The 2005 general election is nearly upon us. Which way will you vote, and you reasons why. Here is a brief list of the potential contestants, please add your own.


More tax!
Less tax!
Dont know!
Death to all infidels!
Who gives a shit?

The great pretender.

Council tax rises of up to 100% to be capped

Peter Hetherington, regional affairs editor
Thursday March 24, 2005
The Guardian

Ministers tried to present Conservative councils as high spenders yesterday by moving to cap the budgets of nine authorities which have posted inflation-busting council tax rises for the new financial year beginning next week.
The increases range from 9% in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, to 100% in South Cambridgeshire and have prompted the local government minister, Nick Raynsford, to claim that the councils had posted high increases in the hope of being bailed out by a Conservative government.



But the leader of the Local Government Association accused the government of "political posturing" and said it had failed to address a deeper funding crisis which will hit households next year.
Overall, however, figures released by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister showed that increases for the average Band D household would be 4.1%, the lowest for 11 years but still twice the rate of inflation.

Mr Raynsford accused the Tories of hypocrisy. He said they were blaming the government for tax rises while preparing to cut a Whitehall grant to town halls in a multi-billion pound economy drive.

But the shadow local gov ernment secretary, Caroline Spelman, said council tax bills had soared by 76% since Labour came to power, despite claims eight years ago from Tony Blair that he planned no tax no increases.

Coming close to accusing the government of setting up Tory councils for capping, she said the council tax had become Labour's favoured stealth tax, "with local councillors taking the blame when bills hit the doormat". In the event of a third term for Labour, she claimed bills would soar further, thanks to "fiddled funding" and the first revaluation of properties on which the tax is based since it was introduced 12 years ago.

The LGA condemned the government's decision. All of the selected authorities are district councils. But the selected districts have small budgets, with county councils responsible for more expensive services such as education and social care.

Spending in South Cambridgeshire - a low spending authority - represents only 11% of the overall council tax bill for householders. The remainder is levied by Cambridgeshire county council.

Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, the LGA chairman, said if the government were really concerned about council tax payers it would have addressed a 1.5bn "black hole" in council budgets for 2006 which will force up taxes next year. This year the chancellor, Gordon Brown, gave councils an extra 1bn to keep increases to a minimum in the run up to a general election.

"Local government does all it can to keep council taxes down, but with dozens of new spending pressures as a result of central government policy, councils are facing a huge hole in their budgets, with no idea how this spending gap is likely to be plugged," Sir Sandy said.

The offenders

Percentage council tax rises:

South Cambridgeshire 100%

Aylesbury 9%

Daventry 11.9%

Hambleton 17.6%

Huntingdon 12.7%

Mid Bedfordshire 13.3%

North Dorset 23.3%

Runnymeade 17.5%

Sedgemoor 11.8%
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1444332,00.html

See the latest polls from YouGov on the header.


Are things going pear shaped for the new tories?

Vote early....vote often.....



http://politics.guardian.co.uk/election/story/0,15803,1446853,00.html

Rise in postal votes fuels fear of fraud

Alert in marginals as Guardian survey reveals threefold increase in applications

Sandra Laville and Steve Dinneen
Monday March 28, 2005
The Guardian

If he can keep Crystal Palace in the Premiership, I think Iain Dowie would find it pretty easy running the country.
He could'nt be any worse than all the current MP's.

It is looking marvellous. Horray! Another year of Teflon Tony, Mandy and Allan, perhaps with luck, Alistair, Hewitt, Reid as well. Gosh arent we fortunate to have leaders like these.
Perhaps the only problem is if there is an increase in Lib Dem MPs and then their own flock might chuck them out. But this lot of sheep cant even bleat in tune.

Don't be too sure, the Tories are catching up in the polls--pity Michael Howard made that mistake this weekend a bit OTT I think. After all we want them to cut out waste what's wrong with saying there's a lot more waste to cut we know it's there.

Cut waste. Good idea. Get rid of the Tories!










8-)

Some of you go on about Thatcher but you totally forget what Labour prior to her were like, you got short memories when it suits you.
Do you remember 20% odd inflation
Do you remember the unions always in No 10
Do you remember IMF controlling our finances
I could go on but Margaret was what this country needed and it needed a Kick up the arshole.
Where are we now we have the biggest lying controlling bunch who will stop at nothing to get there way even hounding you to the death and if you say anything to oppose them they get Campbell to dig all the shit he can find on you, they are the most manipulative bunch we have ever had.
We have the biggest trade gap ever.
We have sold most of our gold cheaply.
we have gone to war on a lie.
We have tossed millions at a health service thats done bugger all.
We now owe the IMF money again (who tell Brown that he is heading for a black hole).
We have red tape suffocating business.
We have crime increasing at a hell of a rate
We have our armed forces going to war with crap weapons and no body armour and insufficient body armour
We queue down the street when a national health dentist opens up.
We find it hard to get onto a doctors list.
What the f**k more do you need to tell you something is wrong.
We treat people on the NHS who have never paid a penny in.
We treat them when they get off the planes when they come here for treatment for free.
Yes we need Labour like we need a fucking hole in the head.
The only thing they have achieved is banning FOX HUNTING
Don't say anything about the Economy because they f*****g inherited that in a very good state.
Labour have infiltrated the BBC and the Civil service and the secret service so that they all do what they are told and if you don't then god help you.
I might not have put this all very well but I am sick absolutely sick of this lot. Wake up before its too late.

