Politics

[DanTheMan 0]

Fair play, I'm not sure Smith would have acted too differently to Blair had he been PM though.

Edited August 22, 2010 by DanTheMan

[Guest alex]

Charles Kennedy reportedly already held talks with Labour about defecting to them.

 

Seems a bit weak to me that you ditch 30 odd years of a political leaning simply because you disagree with some current decisions. Surely the strong thing to do would be to fight your corner within your own party.

 

Current polls seem to indicate that the majority of people are so far happy with the coalition and with Cameron.

 

I appreciate the Libs are doing badly in the polls but surely thats no reason to jump ship.

He claims it's a load of rubbish anyway. And I doubt Labour would have him

[Happy Face 29]

 

Can't imagine the labour/tory graph is any less blatant.

[Happy Face 29]

£4bn additional welfare cuts

 

Post Office fully privatised

 

40,000 police officers to be sacked

 

The Tory recovery is really picking up speed now.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

broken britain

[Christmas Tree 4725]

Friday 24th September 9pm (More 4)

 

Miliband of Brothers

 

 

 

Just seen a 2 minute clip of this on the politic show and it looks as though it could be quite good.

 

The clip made David out to be a spineless wannabe and his brother Ed to be the cunning wannabe.

 

Personally they both come across as Vulcans but hey ho.

[Happy Face 29]

£4bn additional welfare cuts

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11274060

 

[Christmas Tree 4725]

IMF BACKS Camerons "essential" cutbacks.

 

The International Monetary Fund has said Britain's economy is "on the mend" as it backed budget tightening measures taken by the coalition Government.

 

In its annual healthcheck of the UK economy, the IMF said a recovery was underway, unemployment had stabilised and the health of the financial sector had improved.

 

And the financial institution said that while state spending cuts may dampen short-term growth, they would not stop it.

 

"The government's strong and credible multi-year fiscal deficit reduction plan is essential to ensure debt sustainability," the IMF said.

 

"The plan greatly reduces the risk of a costly loss of confidence in public finances and supports a balanced recovery."

 

Speaking to Sky News, the Chancellor George Osborne welcomed the findings, saying it was "good to have a vote of confidence in what we've been seeking to do in recent months".

 

Commenting on the IMF's report, Sky's business presenter Joel Hills said: "Fundamentally here is a backing for the coalition's plan - it says it has been necessary medicine.

 

"Last year the IMF said Government borrowing was a risk to the recovery.

 

"This year the IMF's verdict is that the economy is on the mend and that the Government's deficit reduction plan is essential and will ensure the sustainability of the public finances, tackling the highest deficit in the G7."

 

Speaking to Sky News, the Chancellor added that the IMF was the latest in a series of institutions to back the coalition's plan, and that to follow Labour's "rather confused" advice would have been "catastrophic".

[Happy Face 29]

The IMF advocates "austerity programmes," ........ Countries are often advised to lower their corporate tax rate....... These policies were criticized by Joseph E. Stiglitz, former chief economist and Senior Vice President at the World Bank, in his book Globalization and Its Discontents. He argued that by converting to a more Monetarist approach, the fund no longer had a valid purpose, as it was designed to provide funds for countries to carry out Keynesian reflations, and that the IMF "was not participating in a conspiracy, but it was reflecting the interests and ideology of the Western financial community"....Overall, the IMF success record is perceived as limited.

[NJS 4379]

What have the IMF said about Ireland looking like a double dip CT?

[Christmas Tree 4725]

What have the IMF said about Ireland looking like a double dip CT?

 

 

No idea tbh however I think you'll find that a double bip has being seen as likely (earlier threads) for many months and we will do well to avoid it.

 

"Recession" is just a calculation on growth and really whether we are in or not makes little difference to the overall slump the country has been in for the last 3 - years.

 

The more important issue for me is that action is being taken to lift the country out of this slump. Sue there will be peaks and troughs along that road but as long as there is light at the end of the tunnel and all that......

[Rob W 0]

the point about the IMF is that that's what the financiers look at - if they'd said we were up the Wear then it would have been rationing by the end of the year

[Christmas Tree 4725]

Watched Andrew Marr interviewing the PM this morning.

 

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but he really does strike me as the best prime minister during my lifetime.

