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Post by MarkRowley on Apr 18, 2005 19:43:56 GMT 1
Clicked post by mistake, not really replying to myself, honest Reading a few posts on here, and in the local papers etc, there remains a view that the Tories are the selfish rich bigots and Labour are the preserve of all that is good and care for everyone as if they were their own - sadly this is far from the case today. In the days of old Labour, there were MP's who were staunch campaigners for their constituents at the expense of their own careers - I'm afraid the days of the likes of Dennis Skinner and "Red Ken" are a long way off. When I dabbled in studying politics at college, easily the best speach I went to was one by Ken Livingstone. I didn't agree with quite a few of his views but you couln't help but be impressed by the passion and the seeming honesty of his standpoint. Today, 99% of politicians of whatever party are only in it for their own purposes, of that there is no debate. Witness how Blair's "New Labour" have continued to fall at the feet of big business, they have chased celebrity and the rich, major contracts continue to be awarded to incompetent firms because of their powerful friends, the whole corrupt nature of the lobbying system etc. I have been a subscriber to Private Eye for many years and given that all of what is in there is true , you would nearly be put off voting for life with the ongoing tales of corruption, self interest, flouting of planning laws that benefit themselves, vote rigging (not just in Brum), contracts being awarded to businesses run by friends/family etc. What we have now is 3 major parties who in all but a few areas have very little difference in policies & ideaologies, as the Tories have edged slowly towards the centre and Labour have ditched the left of their party completely. Two things that you can be sure of: 1) all parties & their supporters can bombard you with figures to show they are the best : you can prove everything & nothing with stats 2) every Prime Minister who will ever be elected will always water down or completely renege on the majority of their election promises (no time in Parliament to debate, economic circumstances have changed, can't afford it now, our priorities have changed etc - the usual flannel ).
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Post by theriverside on Apr 18, 2005 20:59:03 GMT 1
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Post by MarkRowley on Apr 18, 2005 21:06:34 GMT 1
Always thought the election was a secret ballot Tel What I think many people will find this time is that they agree with bits from everyone's policies, I have to say there are some policies from all of the main 3 parties that would get my vote, you then have to judge the overall package. You'll always have your staunch Reds & Blues in many areas where you could quite literally put a pig up for election and it would win as long as it had the right colour rosette, but it will be interesting this time to see which side the "floaters" (as it were) fall on.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2005 21:58:57 GMT 1
This is my first vote in a general election so I have considered many things when deciding who to vote for.
Like Mark, I agree with several points from different different manifesto's. I agree with a lot of the Tories policies yet I disagree with one strongly - their view on immigration capping.
However, the biggest reason I will be voting is Tory is due to the number of disagreements I have with Labour.
I don't agree with their view on higher education (top up fees and wanting to get 50% of people to uni).
I'm also disillusioned that I will have no chance of buying a house for a number of years. I don't blame Labour for this personally but without a challenge being made to the leading party in this country I can't see anything changing.
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Post by harmerhillshrew on Apr 18, 2005 22:13:20 GMT 1
I'm also disillusioned that I will have no chance of buying a house for a number of years. I don't blame Labour for this personally but without a challenge being made to the leading party in this country I can't see anything changing. Phil, when I first bought a house we had a Tory goverment and interest rates were 15%. Now that was hard work. Its swings and roundabouts. Nice to see a young lad taking an interest and weighing up the pros and cons.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2005 22:16:44 GMT 1
I'm currently leaning towards a vote for Labour. Nationally I think they're doing a decent job, and locally I don't like the way the Tories have treated STFC.
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Post by Pilch on Apr 19, 2005 0:51:38 GMT 1
How do I register to vote? If I have never had one of those declaration of people of voting age in the household forms (see this is the stuff they should teach you in schools things that you need to know when you have moved out of home) As i never had a card for the local elections im guessing im not registered and ive not had any candidates at my door yet to ask its too late now anyway by about 3 weeks
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Post by MartinB on Apr 19, 2005 6:49:14 GMT 1
it would take a 22.5 swing from Con to Labour to remove every Con from office I've seen some rubbish posted on this board but this IS the worst post I have ever seen. Beats all Cynical's posts put together. Sorry, Meole Shrew but someone who thinks it's good for one party to have all the seats in the House of Commons must be barking.
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Post by pawlo on Apr 19, 2005 9:21:52 GMT 1
Labour People usualy vote according to thie own perspective on life. Health Service is getting better, without any shadow of doubt, and it is the one thing i can be certain about. Waiting lists are falling, a & e waiting times never been lower. Ask yourself this, if i become ill, which country would i wish to become ill in. Within 6 months of Labour first coming to power nurses received a 16% pay rise, and above or in line with inflation there after. Under Labour, my pay has risen from 14K to 25K in 9 years. Crime, Last time i was a victim of it (touch wood) was in 1991 ( got beat up in "the fridge" ). Never been burgled, mugged ect. So from my perspective, all the tories talk of spiraling crime means nothing. Immigration. Take away all the foreign doctors and nurses and the health service will literally crumble. Inflation and interest rates. Low and steady. Most peeeepill on here wont remember what is was like to have inflation and interest rates wildly fluctuating as it did under the last tory AND Labour governments, it wasnt nice. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes and businesses. It crippled this country for decades. Someone said the other day that Labour are just carring on from the good work the tories did. Really? John Major didnt manage a stable economy, boom and bust is the term used widely to describe his leadership. Education. Both my kids went to the grange school under a labour government, both received more than enough support and effort from very good hard working teachers, who did whatever they could to "teach" them. My perspective on things would be very different of coarse if i could step out of my front door look around and think "this country is going to the dogs". But i honestly cant. For all Tony Blairs mistakes, and he has made them, i think people would be mad to want to change the government. Ask yourselves this. How many times have i or my family been victims of crime, am I ( or my children) receiving a good education, how was i treated last time i was in hospital ( and did i catch the MRSA superbug), am i loosing out because of asylum seekers, am i going to loose my home because interest rates have just gone through the roof.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2005 9:28:23 GMT 1
"My perspective on things would be very different of coarse if i could step out of my front door look around and think "this country is going to the dogs". But i honestly cant. "
Depends where you live I guess.