You must have huge corns.







8-)

No I am a realist and you cant f*****g dispute the facts.
How do you feel about Gt Ormond Street closing beds because its run out of funds, let alone other hospitals turning away patients for the same reason and don't forget when you do get in you too could have a luverly dose of MRSA and bye the way you had really better hope that Chicken Flu don't get here because you will get f**k all help and its a killer.

Apart from the language!---well said Cavman you've told it exactly right and a lot of Labour supporters would agree with you. Trouble is how do you get people off their backsides to use their vote which ever way??
I think it's such a disgrace that we have a free vote and yet millions don't care enough to use it. Is the internet the way forward or more citizen education in schools? We have the power and ignore it at our peril!

cavman2,

You are more than entitled to your opinion, but please do not use the swear words - I have edited them as they may offend.

Ian

Do you know that many Europeans view the UK as a police state these days.

One nutter tries to set fire to his foot on a plane and it is used as an excuse to take away our civil liberties.
There's certainly something very strange going on!

IanT I apologise for the language and thankyou for editing them, I was on my high horse at the time.

cavman2 - no problem at all.

Ian

Caveman2


1) Selling of the National silver. (as described by a previous Tory Prime Minister)
2) Wasting of the north sea oil and gas resources
3) Destroying the moral by constant changes and increases in administrators and paper work of the
a) Nurses
b) Doctors
c) Hospitals
d) University staff
e) Teachers
f) Police
We are still suffering the consequences of that loss of moral and the loss of cohesive goals in those services. Children, patients, students are suffering and the future generations will suffer the consequences of those reactions. It was a period of those who thought they new better inflicting their ideas on those who did know, not being prepared to listen to those who were practicing.
4) Concentration of self-advancement over societys advancement.
5) Destruction of parts of society. The major being the mining communities. The coal mining industry needed changes and reforms since 1946, but the way it was implanted was by rape. I think that Scargill was not conducive to that change and was as idiotic in his approach, as much as Thatcher was vindictive, uncaring and evil. Many of the changes, which were introduced, were necessary but could have been done in a more humane and less socially destructive ways.
6) Black Wednesday
7) The Sleaze
8) Destruction of index linked Pensions.
9) The running down of the railways before flogging the carcass to the scavengers.
10) I wont go on.
11) O happy days are here again.



Unfortunately, Blair and his cohorts have introduced the most right winged policies in the shortest period I can remember.

Also a major problem I see with recent governments is they are more in preserving their own skins by utilise short term planning, which they think is politically advantageous to themselves, rather than long term planning to deal with the long term serious problems which are gathering.

I think a plague on all their houses is apt.


By the way you should have heard my language when I wrote this!

As an ex labour voter (sorry for having faith in this b'liar bloke) i agree with a lot of what cavman says. But how would it be any different under the tories. if nhs cant improve with more money how the hell are they going to do it with less.

I feel we are to blame, there is culture of when clock goes its time to go home. A culture of delegating and passing the buck. Pass the work to somebody else. Lots of people (not all of course) have no idea of hard days work. As a teacher i see loads out the gate soon as the bell goes (i never leave for at least 2-3 hours after). Police (not all) will look for the easy nab rather than put themselves in the firing line. Doctors cant be bothered to refer you or fill in the paper work. I got to the physio at my hospital 5 mins late so he gave me 10mins instead of 15 said he finished at 4.30 and off he went. If we all put in a fair days work for fair days pay we will all benifit.

The people at the top are responsible for the people below, goverment, managers, heads, police chiefs etc but how often do they admit the blame, RARELY.

Why dont people vote, because there is no choice or little choice.

Well said lads. I'm with you fred.

MS

maxk

Your Guardian article: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/election/story/0,15803,1446853,00.html

Socialists even skew that report!

The trial collapsed. Why? The four accused "....may not be fairly treated and their 'Human Rights' may be infringed". They were caught red-handed with the forgeries in their posession.
Quote from report: 'The men were represented by SIX BARRISTERS, who gave their services free'.
Another quote: "There was conclusive evidence that the signatures on the ballot forms matched that of Councillor Islam in 122 cases. Such examples of matching signatures could not have occurred by coincidence, Mr Sukul added."
.........and Mr Sukul was representing the petitioners!
So why on earth did it collapse? The Guardian won't say.
Needless to say, the Conservatives don't benefit from all this skulduggery.