 

He comes across as honest, caring, genuine and dedicated to sorting the country out.

 

When you here him talk about how the coalition is forcing all plans to be really well argued around the cabinet table it does give you a sense of proper policy being formed. Some of the changes (that have being dodged by all parties for too long) such as welfare and the armed forces could really make a big difference to this country in years to come.

 

Obviously he would rather be leader under more prosperous times, but his desire (along with Cleggs) to make a real difference is very refreshing.

 

Its on I Player here.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv

[Renton 21621]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but he really does strike me as the best prime minister during my lifetime.

 

Love it when posters aren't self aware of the huge irony of their comments.

 

You're calling him the best prime minister of your life time and yet he has only been in power 6 months. None of the cut backs has even taken effect yet, how about waiting to see what the effects of these will be, particularly in areas like the North East? Will you still be saying he's the best prime minister ever when Newcastle has reverted back into a post-industrial wasteland as the South no doubt prospers? Actually yes, no doubt you will.

 

By the way, the BMA on Friday expressed major concerns that the NHS reforms put the enitre stability of the organisation at risk, as well as increasing the involvement of private for profit suppliers, and fundamentally damaging the GP-patient relationship. Many GPs are only waking up to the cold reality of it now, but it should have been obvious to anyone reading the white paper.

 

The truth is CT we are in for some scary times, and to proclaim Cameron a success on any level at this stage says more about your blatent manlove for him than any bias against him on here. He's already behind Ed milliband in the opinion polls, hardly a ringing endorsement, is it?

[peasepud 59]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but this Hitler bloke really does strike me as the best Chancellor during my lifetime.

 

He comes across as honest, caring, genuine and dedicated to sorting the country out.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but he really does strike me as the best prime minister during my lifetime.

 

Love it when posters aren't self aware of the huge irony of their comments.

 

You're calling him the best prime minister of your life time and yet he has only been in power 6 months.

 

Lay off the lad you can't expect him to grasp a concept like irony at 3 years old.

[Christmas Tree 4725]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but he really does strike me as the best prime minister during my lifetime.

 

Love it when posters aren't self aware of the huge irony of their comments.

 

Should have known who would have been first in. Bet you havent watched it

 

You're calling him the best prime minister of your life time and yet he has only been in power 6 months. None of the cut backs has even taken effect yet, how about waiting to see what the effects of these will be, particularly in areas like the North East? Will you still be saying he's the best prime minister ever when Newcastle has reverted back into a post-industrial wasteland as the South no doubt prospers? Actually yes, no doubt you will.

 

Talking about the man himself. But again you havent watched it

 

By the way, the BMA on Friday expressed major concerns that the NHS reforms put the enitre stability of the organisation at risk, as well as increasing the involvement of private for profit suppliers, and fundamentally damaging the GP-patient relationship. Many GPs are only waking up to the cold reality of it now, but it should have been obvious to anyone reading the white paper.

 

Its probably escaped your notice but every department is shouting about what "might" happen because they all want to keep the same scandalous budgets that were available during Browns spend spend spend years.

 

The truth is CT we are in for some scary times, and to proclaim Cameron a success on any level at this stage says more about your blatent manlove for him than any bias against him on here. He's already behind Ed milliband in the opinion polls, hardly a ringing endorsement, is it?

 

Didnt say he'd been a success! He's going to have a very tough time because of the shit he inherited, as everyone knows, apart from a few lefties.

 

Ed Milliband is a stop gap, surely you are bright enough to see that.

 

 

I suggest you watch the interview the post was about, but I guess you wont and will keep on with the biassed drivel.

[Monkeys Fist 42428]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but this Hitler bloke really does strike me as the best Chancellor during my lifetime.

 

He comes across as honest, caring, genuine and dedicated to sorting the country out.

Oy Vay!

[Renton 21621]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but he really does strike me as the best prime minister during my lifetime.

 

Love it when posters aren't self aware of the huge irony of their comments.

 

Should have known who would have been first in. Bet you havent watched it

 

You're calling him the [best prime minister of your life time and yet he has only been in power 6 months. None of the cut backs has even taken effect yet, how about waiting to see what the effects of these will be, particularly in areas like the North East? Will you still be saying he's the best prime minister ever when Newcastle has reverted back into a post-industrial wasteland as the South no doubt prospers? Actually yes, no doubt you will.

