Johnny Bognor

Couldnt agree more

According to a number of papers, it seems like Corbyn's friends think the solution is to sit down and have a cup of tea with them... It worked on the EDL protesting outside a mosque, apparently. You know the EDL, the far right wingers that cut peoples heads off, blow themselves up, murder innocent civilians indiscriminently. If cups of tea worked with the EDL, then maybe they have a point. Oh, wait a minute....

You can't compare the IRA with ISIS. They don't have a list of demands. They don't want disputed land back (like the IRA) or independence (like ETA). This is an ideological war which cannot be negotiated. There is no peaceful settlement. They want the destruction of our way of life. There is nothing to negotiate. Do people not get this???

He looked ****ed off just before Lallana came over to shake his hand. Could it be that Lallana was getting some abuse that Mane diapproved of????

Democracy at work!! It doesnt look good that there will be a 2nd u turn on benefit cuts.. but at the end of the day, even for people who recognise that the books need to be balanced, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Picking on the disabled is a red line for most people.

I never said after every tory government. In some cases, employment has been higher and in some cases it has not. But every labour government in history has destroyed more jobs than it has created. i personally think job creation and opportunity to work is a good thing. i've even welecomed the upcoming increase in the minimum wage. I was not referring to trident, but i think you know that. But how can anyone justify cutting disability benefits when we're sending aid to a country that is running an active space programme?? I also question how cutting CGT, which only benefits the rich, can be justified? I still think there can be cuts, but they shouldn't levied on the least able to fend for themselves. For example, Why do we pay winter fuel allowance to people who dont even live here? why do we pay winter fuel allowance to wealthy pensioners who don't need it? it's ridiculous. I think osbourne will be forced into u-turn with a back bench rebellion. I agree with somethings they do and i disagree with others. I agree with some things labour have done and disagree with others. I have clearly picked some things in the budget that i think are good. i have also highlighted some that are bad or unnecessary. I have even made some alternative suggestions which might help with our position. i happen to believe that more employment is a good thing. You and buctootim may not. That's up to you. What i will not do, is blindly follow any one party on everything, as that's just plain stupid. I guess some people are plain stupid. I choose not to be stupid and be shackled by party dogma. If i think the tories are wrong on something, I will call them out on it. But if i think they have got something right, then i will say so. You calling me names wont change that, but if it makes you feel better, go ahead

just to throw in, whilst i was talking about employment... someone pointed out to me that employment levels have been lower at the end of every labour government, compared to when they took over. This is not only true for the last labour government, but every single time labour have been in office throughout history. Labour are the party of job destruction and unemployment. Perhaps this explains why none of the lefties think that the recent employment news is good, as it goes against everything they have achieved throughout history. Maybe this is why buctootim wants to tax the crap out of small businesses, as it fits with his philosophy of job destruction?? i have already stated that i disagree with the cgt cut. i am not happy with cuts to disability benefits either. cuts do need to be made, but there are better choices. for instance, i would cut foreign aid to countries that run space and nuclear programmes, as they clearly dont need the money. not being tied to political dogma, enables you to apply common sense solutions to our problems.

Sometimes you need to look at things in a wider context. Median household income has fallen 3.8% since 2008, when GDP fell by 7%. You could argue that the fallout from the financial fallout has been cushioned somewhat, where median household income has fallen far less than GDP. Then factor in low inflation and lower taxes for lower earners, the position looks better Source? I agree with this sentiment regarding the wealthy. I disagreed with the Capital Gains Tax reduction yesterday. If anything, i would have extended to include classic cars, whose values have shot through the roof in recent years. I also stated that the corporation tax cut was unnecessary (as a cut was already coming through). But nevertheless it will help small businesses and they are the ones that shoulder the corporation tax burden. Helping small businesses is good for the economy, good for investment and good for employment growth prospects. You really need to stop viewing small businesses, which make up the vast majority of businesses in the UK, as evil or nasty. Small businesses provide the best opportunity for economic growth going forwards, thus providing the best chance to eliminate the defecit in the long term.

Yes, wage growth is starting to come back into the economy at around 2%. Although it is below pre-crash levels (as many lefties point out), they dont factor in that inflation has been at near zero for the last few years. Pre-crash inflation was running at 3%. So although real wage growth is now back, there is still some catching up to do. But considering where things were in 2008, the employment figures are a relative success. Not perfect, but when compared to our EU counterparts, we are doing very very well. But no lefty will be able to overcome their idealogical dogma and state fair play. They would rather bang on about increased government borrowing, as if it were a bad thing? When did they turn onto closet tories???? LOL

I think you're right. Which should try and emulate Spain and Greece where youth unemployment is nearly 50% and overall unemployment is 400% higher than in the UK. At the end of the day, we'll be far better off with half of under 25's doing naff all, as opposed to them having to work in a job that they don't want to do.

surely everyone welcomes the best employment figures since 1971??? wage growth back in the economy too? another rise in the minimum wage next month???

