The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[daylightrobber]

Do you think it's right that people who cannot afford the children they have, have more children.

Yes or no.

I would never dream of telling them if they could or they couldn't. Just like I would never dream of telling people who could afford kids that they must so that they can pay for my pension when I'm old. It is the choice of the parents.

 

[The Cowboy]

For me, this is the biggest failure of this government, it is indefensible and Cameron has the absolute cheek to go on TV and say it's down to better advertising.

Over a million customers at food banks probably equates to 2 to 3 million people being fed in this country from food banks on a regular basis, it's disgusting it really is, and they plan cuts x2 if they get in again knowing this, I'm speechless.

Whilst absolutely not arguing that this govt has not helped poor people, the exposure and advertisement of food banks will have contributed to their increased usage. I'd never heard of them 5 years ago.

Agree that claiming that's the primary reason for their increased usage is just silly.

 

[daylightrobber]

Whilst absolutely not arguing that this govt has not helped poor people, the exposure and advertisement of food banks will have contributed to their increased usage. I'd never heard of them 5 years ago.

Agree that claiming that's the primary reason for their increased usage is just silly.

Relatively speaking, 5 years ago they weren't needed so much.

 

[Joey66]

Depends on the number of kids. It seems that some people breed because they enjoy it. Personally, two was enough then off for the chop

I would have free condoms and free sterilisation for those that want it.

Free condoms already exist for people on low income?benefit or as this been cut like the testicles you want cutting by the Tories?

I tell you what i have noticed since the Tories got in and I have only ever voted twice in my life for them - They have placed hatred and anger in society E.G. statements like when you go to work notice the bedroom curtains closed, the shirkers - the pensions age has been lifted to all at 66 discrimination to women who have missed out on this losing 6 years of pension rights if they were born in the wrong era!
Iain Duncan Smith Bedroom tax - when he shares his rich father in laws house on his many on his estate! - I could go on its the despicable politics of splitting society against one another as for benefits why are the over 65's not sent for welfare assessments? I do not envy them , but if a Child has to be assessed. and often benefit removed why do they get away with it its not that they may vote Tory is it?
The more I hear Cameron and Osborne the show House of cards is in front of my eyes - Yes I will be voting Labour, and so what if a left wing SNP join them to stop this stupid austerity where the national DEBT has nearly doubled the deficit has only been cut by a third - food banks are becoming the norm - Vital services have been butchered - immigration is out of control - border police cut - Local Government on its knees
anyone with sense is blind to the fact that quantitative easing has also cost 4 billion - the NHS is on a downturn - the CON in Conservatism is there to see yet jokers on here think they have turned the economy around when the people who caused the financial crash i.e. the our some state partly owned bankers are still getting paid over the top , and getting bonuses -
Yes when Labour left office there was no monies as they had bailed the banks out - The coalition has destroyed productivity exports are down some record that! they have not cooked the books they have toasted them!
rant over!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

the pensions age has been lifted to all at 66 discrimination to women who have missed out on this losing 6 years of pension rights if they were born in the wrong era!

The thing is, that will be the case whenever attempts are made to rise the state retirement age. The life expectancy of the country has thankfully risen an awful lot since the state pension was devised, but it isn't really sustainable these days. If they tagged the retirement age to life expectancy then that would be no bad thing imo, but it's unlikely to happen because people kick up a stink about it, and older folks tend to vote more than young people.

So the young have to pick up the tab.

 

[Joey66]

The thing is, that will be the case whenever attempts are made to rise the state retirement age. The life expectancy of the country has thankfully risen an awful lot since the state pension was devised, but it isn't really sustainable these days. If they tagged the retirement age to life expectancy then that would be no bad thing imo, but it's unlikely to happen because people kick up a stink about it, and older folks tend to vote more than young people.

So the young have to pick up the tab.