 

Talking about the man himself. But again you havent watched it

 

By the way, the BMA on Friday expressed major concerns that the NHS reforms put the enitre stability of the organisation at risk, as well as increasing the involvement of private for profit suppliers, and fundamentally damaging the GP-patient relationship. Many GPs are only waking up to the cold reality of it now, but it should have been obvious to anyone reading the white paper.

 

Its probably escaped your notice but every department is shouting about what "might" happen because they all want to keep the same scandalous budgets that were available during Browns spend spend spend years.

 

The truth is CT we are in for some scary times, and to proclaim Cameron a success on any level at this stage says more about your blatent manlove for him than any bias against him on here. He's already behind Ed milliband in the opinion polls, hardly a ringing endorsement, is it?

 

Didnt say he'd been a success! He's going to have a very tough time because of the shit he inherited, as everyone knows, apart from a few lefties.

 

Ed Milliband is a stop gap, surely you are bright enough to see that.

 

 

I suggest you watch the interview the post was about, but I guess you wont and will keep on with the biassed drivel.

 

So, basically you believe Cameron is the best prime minister during your lifetime based on one interview with Andrew Marr? Who said bromance was dead.....

 

Btw, the NHS reforms I am talking about are nothing to do with the NHS budget so I don't know what you're on about there. Tell you what, I'll watch the Andrew Marr interview if you read the NHS white paper and tell me what you think of it, deal? You can download it here.

[Monkeys Fist 42428]

Boys from the Blackstuff is on BBC4 tonight.

Timely reminder of the fun to come under "the best PM of my lifetime"©CT.

[Christmas Tree 4725]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but he really does strike me as the best prime minister during my lifetime.

 

Love it when posters aren't self aware of the huge irony of their comments.

 

Should have known who would have been first in. Bet you havent watched it

 

You're calling him the [best prime minister of your life time and yet he has only been in power 6 months. None of the cut backs has even taken effect yet, how about waiting to see what the effects of these will be, particularly in areas like the North East? Will you still be saying he's the best prime minister ever when Newcastle has reverted back into a post-industrial wasteland as the South no doubt prospers? Actually yes, no doubt you will.

 

Talking about the man himself. But again you havent watched it

 

By the way, the BMA on Friday expressed major concerns that the NHS reforms put the enitre stability of the organisation at risk, as well as increasing the involvement of private for profit suppliers, and fundamentally damaging the GP-patient relationship. Many GPs are only waking up to the cold reality of it now, but it should have been obvious to anyone reading the white paper.

 

Its probably escaped your notice but every department is shouting about what "might" happen because they all want to keep the same scandalous budgets that were available during Browns spend spend spend years.

 

The truth is CT we are in for some scary times, and to proclaim Cameron a success on any level at this stage says more about your blatent manlove for him than any bias against him on here. He's already behind Ed milliband in the opinion polls, hardly a ringing endorsement, is it?

 

Didnt say he'd been a success! He's going to have a very tough time because of the shit he inherited, as everyone knows, apart from a few lefties.

 

Ed Milliband is a stop gap, surely you are bright enough to see that.

 

 

I suggest you watch the interview the post was about, but I guess you wont and will keep on with the biassed drivel.

 

So, basically you believe Cameron is the best prime minister during your lifetime based on one interview with Andrew Marr? Who said bromance was dead.....

 

Btw, the NHS reforms I am talking about are nothing to do with the NHS budget so I don't know what you're on about there. Tell you what, I'll watch the Andrew Marr interview if you read the NHS white paper and tell me what you think of it, deal? You can download it here.

 

Ok, so I got 7 pages in to the 61 page document and all seems great why dont you copy and paste the bit that offends you?

 

The foreward reads....

 

The NHS is a great national institution. The principles it was founded on are as important now as they were then: free at the point of use and available to everyone based on need, not ability to pay. But we believe that it can be so much better – for both patients and professionals.

That’s why we’ve set out a bold vision for the future of the NHS - rooted in the coalition’s core beliefs of freedom, fairness and responsibility.