As with any budget, there's good and bad. Here's my initial thoughts... Some of the good stuff... Sugar tax with money raised to fund more sport in schools... pretty decent idea Freeze on fuel duty, where he could have easily got away with a raise... good for the economy Help with business rates... good for small businesses (the lifeblood of our economy) Help for the oil & gas industries... a critical component of the economy, which has been hit hard by global oil prices Increase in personal allowance... good news for low income earners Bad stuff: Corporation Tax cut... Unecessary, as a cut was already coming through. I would have rather seen a cut in Employers National Insurance (a tax on employing people) Capital Gains Tax Cut... I would rather this have been left and reduce the spending cuts. Only wealthy will benefit

Simplistic and inaccurate. Franco did not destroy the economy. The economy was a complete and utter mess well before the civil war, from the late twenties through the thirties. In fact, the chaos caused by the economic depression sowed the seeds for the political fighting between left and right. This escalated and the military stepped in. It was inevitable. Let's not pretend that Spain was a socialist utopia with economic prosperity and the nasty right wingers came along and ****ed it up. That couldn't be further from the truth. The fact that the Spain left at the end of Franco's rule was in a far better position than before, tells a story. Now before you say it, I am not extolling the virtues of right wing dictatorships. I am intelligent enough to view all dictatorships, whether they be left or right, as bad. Unfortunately many lefties view right wing dictatorships as nasty evil scum and show nothing but utter hatred towards them (and rightly so), but at the same time they have a quiet respect for left wing dictatorships, despite the fact that they have killed far more many people and subjected far more people to economic misery. The shadow chancellor holding up Mao's red book anyone???? Could you imagine Osbourne holding up a copy of Mein Kampf at the despatch box???? No, me neither. The biggest thing to strike me at the coming down of the Berlin wall, was the people crossing it. Not the doctors, lawers, accountants or corporate management. It was the bricklayers, sparkies, plumbers, factory workers. Normal hard working people. Voting with their feet. Making the collective statement that communism was, quite frankly, crap.

Both Spain and Portugal did quite well econmically under those dictatorships. Spain had the 2nd fastest growing economy between 1959 and 1970, only second to Japan. Whilst the Greeks had high rates of economic growth, coupled with low inflation and low unemployment. In fact, one could argue that Greece did better under the right wing dictatorship than it did under the EU LOL

Hahaha. Almost. The French gear is "surrender". When engaged, a white flag appears from the top of the turret. It is one of two moving parts on the whole tank. The other being the hatch to get in and out of it when the flag needs cleaning. The French military endorse Ariel automatic to get those whites, whiter than white.

French military vehicles cost a lot less as their gearboxes only have one gear.

i'm surprised you took my post seriously LOL I actually agree with you on this. Furthermore, MP's are supposed to representatives. Part of that process is to vote one way or another on different issues. An MP that cant be arsed to turn up should be held to account.

^^^^^ the last point made me LOL. i never thought of the EU as the saviour of failed basket case lefty communist economies. Big plus point for the EU there. The EU... cleaning up after the lefties ****ed it royally up LOL. Remain is looking temtping...

That is a very interesting point. In my moments of thinking 'in', i think about not rocking the boat and better the devil you know, which is what the 'in' camp want you to think. But the reality is,as you say, not the status quo. The EU won't stay the same. So for fence sitters like me, it's quite a difficult choice between a venture into the unknown and a venture into the unknown. Neither side can say with certainty what will happen. This is where Cameron has failed miserably. His 'reforms' are little more than ****ing in the wind. If we were to have a real say and a real veto over policy, the argument for staying in would be a lot stronger

Deutsche Bahn already run their trains on our network for Rail Freight... https://www.rail.dbschenker.co.uk/rail-uk-en/ourcompany/About_DB_Cargo_UK/profile.html

I think I have been on the fence. Economically, i think it may be safer to stay. From a governance perspective, I want out. But that letter does deal with the economic arguments.

... as long as it is carrying live ammunition ...

just pouring scorn on these so called 'expert' views. i am on the fence as it happens. good arguments to stay on some issues like economics, good reasons to leave on other issues.

Are the same people who want us to stay, the same people that told us that being in the euro was a good idea??

yep, the pedestrianised street that linked the two squares. with the dutch OB leading the way. we said at the time that this was going to kick off. you didnt need to be a rocket scientist to work that out. the situation was completely manufactured by the dutch police.