarket in walking distance as well) than anywhere else because there are more mainstream things they can eat which are far cheaper than the special diet shelf in Asda

Am confused- should I be spending more to shop elsewhere for pleb value perhaps? I thought, morally,my role was to find the best options for my children within afordability and that fits their really tight dietary needs? No?

Even basics such as the only carton of calcium fortified drink that ds3 (ASD) will drink are cheaper in waitrose as Asda etc don't even stock them.So forgive me but I know I have done nothing wrong.

Am not sure if you know our story so willexplain- try and tell me where we are any way at fault or part of mainstream benefits culture.

Five years ago we moved here and I started Uni so I could study to be a teacher afterwards. During the time I was studying 2 of my children were diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder, and when I graduated I wa unable to find work to fit their care needs (cannot access childcare (one very aggressive) and LEA dosn't offer any form of SN childcare except at the SLD unit which they do not attend, I don't ask for free childcare btw but access at all and affordable (ie same price as everyone else gets) would be great)).

Dh worked full time in a great job all that time, manager ofr a haulage company. During that time he suffered severe illness, hated his job etc and kept working becuase thats what you do.

Last May Dh was made redundant.

We live in an area that is considered one of the three hardest hit in the recession, and jobs aren't out there- DH's industry is also one of the hardest hit. So we had a choice- sit there on IS or look for a ladder out.
Dh started his own business in a field he is interested and talented in, and which has staff shortages. ATM it's very many hours for little return but he makes a profit and is tax registered etc. He is training to get the qualifications needed to take the business up to very profitable- he gets a licence a year on his course so his income and therefore our claim will alter dramtically in steps over that time. Most days he gets up, works for an hour, goes to Uni, comes back and works until 10 or so on both job and studies: I am not complaining, that is how it should be.

I am mainly a carer, but am studying for an MA one night a week- if I ever solve the chidcare issue I will do my Social Owrk conversion, if not the MA is still relevant to the boy's disability so very useful.

As far as I an see we are doing exactly the right thing in our lives, and have nothing to be ashamed of. Nonetheless I doo ften feel severe shame and have even been known to wake crying because when people say benefits claimants they don't draw distinctions between Mr Scrote claiming money for kids he doesn't have and drinking it away in special brew, or those like us forced to take from a system into which we have paid for a great many years in national insurance- oh hang on isn't insurance the operative word there?

Dh and I have taken many blows to our lifestyle over the years because of the way things have worked out, we've been out twice in 3 years, both have 2 pairs of trousers each etc etc. the boys haven't though, they still lead a decent if not affluent life and I am proud of that. Very much so.

Oh goodness that went on for ever, sorry