We will make the NHS more accountable to patients. We will free staff from excessive bureaucracy and top-down control. We will increase real terms spending on the health service in every year of this Parliament.

 

Our ambition is to once again make the NHS the envy of the world. Liberating the NHS - a blend of Conservative and Liberal Democrat ideas - sets out our plans to do this.

First, patients will be at the heart of everything we do. So they will have more choice and control, helped by easy access to the information they need about the best GPs and hospitals. Patients will be in charge of making decisions about their care.

 

Second, there will be a relentless focus on clinical outcomes. Success will be measured, not through bureaucratic process targets, but against results that really matter to patients – such as improving cancer and stroke survival rates.

 

Third, we will empower health professionals. Doctors and nurses must to be able to use their professional judgement about what is right for patients. We will support this by giving frontline staff more control. Healthcare will be run from the bottom up, with ownership and decision-making in the hands of professionals and patients.

 

Of course, our massive deficit and growing debt means there are some difficult decisions to make. The NHS is not immune from those challenges. But far from that being reason to abandon reform, it demands that we accelerate it. Only by putting patients first and trusting professionals will we drive up standards, deliver better value for money and create a healthier nation.

 

All sounds fucking rosy in the garden to me

[Christmas Tree 4725]

Cancer screening programmes are to get extra funding in an effort to save thousands of lives, David Cameron has announced

 

David Cameron outlined plans to help improve UK survival rates as delegates began to arrive for the start of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham

 

He said £164m would be spent on prevention and screening, with particular emphasis on detecting bowel cancer which could save 3,000 lives a year.

 

Mr Cameron said told the BBC the UK lags behind other European countries and pledged: "I absolutely want to close that gap."

 

"It is very important as we take the country through difficult decisions to say there are things that are so important to families," he added.

 

The number of cancer services specialists is set to increase to 1,200 by 2012 and £43m will be spent investing on "proton beam therapy", an advanced form of radiotherapy, for high-priority patients.

 

 

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said: "For those who need treatment, we will increase the number of specialist, introduce innovative treatments and provide cutting-edge therapies.

 

"And this plan is not the end of our action - I am determined to continue the fight in the months and years to come."

 

Beating Bowel Cancer and Bowel Cancer UK welcomed the announcement as "fantastic news, which could lead to a reduction in bowel cancer deaths by 43%".

Improving the health service is still possible despite the tough economic climate, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude told Sky News.

 

The NHS budget is still increasing in real terms and diagnosing cancer earlier will save money in the long-term, he said. "We think we can do a lot more with less," he added.

[The Fish 10857]

6 months and he's the best PM in your lifetime?

 

I refer you to the quote in my sig.

 

Get a grip man.

[NJS 4379]

Believing the Tories on healthcare is like believing Brian Kidd that De Jong "isn't like that".

 

I also seriously worry about anyone who can watch Cameron and not think he's a twat - its just basic human nature imo.

[Renton 21621]

No it will fall on deaf ears with most biassed on here but he really does strike me as the best prime minister during my lifetime.

 

Love it when posters aren't self aware of the huge irony of their comments.

 

Should have known who would have been first in. Bet you havent watched it

 

You're calling him the [best prime minister of your life time and yet he has only been in power 6 months. None of the cut backs has even taken effect yet, how about waiting to see what the effects of these will be, particularly in areas like the North East? Will you still be saying he's the best prime minister ever when Newcastle has reverted back into a post-industrial wasteland as the South no doubt prospers? Actually yes, no doubt you will.

 

Talking about the man himself. But again you havent watched it

 

By the way, the BMA on Friday expressed major concerns that the NHS reforms put the enitre stability of the organisation at risk, as well as increasing the involvement of private for profit suppliers, and fundamentally damaging the GP-patient relationship. Many GPs are only waking up to the cold reality of it now, but it should have been obvious to anyone reading the white paper.

 

Its probably escaped your notice but every department is shouting about what "might" happen because they all want to keep the same scandalous budgets that were available during Browns spend spend spend years.

 

The truth is CT we are in for some scary times, and to proclaim Cameron a success on any level at this stage says more about your blatent manlove for him than any bias against him on here. He's already behind Ed milliband in the opinion polls, hardly a ringing endorsement, is it?

