The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[Bruce Wayne]

I'd genuinely like to know why seeing as you have an interest in the NHS.

Joking aside, I don't see what Labour bring to the table on the NHS. From their manifesto:

- Repealing Tory plans to privatise the NHS - well there are no such plans, so I don't see how they can repeal something that doesn't exist (for the umpteenth time - see the NHS 5 Year Forward Plan published last autumn for this)

- 20,000 new nurses - as mentioned above, that would cost roughly £750m in wages. Given that most (all?) of the parties have pledged to meet the £8bn funding gap outlined by Stevens in the aforementioned 5 year plan, is that ~£750m part of that bigger sum and they're just electioneering because they can't say we'd give the NHS £8bn extra? I don't know. Likewise, as I said above, where will those 20,000 come from? You can't magic 20,000 new nurses out of universities (even if you started tomorrow they'd only come on board by the end of the parliament), and in the very next line of their manifesto they pledge to control immigration, so can they realistically import them from abroad?

- the integration of health and social care is already outlined in Stevens' plan, so that's nothing new, as is the mental health.

Don't get me wrong, when I say that I don't see what they bring to the table, that's very much a good thing. The coalition re-organisation was quite probably not required, but one good thing that has come out of it was to free NHS England from the Department of Health. That should protect it from political meddling.

 

[Seanjd]

Please don't be facetious with me. I know what you are doing. I've explained my need to knock Labour off their perch. In doing so, they might present real policies in my town and be decisive and have presence. If that means I need to "spoil" my vote by putting UKIP on that card, that's what is necessary.

Right now, UKIP have presented more focus and a voice for our community than Labour have in two decades.

Let's leave it at that.

Then spoil your vote, why vote UKIP? I raised their immigration policy which I suspect is your reason for doing so. Defend the party you will vote for.

 

[Seanjd]

Right now, UKIP have presented more focus and a voice for our community than Labour have in two decades.

I totally understand your anger towards Labour, I feel the same way. However, please don't be fooled that UKIP are a voice for working class communities. They are the exact opposite. They do not stand for people like us.

 

[Joey66]

UKIP would have been lapping up Blairs speech yesterday - political suicide to put that joker on the stage,let's face it the Tories if elected will dodge the referendum on Europe with some meaningless back door deal with Mertle - People forget DC went into the last election promising us a referendum on the EU!
They will not risk it as their buddy boys, and their future political careers are guided there for future jobs for themselves!

 

[Clint Planet]

I totally understand your anger towards Labour, I feel the same way. However, please don't be fooled that UKIP are a voice for working class communities. They are the exact opposite. They do not stand for people like us.

Dead right.

 

[Seanjd]

UKIP would have been lapping up Blairs speech yesterday - political suicide to put that joker on the stage

As if Farage is a voice of credibility...(edit: he's currently on a fishing boat with Joey Essex.)

And it won't even change the current polls, never mind be political suicide.

 

[Seanjd]

Good speech, Ed.

 

[Clint Planet]

Joking aside, I don't see what Labour bring to the table on the NHS. From their manifesto:

- Repealing Tory plans to privatise the NHS - well there are no such plans, so I don't see how they can repeal something that doesn't exist (for the umpteenth time - see the NHS 5 Year Forward Plan published last autumn for this)

I take your point but the fact is, the Tories are not trusted when it comes to the NHS, even by a sizeable proportion of traditional Tory voters. Could it be to do with things like TTIP and the fear that that will be the thin end of a wedge which will end up in eventual privatisation? Capitalism, especially the American brand, is voracious and totally unsentimental in its intrinsic drive to open new markets solely for the purpose of making money for its own sake, and often against the best interests of ordinary people.

Take a look at what happened to Jamaica when America made trade agreements with it. The Jamaicans were tied up in punitive loans which shackled them into their own poverty whilst American companies undercut their Jamaican rivals - temporarily, of course, just enough to drive them out of business - in order to corner the market. The promise of mutual prosperity from the trade agreement proved to be a sickening lie.

And yet some people welcome TTIP.

 

[The Esk]

Likewise, as I said above, where will those 20,000 come from? You can't magic 20,000 new nurses out of universities (even if you started tomorrow they'd only come on board by the end of the parliament), and in the very next line of their manifesto they pledge to control immigration, so can they realistically import them from abroad?

Appreciate that it is not easy and for example currently nursing vacancy rates are running at around 10% (mainly to do with skill shortages though, it has to be said) but to answer your question not all 20,000 would be recruits requiring full training would they?

If the management teams focused on staff retention (nursing turnover is currently over 6%) and say reduced that to 4%, there's a net 8,000 nurses retained. Secondly if they focused on return to work schemes for previously qualified nurses then there would be an uptake, let's say 1% of existing workforce - therefore 4,000 nurses. Continued recruitment in areas of the EEA including Spain, Portugal and Ireland should generate significant numbers (7,500 last year)

This combined with increased funding in nursing training would provide the necessary numbers over the course of the Government. Nursing is still seen as an attractive occupation, according to the RCN 54,000 applicants chase only 20,000 available training spaces each year.

 

[Joey66]

Then spoil your vote, why vote UKIP? I raised their immigration policy which I suspect is your reason for doing so. Defend the party you will vote for.

As if Farage is a voice of credibility...(edit: he's currently on a fishing boat with Joey Essex.)

And it won't even change the current polls, never mind be political suicide.

So you do not think that Blair is toxic - the smile on Farages faces yesterday said it all - what ever your politics you do not drag out a Multi millionaire who imo was worse than Thactcher to lecture the people on the EU its playing into the Tories hands imo!

 

[The Esk]

So you do not think that Blair is toxic - the smile on Farages faces yesterday said it all - what ever your politics you do not drag out a Multi millionaire who imo was worse than Thactcher to lecture the people on the EU its playing into the Tories hands imo!

What does his wealth have to do with it?

 

[Joey66]

As if Farage is a voice of credibility...(edit: he's currently on a fishing boat with Joey Essex.)

And it won't even change the current polls, never mind be political suicide.

All the politicians are getting involved with Joey Essex so what's your point?
He was on the Andrew Neil show on Thursday claiming this!

 

[Seanjd]

All the politicians are getting involved with Joey Essex so what's your point?
He was on the Andrew Neil show on Thursday claiming this!

My point is that Farage lacks credibility...

 

[Joey66]

What does his wealth have to do with it?

He is not a popular socialist and oh the illegal war may be another point why he is not the nations no 1!

 

[Joey66]

My point is that Farage lacks credibility...

That's your point many others may say they all lack credibility if Labour had a good leader they would win the election, maybe not out right , but with enough to form a two party government - I will vote labour, but it's not looking good in Scotland for them, DC port of call yesterday Northern Ireland he will govern under a rainbow coalition with tory dogmaI shudder at the prospects of five years of Osborne and him at the realm!