Hockey_saint

If you think him mentioning his disabled son who he claimed DLA for is a good thing, you don't know what he's doing to the lives of disabled people.

Ahhh Cameron's brought up his disabled kid again.....didn't stop him trying to ruin disabled people's lives in the UK though did it with the removal of the independent living fund, the bedroom tax or the complete removal of a blanket 20% off disability benefits though did it?

Totally, I think Nige is walking away with this so far....Nice to see he's the only one with the balls to point out that the tories have borrowed far more than labour.....opportunity missed there Ed.....so much for deficit reduction.

That's the point, across the UK it isn't. Small pockets are. Also Lord Duckhunter, yeah that's fine for a one off op but for chronically sick people it wouldn't be. I know what you mean though as I've spoken to my Neurosurgeon whilst he was on the job in a Bupa hospital. But the only real doctors that really profit from private healthcare at the minute are consultants who have a separate contract with the NHS anyhow. And Ex Lion Tamer, again, the shortfall is only specific to certain areas as it would be almost impossible to get that figure from every segmented trust as a whole. But not to sound too right wing....It's never been "free" that's what brings these eastern European types over in numbers.........someone has always had to pay for it.

I actually work with a former NHS financial officer and he reckons it's totally wrong that the NHS is in general losing money or not providing an efficient service. He blames a lot of it down to the segmented way it's funded. In that the Southampton University Trust made quite a profit last year where as a few trusts didn't but it's those that get in the news. Either way, as my old mum says: "all these private doctors are trained by the NHS anyway" which is true but that's because our system is a reverse of the US's in that the private sector is tiny compared to the huge NHS. But I am not happy about the creepy privatisation of the NHS started by Blair's PFI scheme (What I don't want whilst waiting for an x-ray in the general is to hear a couple of Siemen's exec's talking about "Added revenue streams out of national healthcare".

I should have pointed out that I've spent a lot of time in the US as well where I would be uninsurable.....until Obamacare of course but then privatisation of such healthcare systems is currently being shown to be as bad as state-owned. But yes, unless I walked into a hospital at the point of death (of which, even in the US they'd have to treat me.....but they'd riffle through my accounts to make sure I couldn't afford it). But no; I should really chuckle at Nick Clegg's seat looking dodgy at the minute as well as the Lib Dem's offer of assistance in another coalition. Surely even Tory voters must have an inkling that they'll not have enough MP's to do that

Could I have some evidence of that please? Also evidence of them not being of the zero hours variety? I'm also not an ignorant lefty thanks but I realise how much private medical care costs and know how much I and my parents would owe if I had to pay for the 40+ brain surgeries I've had and I also know that from it's very inception the conservatives made 42 formal objections to the NHS's very creation so for that reason, amongst many, I will never understand those who back such a party. Lets just get that out there. No blind hatred for the right I will just never understand supporting a party who, at every turn tried to privatise such an amazing creation as the NHS.

No problem with job creators being against Labour.....if they actually created more jobs in the first place for the ever growing population of unemployed using food banks and paid a living wage.

From my PGCE training, I recall the overall opinion was that the man was a odd little fellow with a warped sense of history and what appeared to be an ultimate goal of eliminating state education and modern didactic methods for rather more etonian values completely abhorrent to today's society. Although, most of the teachers I knew just called him a dickh3ad.

Ah the Torygraph. This recovery doesn't appear to be trickling down to the hundreds of thousands of people on the breadline or using the hundreds of food banks set up does it? But then, hey, they probably don't read the Telegraph.