 

Didnt say he'd been a success! He's going to have a very tough time because of the shit he inherited, as everyone knows, apart from a few lefties.

 

Ed Milliband is a stop gap, surely you are bright enough to see that.

 

 

I suggest you watch the interview the post was about, but I guess you wont and will keep on with the biassed drivel.

 

So, basically you believe Cameron is the best prime minister during your lifetime based on one interview with Andrew Marr? Who said bromance was dead.....

 

Btw, the NHS reforms I am talking about are nothing to do with the NHS budget so I don't know what you're on about there. Tell you what, I'll watch the Andrew Marr interview if you read the NHS white paper and tell me what you think of it, deal? You can download it here.

 

Ok, so I got 7 pages in to the 61 page document and all seems great why dont you copy and paste the bit that offends you?

 

The foreward reads....

 

The NHS is a great national institution. The principles it was founded on are as important now as they were then: free at the point of use and available to everyone based on need, not ability to pay. But we believe that it can be so much better – for both patients and professionals.

That’s why we’ve set out a bold vision for the future of the NHS - rooted in the coalition’s core beliefs of freedom, fairness and responsibility.

We will make the NHS more accountable to patients. We will free staff from excessive bureaucracy and top-down control. We will increase real terms spending on the health service in every year of this Parliament.

 

Our ambition is to once again make the NHS the envy of the world. Liberating the NHS - a blend of Conservative and Liberal Democrat ideas - sets out our plans to do this.

First, patients will be at the heart of everything we do. So they will have more choice and control, helped by easy access to the information they need about the best GPs and hospitals. Patients will be in charge of making decisions about their care.

 

Second, there will be a relentless focus on clinical outcomes. Success will be measured, not through bureaucratic process targets, but against results that really matter to patients – such as improving cancer and stroke survival rates.

 

Third, we will empower health professionals. Doctors and nurses must to be able to use their professional judgement about what is right for patients. We will support this by giving frontline staff more control. Healthcare will be run from the bottom up, with ownership and decision-making in the hands of professionals and patients.

 

Of course, our massive deficit and growing debt means there are some difficult decisions to make. The NHS is not immune from those challenges. But far from that being reason to abandon reform, it demands that we accelerate it. Only by putting patients first and trusting professionals will we drive up standards, deliver better value for money and create a healthier nation.

 

All sounds fucking rosy in the garden to me

 

What would be the point of me copying and pasting, and then bolding bits, like you have done? You do realise this is a government document and is therefore framed in the most positive way possible, don't you?

 

I'm fundamentally against the reforms because I don't believe GPs are the best people to control the healthcare budget, simple as that. Most GPs want to practice medicine, not balance budgets, and by and large they're simply not qualified to do it. Furthermore, I think there is a dangerous possibility it will jeopardise the GP-patient relationship, because the GP will directly be making financial choices for the patient, rather than clinical ones.

 

Of course, in reality GPs will have to employ managers to balance the books for them. As there will be more than three times as much consortia as PCTs there are presently, this will inevitably increase beaureaucracy, not decrease it. It will also possibly lead to postcode lottery, which Labour spent years trying to abolish. On the other hand, if people can choose GPs regardless of the locality they live in, it will be absolutely disastrous for many samller, rural practices or practices that are underperforming and need help (rather than being made subject to market forces).

 

Another issue is the move towards 'value' based prescribing. What's important here is to recognise that patients are emphatically not the best people to choose their treatment. Expect millions more pounds to pissed up the wall treating the worried well with homeopathy and other batshit complementary therapies as a result.

 

Then there's the increased role of competition within the NHS which if not controlled may well be privatisation through the back door - this undoubtedly suits the tory ethos after all.

 

Finally, working in the NHS I think I can speak for nearly everyone when I say that the last thing anyone wants is another massive reorganisation for political reasons, especially one that is so potentially destabilising as this. The NHS is not broken as has been suggested, for the most part it is well run and has massive public satisfaction as a result. There's been almost no pilots for these reforms and the whole thing is happening at an alarming rate. And this is from a government that surely has little mandate for such huge changes, particularly since these reforms were not even mentioned in either the tories of Lib Dems manifestos?

 

Care to answer my points without cut and pasting then CT, or are you still feeling all dweamy about Cameron?