British Politics Thread

And I think it's worth remembering that Thatcher's policies were an outright disaster until the North Sea oil boom kicked our economy into overdrive. Seriously, read up a little on her early years in power. It's not pretty.

Look at those damn lefty Scandinavians with their super-high standards of living.

In some ways, her political savior was Leopoldo Galtieri.

edited 19th Mar '14 3:06:13 PM by Achaemenid

Not that it's all Ikea and Volvos up there, however. They have their problems, too.

I think it was a double-whammy - the Falklands gave her her political capital and the North Sea gave her her economic capital. There's not much good to say about Thatcher's political acumen, but she was a superb opportunist.

Dan Hodges explains my views on Ed Millband and labor.

Both performed pathetically today.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don't stock the Cabinet with a bunch of Yes-men.

Yeah, even his BBC performance for me flew as far as a plane without fuel.

You know the 15,000 new homes that are going to be built at Ebbsfleet? Well I did a bit of looking about and it turns out that Ebbsfleet is mainly part of Dartford, which happens to be a marginal constituency that went Tory in 2010. Me thinks they picked there for the home building for more than just the scenery.

Edit:

Yeah I've got to admit that Ed really isn't good at being leader. We haven't had an alternative plan to the Tories for years and we need one, we need a leader who can come across as PM material, not like the spotty socially awkward guy who happens to be kinda smart.

I stand by my vote for him as leader but that's just because I agree with his positions, not because I think he's charismatic, that and David would have never been able to get us out of the Blair/Brown shadow.

I've actually grown to like Burnham a fair bit out of the Labour leadership. He seems to know his stuff, doesn't come across as a punchline and is slightly more working class than most of the options (telephone engineer father and a receptionist mother, studied at Cambridge but did English not PPE). Though he is a Catholic, I wonder when we last had a Catholic PM.

Edit: Spelling fixed and thoughts on Ed added.

edited 19th Mar '14 3:40:34 PM by Silasw

At least spell the party name right! What would UKIP think of your filthy Americanisms?

edited 19th Mar '14 3:29:57 PM by pagad

It's Dartford, by the way. And I don't think the scenery's very good around there — it's the industrial end of the Thames Estuary, heartland of Estuary English.

edited 19th Mar '14 3:33:15 PM by Greenmantle

Not the first time they've done it.

As for Dan Hodges: he's an arch-Blairite wanker, who resigned his Party membership because Miliband didn't bomb Syria. He's about as convincing as Gideon Osborne's cocaine denials.

edited 19th Mar '14 3:33:28 PM by Achaemenid

So what? We need more houses and that's a start. And labour know all about bribing voters (and importing them). At least this is more useful than reckless benefit handouts.

edited 19th Mar '14 3:35:01 PM by BigDannyC

You've never read any of the arguments against your position ever, have you?

It's hard to keep up with they come so thick and fast.

As for Dan Hodges: he's an arch-Blairite wanker, who resigned his Party membership because Miliband didn't bomb Syria. He's about as convincing as Gideon Osborne's cocaine denials.

He did (reluctantly) concede that UKIP might be a tad on the racist side, though.

Maybe that should tell you something.

UKIP? Never!? (*scandalized face)

edited 19th Mar '14 3:37:50 PM by Achaemenid

It just tells me your all keen to attack my position and tell me your right. It doesn't mean any of you are.

Yeah it is kinda par the course for house building, and god knows we need more housing, especially in the South East.

I'd guess that the reason we're all responding so fast is that it's normally a bit of an echo-chamber in here, so the chance to debate and discuss is something we're rather keen on.

Though I would like some kind of response to the counter arguments that we all put forward, or at least to some of them.

Edit: O and I added my thoughts on Ed to my previous post.

edited 19th Mar '14 3:44:26 PM by Silasw

I don't know anywhere near enough to be right about anything .

I know how to keep my head down. And I'm never certain enough to argue about my views anyway.

edited 19th Mar '14 3:46:24 PM by Greenmantle

You never stuck me at particularly right wing Green, just sick and tired of the entire south of England being treated as is it's made up entirely of rich entitled gits. Though you shouldn't keep your head down here, it's not like anyone here bites.

To be fair, enough people have in the past accused the left wing regulars on this thread (myself included) of barracking them that the accusation deserves some consideration, though it's a poor substitute for more support for one's own arguments.

Never been my intent to intimidate anyone though; I'm passionate, but then, I debated competitively and have been compared as an orator to Hitler (who was of course, all else aside, an excellent public speaker, but also for my strong right wing views during those days, my shame of which partially fuels my passion for my current left wing views).

Yeah, to say that socialists don't know how to run an economy is factually false given British political and economic history.

The Tories unveil a publicity poster for the 2014 Budget.◊

The parodies are already rolling in.◊

Oh dear God. It's like a blind man describing color.

@ Silasw:

Thanks. I'm a moderate, on the whole, with a conservative attitude to change. The South does have fair few working-class people^note  a lot in the New Towns, displaced from London, and down in South Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. In fact, I'd say that most towns and villages have a rough part to them, even in the richest parts of the South., and I'm sure that a fair few rich people are nice people. Gits — well, you'll find them in all classes and walks of life, and entitlement in various forms can be found everywhere.

I'm sure David Cameron liked the reduction in Beer Duty — he strikes me as a Real Ale sort of man.

edited 19th Mar '14 4:54:51 PM by Greenmantle

Don't worry. You don't intimidate me in the slightest.

It is a little hard to argue back though when you're outnumbered and the responses come in droves.

edited 20th Mar '14 4:07:16 AM by BigDannyC