Happy Face

Aye. Fuckin' bankers!

Given GDP we could afford it. The budget in 2001 was in surplus. In 2007, the year of the crash, the deficit was a third of what it is now. It's like the Mike Ashley debate, getting the club relegated doesn't sort out the finances. There comes a window where you have to spend. A healthy population, educated to the highest standards in the world is good for the economy. Unsurprising how the posters falling on either side of those arguments are the same

Krugman looked at that and it's not really a story of longer life expectancies for healthy adults, but of reduced infant mortality. When there were far more children dying at birth, they weren't contributing to the tax pot for their whole lives...but they were bringing down life expectancy. Now more children survive (as you say thanks to the NHS), there are more people contributing to the coffers that goes hand in hand with the increased life expectancy. He refers to US figures, but the principal applies everywhere.... The Life Expectancy Zombie

Eye-opening to see the numbers like. £16bn goes unpaid to the poorest people because they're too proud or ill-informed to actually make the claim for what they're entitled to. About a tenth of that goes to shits scamming a little more than the paltry sum they're allowed. The poor deserve a hearty pat on the back for the extent to which collectively they refuse handouts. Taxpayers on the other hand collectively take every opportunity they can to fleece the government of at least £30bn. Not happy being as affluent as they are, they still want more for themselves.

Probably because Labour presided over a booming economy for the vast majority of their time in power and invested shitloads in schools and hospitals without cutting benefits. The poor weren't paying the cost for Labours investment. There was almost a half trillion more on GDP in 2007 than there was in 2011.

So, to summarise what we've learned... ...the growth in wealth of the top 0.003% of people over the past 3 years would cover the deficit with tens of billions left ...and the uncollected/evaded tax of those liable to pay would itself cover the deficit. ...while the benefit system runs at a £13bn surplus of it's budget. ...and there is only £2.7bn that can be further rinsed out of the benefit system, which is a mere 2% of the deficit. Yet the discussion is still being framed in terms of how the benefit system can overhauled to fix the economy.

Because we're supposed to be a society. All in it together remember.

None of those things are living. People already doing shitty jobs don't do overtime for fun, they go and get pissed up.

I'd encourage anyone on benefits to get on the cheapest ciggies and drink they can....and to do the lottery. They're not gonna have any holidays, any drives out to the country, fancy clothes or fine dining. For the price of a cinema trip they can have a night getting wrecked on white lightning with a relaxing bine or 2, with the hope of big winnings. Fuck all else to live for.

Junkies should not be a factor in deciding social welfare policy. They're a miniscule percentage of claimants. Punishing them at the expense of all is the best excuse that can be given for the policy and it's also false. They're not relevant to the discussion in reality.

Only someone with zero understanding or empathy of a junkies situation would think food stamps would sort them out. They don't all of a sudden stop buying the crack and buy in a load of pop tarts...they sell their food stamps for less than their real value in order to feed the habit in whatever small way they can. They turn to crime more quickly because they're less able to finance the addiction. It's a totally false, straw-man argument for a ridiculous policy. Housing benefits being paid directly to housing agencies is logical. Making sure that the poorest people have no pocket money whatsoever is asking for carnage.

There was an mbiwa moment of excellence on Sunday that had me singing "who the fuck needs Coloccini". No- one joined on like. Tarnishing himself though.

I'd never heard of a goliath. You inspired me

Agree with Walrus, also think the above view is backed up by the fact he's had his best games of the season in recent weeks as we have looked to pass it about more.

@ Cisse

If its real he must have been shitting himself after 90 minutes

What did you get back in the end?

UK TV: Live on ESPN

When did i call anyone just for being a Tory supporter? If you condemned their stupid policies while making a valid case for those you agree with I wouldn't call you. When you troll the board with unstinting support for idiotic policies despite all of the evidence that's what you get called for. Not for ticking the box for the party you hoped would do better. Cameron and Osbourne HAVE to keep banging the drum, they've staked 5 years on it, their entire political career. You've no cause to back them up while everyone is laughing at them.

Side-stepping the points raised like a model Tory MP. ....or Labour.

http://www.toontastic.net/board/topic/27471-politics/page__st__2360#entry1101723 That said, you're right I am less inclined to criticise someone voting labour because there is at least an ounce of social conscious behind their policies. There isn't a glee behind saving money for the wealthy and crippling the poor. Their policies are better for the North East, for my home town, for my friends and for my family. http://www.toontastic.net/board/topic/27471-politics/page__st__1920#entry904177 That's not to say I blindly support everything (much?) they do, as you do the Tories though. It's important to criticise those you support when you think they're doing something wrong. It's important to look at evidence and hold your hands up when it suggest those you support are going about things the wrong way, to have principals but to base them on facts. Not that you have difficulty changing your mind like, this time next year you'll be Labour through and through so I don't know why I'm bothering, I'll just wait it out and agree with you when you do your next 180.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-21749312

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n8cxvzol3E Classic fingerpicking

Weimann seemed to make a big difference when he came on against us, but they had been woeful and got a rocket up their arses for that second half when he came on fresh. Has he impressed as much in other games? 5 goals and 2 assists doesn't sound too promising....but then it is more difficult in a relegation bait side.