The young, the ones on zero hour contracts the ones who are having to do apprenticeships for their unemployment benefit? the way the Tories are going they will never ever get a state pension as I am sure they will end it in the future if they could!
Wake up, and smell the coffee !
If you go to some big stores its like the land of the walking dead as greedy 70-80 year olds are putting a young person out of a job some have their old age pension a firms pension, and the Tories have built upon a society of greed, and hatred.
Look I am on a good works pension, and pay tax, but I hardly missed a days work never cliaimed Unemployment benefit, but their was a proper city and guild 4 year apprenticeship to go to when I left school - not a NVQ (not very qualified} one that seems to exist now - lets get back to basics - this coalition has done more harm than good!
PRODUCTIVITY is down!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The young the way the tories are going they will never ever get a stae pension as I am sure they will end it in the future if they could!

I'm 35, and I'm not counting on there being a state pension when I get into my 60's. I don't see how it will be affordable as things currently stand.

 

[roydo]

I will have to check back, but I am pretty sure the changes to the state pension age, especially the changes for women where it was graduated from 60 to 65 which did annoy a whole bunch of women in a certain age bracket, were put in motion well before the coalition.

edit. Yeah, the Pension Act 2007 did it. So pipe down on that one!

 

[Sapie88]

Wait. You can get free rubbers? Ffs.

 

[Joey66]

I will have to check back, but I am pretty sure the changes to the state pension age, especially the changes for women where it was graduated from 60 to 65 which did annoy a whole bunch of women in a certain age bracket, were put in motion well before the coalition.

edit. Yeah, the Pension Act 2007 did it. So pipe down on that one!

OK you are wrong on that one it was only graduated to a minimal number of women who lost out on one year that was the graduation as Tory toff women kicked up about it 1951 they lost the retirement age to a small concession was made OK hardly much help - millions of women lost their pension by being born in the wrong era/ or near to that year, very fair that- I like to see how you would feel if it was your wife, as I said the Tories have created a society of I am al-right Jack!

 

[Joey66]

Wait. You can get free rubbers? Ffs.

Yes if you are on tax credits certain benefits the family planning unit was there for you unless the tories have cut that as well pardon the pun!

 

[roydo]

OK you are wrong on that one it was only graduated to a minimal number of women who lost out on one year that was the graduation as Tory toff women kicked up about it 1951 they lost the retirement age to a small concession was made OK hardly much help - millions of women lost their pension by being born in the wrong era/ or near to that year, very fair that- I like to see how you would feel if it was your wife, as I said the Tories have created a society of I am al-right Jack!

No mate. The whole graduation was in the 2007 act. Affected women born between 6.4.1950 and 6.4.1955.

 

[evilwebby]

The landscape of British politics has changed so much since the good old days of Thatcher and Kinnock. I'm looking at all the projections and trying to make sense of exactly what has happened in Scotland.. anyone care to enlighten me (fron a grunt's eye view)?

 

[Joey66]

No mate. The whole graduation was in the 2007 act. Affected women born between 6.4.1950 and 6.4.1955.

So if you were born in 1956, Hard Cack? - I did not read this in their 2010 election manifesto if it had been in I wonder how many women many would have voted for that policy
Do you know the maximum contributions of National insurance has gone from 30 years to 35 years also!
If you think that's fair it obviously does not effect your family, as I stated its an I all right Jack society the coalition have created, by the way no future government will change this now as its been implemented , Labour did outline their pension age changes never as severe as this above!
Also just before this major announcement on raising the pension and contributions in Government they got the DWP to send out letters to buy up the NI contributions so that most people could get a full pansion - oh then the nasty Tories - 12 months after raked in the monies, and moved the goal post, leaving millions short - they are the nasty party!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Lets be honest here though, you don't lose a state pension, you simply get paid it at a later date. We have to remember that when the state pension was initiated, life expectancy was just 65, so very few would actually have lived to claim it. Now, life expectancy is 77 for men and 81 for women. It makes perfect sense for the state retirement age to change to reflect that.