"am i going to loose my home because interest rates have just gone through the roof."
I've given up hope of being able to afford one in the first place.
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Post by pawlo on Apr 19, 2005 9:34:11 GMT 1
"My perspective on things would be very different of coarse if i could step out of my front door look around and think "this country is going to the dogs". But i honestly cant. " Depends where you live I guess. "am i going to loose my home because interest rates have just gone through the roof." I've given up hope of being able to afford one in the first place. Dounton Close,off meadow farm drive in harlescott, not exactly kingsland. My first job was as a car park attendant in town earning £28 per week. I wasnt happy so went back to college to get some qualifications, drove taxis in my spare time to make some money (18 hours on a friday, 20 hours on a saturday), then did my nurses training and now i can afford it.
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Apr 19, 2005 9:48:42 GMT 1
it is not "Harlescott" It is "Sundorne"
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Post by pawlo on Apr 19, 2005 9:51:11 GMT 1
it is not "Harlescott" It is "Sundorne" Nah, its harlescott when im trying to sound working class and only sundorne when im not
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Post by Norway on Apr 19, 2005 9:54:39 GMT 1
Always thought the lot was Harlescott mainly influenced by the school names, Harlescott Grange and Harlescott County.......
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Post by dachs on Apr 19, 2005 10:05:57 GMT 1
However, the biggest reason I will be voting is Tory is due to the number of disagreements I have with Labour. I don't agree with their view on higher education (top up fees and wanting to get 50% of people to uni). I'm also disillusioned that I will have no chance of buying a house for a number of years. I don't blame Labour for this personally but without a challenge being made to the leading party in this country I can't see anything changing. The majority of people will usually have the most disagreements with the current incumbents simply because its far harder to appease everyone when in power than when sitting in opposition taking opportunist pot shots at everything that goes even slightly wrong. Does anyone really believe that Tony Blair actually loves having MRSA in hospitals, house prices beyond first-time buyers etc etc? Howard seems to think these are Labour policies the way he carries on. Personally, I find the Tories abhorrent, particularly on issues of crime and immigration, but I can appreciate why some might want to give Tone a bloody nose.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2005 10:06:31 GMT 1
One other thing that concerns me uis the number of people who keep talking about things that have happene in the past.
I can appreciate that I'm still young and don't have as broad an experience of politics in the country as many others but, surely we're living today and not in the 70's?
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Post by faginy on Apr 19, 2005 10:07:33 GMT 1
Sundorne is round by the shops, Sundorne Avenue/Crescent etc etc Whitchurch Road, Featherbed Lane, faginy Towers and Tesco are all Harlescott
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Apr 19, 2005 10:15:34 GMT 1
Always thought the lot was Harlescott mainly influenced by the school names, Harlescott Grange and Harlescott County....... Which are now "The Grange School" and "Sundorne School" and faginy, how on earth did you come up with that definition? Our side of the railway is Sundorne, the other side is The Grange it is all "Harlescott" in a 1980s throwback sort of a way
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Apr 19, 2005 10:16:52 GMT 1
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Post by pawlo on Apr 19, 2005 10:20:21 GMT 1
One other thing that concerns me uis the number of people who keep talking about things that have happene in the past. I can appreciate that I'm still young and don't have as broad an experience of politics in the country as many others but, surely we're living today and not in the 70's? Its because so many things are like they are today because of whats happened in the past.
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Post by faginy on Apr 19, 2005 10:21:44 GMT 1
Our side of the railway is Sundorne, the other side is The Grange sure there is a pub called the Harlescott on our side of the railway When I lived on Whitchurch Road (208), my address was Harlescott....
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Post by pawlo on Apr 19, 2005 10:25:36 GMT 1
sure there is a pub called the Harlescott on our side of the railway When I lived on Whitchurch Road (208), my address was Harlescott.... There is a pub in sundorne called the Coricle, doesnt mean we live in a river
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Post by faginy on Apr 19, 2005 10:26:47 GMT 1
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Post by faginy on Apr 19, 2005 10:27:38 GMT 1
There is a pub in sundorne called the Coricle, doesnt mean we live in a river but that doesnt help me disprove daves theory that he lives in sundorne
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Apr 19, 2005 10:27:57 GMT 1
sure there is a pub called the Harlescott on our side of the railway When I lived on Whitchurch Road (208), my address was Harlescott.... There is also a pub called the Coracle - but I don;t hear many people calling it that! But I do think you have a very good point! Multimap tells me the whole area north of Heathgates is known as Harlescott In temrs of schools the railway line is the divider between the grange and sundorne and that is how I think because I never lived there when the schools were called County and Grange
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Post by pawlo on Apr 19, 2005 10:33:54 GMT 1
There is also a pub called the Coracle - but I don;t hear many people calling it that!
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Apr 19, 2005 10:38:54 GMT 1
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Post by faginy on Apr 19, 2005 10:39:50 GMT 1
but you live in Harlescott? strange
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Apr 19, 2005 10:44:26 GMT 1
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Post by faginy on Apr 19, 2005 10:47:36 GMT 1
aaah but it will be Lidl, opposite Harlescott Cattle Market* *until that gets knocked down to be Tesco
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