we're all in it together part 43 [or is it 44?]

[JB40]

this is probably the last statistic of 2011.

the torys' claim that 'we are all in it together' has been one of the biggest PR lies ever inflicted on the british people. And the examples that contradict this lie have been coming thick and fast.

but this new one is jaw-dropping.


The tory's are claiming that they are coming down on the banks by introducing a levy. This will mean that the banks, who are not only the richest sector of society- but are also responsible for the current recession, are being asked to pay an extra £300 million.

sounds like a lot.

The tory's have also been 'reforming' [cutting] tax credits. By definition these credits go to those at the poorer end of society. these latest cuts in tax credits are likely to add £1.3 BILLION to deficit reduction.


to sum up.

for every ONE pound contributed by the banks to the deficit that they caused, the poorest are contributing FOUR pounds.


merry christmas.

[rhondda rudie]

Typical of the tories,always has been and always will be.I'll never understand working class people who vote for them.I would call it the Alf Garnett syndrome.We had a bloke working in our depot who used to be a docker in Plymouth.He used to vote tory and then got made redundant.Surprise surprise.The scab Nottinghamshire miners soon found out how reliable they are as friends.They're bstards to a man.

[JB40]

The independent today reckons that the amount being clawed back by the tory government from low income families [through reductions in tax credits] is now £2.5 billion.

that makes the £300 million taken from the banks almost laughable.

according to a new report by a think-tank called the resolution foundation, those that have benefitted the most are middle to high income earners.

[nephertiti]

Originally Posted by JB40

The independent today reckons that the amount being clawed back by the tory government from low income families [through reductions in tax credits] is now £2.5 billion.

that makes the £300 million taken from the banks almost laughable.

according to a new report by a think-tank called the resolution foundation, those that have benefitted the most are middle to high income earners.

Probably their target voters ... they have disbaled & disengaged the lower earners from politics ... have the highre ones on their pockets....

I really don't think any of them really know what they are doing ...I think they are just playing about ....they remind me of a slightly speeded up Magic Roundabout (ok age showing) .... all waffling about cluelessly

[rhondda rudie]

Originally Posted by nephertiti

Probably their target voters ... they have disbaled & disengaged the lower earners from politics ... have the highre ones on their pockets....

I really don't think any of them really know what they are doing ...I think they are just playing about ....they remind me of a slightly speeded up Magic Roundabout (ok age showing) .... all waffling about cluelessly

There was a documentary on after the last election which examined why the tories did so badly in Scotland while making gains everywhere else (congrats on that by the way).The programme contained one scene which showed a young,articulate tory candidate who was standing in East Renfrewshire,an affluent area which used to regularly return a conservative MP at one time.The candidate was shown speaking to an obviously well heeled woman I would say was in her 50s.When he finished his pitch the reporter asked the woman if she thought his policies would benefit her and she replied that she thought they certainly would but when asked if she would vote for him she answered with an emphatic "No".When asked why she replied "Because I've got a responsibility to think of others when I cast my vote and not just myself".

The look on the candidate's face was a picture.It was obvious he couldn't understand such unselfishness as that is what his party's whole agenda is based on and always has been.

[nephertiti]

......nephie tries unsuccessfully to hide smug smile......

[JB40]

Originally Posted by rhondda rudie

There was a documentary on after the last election which examined why the tories did so badly in Scotland while making gains everywhere else (congrats on that by the way).The programme contained one scene which showed a young,articulate tory candidate who was standing in East Renfrewshire,an affluent area which used to regularly return a conservative MP at one time.The candidate was shown speaking to an obviously well heeled woman I would say was in her 50s.When he finished his pitch the reporter asked the woman if she thought his policies would benefit her and she replied that she thought they certainly would but when asked if she would vote for him she answered with an emphatic "No".When asked why she replied "Because I've got a responsibility to think of others when I cast my vote and not just myself".

The look on the candidate's face was a picture.It was obvious he couldn't understand such unselfishness as that is what his party's whole agenda is based on and always has been.

I think you've hit on the fundamental difference between left and right there comrade.

politics from the left is all about co-operation. When people work together for something, they are stronger, and more likely to achieve their goals. That's the basics of democracy.

the tory's believe that the world is advanced through competition. It's about 'winners' and 'losers'. So, if you create a world where people have to compete with each other, you get the best from people. 'Winners' can have everything, losers have nothing. If you don't want to end up as a 'loser', you have to be ruthless. That's why the business world is so lacking in empathy, success is like a religion, and the promised land is the accumulation of wealth.
It's not that they don't care about other people, it's just that empathy is a bit of an indulgence in the kind of competitive society that is created by unregulated capitalism. they think that it reflects a truth about human nature. That even though we have become civilized over time, the law of the jungle still rules. and you have to say, when we look around, they've got a point.

personally, i think both sides are right.

people can do great things, but they are also capable of terrible things. What they call the 'duality' of human nature.

in the end, we have to decide.

do we want a society that advances through fear and pride, or do we want a world based on progress and empathy ???

the carrot or the stick ???

[Saad]

Probably preaching to the converted JB but I think its more complicated.

I think there is nothing wrong with small & medium sized businesses being in it to make a fair profit as long as they treat employees fairly etc.

Its the larger multinationals that exploit people the world over, use their power to squeeze smaller local enterprises out of business and dictate the terms to employees; suppliers; customers; government etc.

The other sin is where so much wealth even in a relatively more equitable country like this is concentrated in few hands and the democratic process has been subverted to keep it that way especially in the UK.

Social mobility has decreased - could a working class lad like Harold Wilson become Prime Minister now.........



Saad

[JB40]

agreed saad.

this is where ed millibands 'good' and 'bad' businesses comes in. And ian Hislop's recent documentary about philanthropic victorian bankers makes the same point too. Over a hundred years ago, plenty of successful men [it was always men] would plough their profits into helping the poor. They built schools and houses, and worked to improve the quality of life for those less fortunate.

Nowadays, the bulk of the profits made by the top few percent [who own the majority of the wealth] is hidden away in off-shore tax havens. ready to be passed on to their descendants. keeping all the wealth in the hands of the privileged few.

I still think the concept of 'market forces' is based on the law of the jungle.

if capitalism isn't regulated by introducing socialist ideas such as fairness and democracy, then the default position will always be a monopoly.

just as the biggest and meanest in the jungle are at the top of the food chain, so the corporations are king of the capitalist jungle. Gobbling up the little animals and constantly growing. And the top dogs who are at the very pinnacle of all this are the financiers. The goldman sax's of this world. They control all the resources, therefore holding all the power.

it's no coincidence that the most powerful players in the recent euro problems are all ex-goldman sax employees. Including the unelected leaders of italy and greece, the president of the european central bank, and the head of the IMF.

the most powerful politicians in the western world are all controlled by goldman sax, with the promise of great riches, and a lifetime position on the board of the most powerful organization in the world. And they use the control of western capitalism as a springboard to get into the emerging countries too. using 'aid' as a tool to further the cause of the 'shareholders'. using the IMF to take over the infrastructure of whole nations, from africa to the far east.

[STING]

BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!