I am certainly torn in this election. I would naturally vote labour as I feel that the poor and disabled don't deserve another kicking from a man who once claimed Disability Living Allowance for his son (despite being a millionaire and, when in opposition, constantly complaining that the paperwork was too hard.....so has given the DWP a blanket 20% (doesn't care who) to wipe off the bill...in the name of "austerity"). I agree though, Labour chose the wrong brother and Ed Balls is a train wreck. You all know the SNP will never side with a party previously known as the "unionists" so it appears that, since the Lib Dem's vote will be probably less than you can fit on a fag packet and despite the loud noises from UKIP, they won't have the numbers so it seems if the Tories want to get in they'll need a number enough to have a mandate on their own this time. Problem as I see it is that the working and unworking poor who voted for them in the last election wont. Also please stop banging on about Labour and the crash, you sound like a broken record as a little thing called a global recession thanks to millionaire bankers may just of had a slight influence. But hey-ho, the bankers are all Tories are they not?

You make some very good points Turkish. The socialist model will never work. We should also remember it was created by rich boys with consciences. But Feudal systems don't work either because eventually people will get sick of it an push for another option. This trickle-down theory doesn't work and as long as the Billington boys keep on crapping on the poor and as long as Labour continue to go around telling disabled people on benefits that they are not the party for them. Then who else do you reckon we should turn to?

I find it really facinating all these right-wing posters. I mean, I've been listening to Bill Bryson and he's right. If you think about both sides of the political spectrum, they both encompass Britain (The left, communism in that we have patience, we don't mind queueing, we make do with little things in life and we often don't mind giving some of our taxes to help others....The kicker being that (in his words) we also tolerate dictators....We put up Maragret Thatcher for long enough!). And, of course, the right is encompassed by the British spirit of free trade and business ethics....also greed and selfishness.

Plus, will he really hold the ballot? I mean, these days we've seen so many liars (Clegg being the most obvious) I would think he still may not. Remember what Ian Douglas Smith said concerning (in his mind, concerning Kissinger, Owen and Thatcher; in relation to the talks on the Tigress and Lancaster House) Politicians and how they spend about 80% of their time before signing agreements, going over them and list the best ways to explicate themselves from said written promises. Now, Smith was a political amateur but I think it's pretty relevant.

I don't know, parties change their political stance all the time.... Remind me again, how did the last speech of that right-winger Enoch Powell go again? Oh yes! "Vote Labour!" and why did he shout that at a Tory party conference? because Labour's position was that entering the common market would hurt our traditional markets and workforce (it has) and look at them now? would they even dare suggest such a thing? nup, no chance. I think the moral to this is that politicians, either side are just a bunch of popularist see you next thursdays (except Nick Clegg...who's just a toad).

I love how it says in the article that she actually thought appearing on a TV show would solve her family's problems....seriously, when did this become the norm? :s

I hear it's very difficult to find a greased up bear these days....unless you go to the right places

So I stumbled across this online earlier and thought it was worth pointing out...

So because he disagrees with your opinion, he's a troll? come on; this board would be rubbish if we all sat there and completely agreed with everything.

Argh you beat me to it! Every Australian when you bring up the subject of governors uses this example. She has no "real" power here either you know. That's kinda why our politicians are so crooked today. In the old days they were there to temper the power of the monarch. Now she has no power and they have it all.

I've driven past it; I've never stayed there. I think the director for "Bowling for columbine" was born and raised there. Remember as well, when people live so close together in rough, run down neighbourhoods. Crime, often violent crime does happen and this has to be at least a small factor in the rise of knife crime in Southampton.

I know, I'm related to loads; spent loads of time there and have had a couple of working visas. I know how Canadian culture is different but I meant, kinda like a window peering in a close kind of way.

I think there was an incident in Flint, Michigan actually...I think that might be what I'm referring to. Yeah... this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Kayla_Rolland Kinda just pointing out that whilst you're not in the states; you're not too far from the action.

It is. To be fair, it's right on the border; not too far from Michigan either (where Columbine occurred)....Hamilton...That's quite close to St. Catharines (my mum's from there!).

Yeah, it was a pedantic point of mine. But none of the 30-odd relatives of mine have ever referred to themselves as "North American"; they usually say "I am Canadian and I am American".