Hockey_saint

Only in that it would allow every other nation to affirm their views on the English. Either way, they'll never side with a party who were previously called the unionists and you are kidding yourself if you think they ever would.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/03/nicola-sturgeon-denies-saying-she-wanted-david-cameron-to-win-election

That's clearly a made up story which completely goes against what she's said in public about never backing a Tory coalition. Quick quote....: "LFrench consul general tells @GdnScotland no such views given by @NicolaSturgeon "absolutely no preference was expressed" on #GE2015 outcome .@simon_telegraph your story is categorically, 100%, untrue...which I'd have told you if you'd asked me at any point today Oh dear, Johnson and the Telegraph caught lying again."

Even Clegg's seat isn't safe. I suspect that they'll virtually be wiped out in the election. What have they done that's actually stopped right wing conservatives from doing what they please then because to most people I know it appears to be virtually nothing. I know these articles date from way back in October but I think they pretty consistently agree that you may be fairly off the pace if you think the liberals have a chance of being a reasonable enough size to partner in a coalition... http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/macer-hall/518696/Inside-Politics-Lib-Dems-are-on-the-brink-of-annihilation http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/dec/09/liberal-democrats-face-bigger-wipeout-than-expected http://www.thecourier.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jennifer-dempsie/clegg-needs-to-face-up-to-possible-wipe-out-1.823893 For brevity, I've included a few from left and right. http://www.electionforecast.co.uk/ A predicted swing of -31 is pretty heavy.

I don't know. I think it's pretty darn safe to say no one will be asking the Liberals to help form a coalition.

It's tricky; I agree there was a lot of wastage in Labour's term. The PFI agreements were a complete and utter waste of money (and a very profitable bit of business for the companies involved). A lot of people I know would suggest this is all smoke and mirrors anyhow since banks can create money out of thin air or you simply change your currency is another quick way of getting out of this theoretical debt. I think a lot of what goes on is politically-minded. I just think that there are more savings to be made by targeting rich pensioners for example and tax-dodgers than those with little or nothing and it just seems to me that these groups are the first ones to be hit.

That's fair enough....It's just slightly dodgy in the scheme of things since their target audience wouldn't normally vote conservative.

What would you suggest?

Those sure start centres helped a lot of single parents in poorer areas actually. But either way, spending more in 4 years than 13 doesn't seem like a very clever way of cutting anything.....Unless they're lying.....

Best for whom? Clegg wont have enough seats after this election to fill a mini. Come on, be realistic.

I assume you ignored the unfortunate and verifiable facts that Farage pointed out about how this government have borrowed MORE than Labour did in their whole term of office and STILL the deficit is rising? but hey, don't let doctrine get in the way the facts.

More often than not, even with an EHIC card, you still have to pay for treatment.

Obviously, first Whelk, yes, you are right, there are always going to be people trying to play the system and the correlation that was eyed by the politicians that a large percentage on in-work disability benefits actually out of work didn't help this. Although shutting down things like RE:mploy and the ILF didn't help this at all. But Wes Tender, yes, there are things David Cameron's party are currently attempting that Thatcher would never dare do.....like the scrapping of said ILF for example (which was set up because of her drive for care in the community and removing severely disabled people from care homes and back into main stream society...which, ultimately was a great idea....but it needs to be funded).

Earlier someone asked about what cuts were made to in-work disability benefits? according to this, so far only 30% of those who are changing over from Disability Living Allowance to this new Personal Independence Plan are passing this new ATOS test...which, come on, is atrocious. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/02/tories-not-listening-about-impact-of-welfare-cuts

You mean like tighter regulation of the banks when the Tories campaigned against it? I remember it very well though, people were saying "let's get the tories in, they'll strong arm the banks"....nahhh they won't, they fund them; in fact they're generally great mates! it's like asking Fred West to come sort out Jimmy Saville.

Gotta love the joke though: "What's Nigel Farage's least favourite pop?.....foreignade" I don't know though, it seems pointless to argue with right-wingers (some anyway, since aside from the god-awful comment about the aids patient, Farage, I think did a reasonable job of stating out what everyone thinks of the nonsense spoken by Cameron and Clegg). It'll all be labour's fault no matter what but then they do forget the state the country was in in 1997 and just WHY Labour walked in with a landslide of such epic proportions it took them over a decade to come in through the back door through coalition with a bunch of toads like the Libs.

Labour were probably responsible for Iceland's bankruptcy too eh? Seriously though, as a labourite...And probably anyone not indoctrinated in this nonsense spewed for the past five years, the highlight of last night was when the arch-right winger Nigel Farage shot down Cameron and Clegg when they said that they'd inherited the mess "caused by labour" and were on the course of recovery. When kindly, he pointed out that the coalition has borrowed more in 5 years and the national debt is higher than it ever was under Labour and that's a uber right-winger saying that. But carry on believing that Labour is responsible for all the nation's woes.

Just because the Conservative leader says it, doesn't make it true. I think you'll find there are lots of people who rely on evidence-based facts also; you know, the ones who remember a global recession and don't whittle the debate down to an old line that completely ignores what actually happened.

True, but then the situation with free universities in England only worked when a much smaller percentage actually went so that makes sense.

I can't disagree with that but I think it's pretty obvious the Lib Dems will have no part of a future coalition and aside from UKIP, the rest appear to be very left-leaning and therefore backing the Tories into a very shaky corner.

Not for the downtrodden it wouldn't. Whoever writes the above needs to wake up and smell the coffee and do some research into the global recession and if they think the Liberals will poll anywhere near what they did last time to assist their "toffee nosed" mates is living in cloud fairyland. I would have said UKIP may be able to assist the conservatives but since they were the onlly ones to dare point out the follies of the last 5 years, I don't think this is a given.

Pretty much. The Tories couldn't attain an outright majority straight after the biggest global crash since the '20s so I think it's safe to say they wont manage it now. The Lib Dems are now pretty much a joke; The SNP have made it clear they'll never prop up a Tory government so UKIP appears to be their only option.

I've already said that I am fully aware that it's a labour invention.

It was one of the current government's first moves. I can say as a disabled person it feels like the current PR comes across as all disabled people being lumped with the jobless as feckless shirkers....Which isn't always the case. Let's just say, when disabled people chain themselves to railings outside the house of commons you understand maybe it isn't a good idea to try to identify with said group.

Yep and that was created by labour. But the Independent living fund; bringing in ATOS to judge this new version of DLA which has removed the mobility element and plans a huge cut is disgraceful also. It's like Clegg trying to get down with the students now.