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27/04/2008, 13:44 Gluestick Joined on 22/03/2006 UK and Nord Pas de Calais Posts 2,342 Re: Aspirations.................................. I can't remember who actually made that statement, Hoddy: may have been WSC. I don't believe or agree for one minute that either you or I deserve it! Unfortunately, since Thatcher's rise in 1979, the "Loads a Money" culture has become endemic to UK society: simultaneously, the great British public have become increasingly ill informed about politics and politicians; let alone, Current Affairs. Which has led to initially electoral apathy and later, political fatigue. Personally, I am anapolitical: and have been for many years: I have no faith in any of 'em, or their stated policies! What is needed, IMHO is a political truce: when countries face serious strategic problems, such as war, politics is put on the back burner for the duration. Britain urgently needs a Coalition, during which period it can sort out its urgent social and economic problems: for example, catching up this morning early on, I understand that 8 people are shot each and every day now in the UK! And this despite the vote harvesting tactic of the hand gun ban. Unfortunately, politics has survived in the UK only because of the Quinquennial Act: any party mounting cogent and sensible economic policies, for example, wouldn't be relected. Thus nothing major can be actually achieved. All Labour and Conservatives have done since the landslide election of Clement Atlee in 1945, is swing from one extreme to the other. For example, in the early days, road transport was nationalised, de-nationalised and re-nationalised, at huge economic and social cost. Taxes, holistically, need complete and total reform, as the Adam Smith Institute keeps saying. Instead, successive parties "Tinker" around the edges. As an example, Godron changed Corporation Tax and instituted a Zero Rate band for social clubs and start-up SMEs; and then cancelled it! Now we have the 10% band. And so on. What sane person can countenance taxing people: and then having to hand them back a raft of benefits because they can't afford to live? Double bureacractic cost. My own view is that unless the UK takes hold of itself and sorts itself out it will become a sort of Third World state in Europe; collapsed infrastructure, health service, education and anarchy on the streets: and a banana republic to boot. BLiar followed his Ghuru, Thatcher's example and as Tony Benn has said so often, cancelled Cabinet Government: which is effective political anarchy. Most interestingly to me, West Germany functioned for many years as a coalition: and this was the era of its striking recovery and economic success; to the point where OECD reported that back in the late 80s, West Germany was outperforming Japan!   "Yes, but that apart, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?" Gluestick    Report

27/04/2008, 15:02 Tandem_Pilot Joined on 23/08/2004 Posts 282 Re: Aspirations..................................  Gluestick wrote: I understand that 8 people are shot each and every day now in the UK! Source please? Oh, and this one too please?  Gluestick wrote: In a week where an Australian trader in London, apparently called Troy, has refused to take £125 million basic pay as too little (!!!) Regards Alex Milton Keynes and the Haute Vienne    Report

27/04/2008, 16:17 Gluestick Joined on 22/03/2006 UK and Nord Pas de Calais Posts 2,342 Re: Aspirations.................................. Guncrime: London Metro 25-04-08 (I've just resurrected it from the round file, AKA, B1N! Cited are the recent Home Office report for England and Wales: a further report compiled by British Crime Survey. Trader: City paper week ending April 25th. Insofar as the trader is concerned, he apparently created £1 billion of profit last year and is now leaving to set up his own hedge fund or similar.     "Yes, but that apart, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?" Gluestick    Report

27/04/2008, 16:30 Dick Smith Joined on 23/08/2004 Surrey and Manche (Pays Mortainais) Posts 8,781 Re: Aspirations.................................. Ah! The Metro - a free newspaper owned by the Daily Mail. Hardly a Journal of Record... From the Home Office website: Gun crime Gun-related crime kills, maims and intimidates, and is frequently linked to gang activity and the illegal drugs trade in the UK. We are committed to tackling gun crime to ensure the safety and security of all British citizens. A snapshot of gun crime Contrary to public perception, the overall level of gun crime in England and Wales is very low – less than 0.5% of all crime recorded by the police. Facts & figures The number of overall offences involving firearms fell by 13% in 2006/07 compared to the previous year.  Firearms were involved in 566 serious or fatal injuries in 2006/07, compared to 645 the previous year - a drop of 12%. The number of armed robberies involving guns dropped by 3% There were 13% fewer serious and fatal injuries related to gun crimes in 2006/07. The number of reported crimes involving imitation guns dropped by 15% in 2006/07. The number of reported crimes involving air guns dropped by 15% in 2006/07 over 2005/06. (Source: Crime in England and Wales 2006/07; Homicide, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2006-07.) So there were, in fact, about 11 gun-related injuries per week, not all of which involved a fatality. Not the 3000 a year that the Metro reports. Too many by far, but not the Beirut scenario the Daily Wail would have you believe. What was the 'City' paper? I can find no references to this/ Regards Dick Smith Nowhere is there warmth to be found Among those afraid of losing their ground    Report

27/04/2008, 16:51 Albert the InfoGipsy Joined on 01/07/2006 Kingdom of the Middle Saxons & Vannes (56) Posts 579 Re: Aspirations..................................  Dick Smith wrote: BB - I'm a committed Labour supporter Can we get the rest of them committed as well? Albert the InfoGipsy "So welcome to the Citadel where the question is 'Am I?'"    Report

27/04/2008, 17:53 now just john Joined on 28/04/2005 Montignac le coq Posts 370 Re: Aspirations.................................. Joseph de Maistre stated that “Toute nation a le gouvernement qu’elle merite.” (“Every country has the government it deserves”), Lettres et Opuscules Inedits, (1851) I would suggest that the unfettered social state started with Wilson, unions et al heralding the decline of work ethic in Britain in my lifetime, Maggie tried to remedy some of it until the poll tax debacle did for her, downhill eversince, whoever gets in will find a bill from  public private finance. waiting for them, not to mention pensions. Labour = Spend & Bust. Tin hat on    Report

27/04/2008, 18:07 Dick Smith Joined on 23/08/2004 Surrey and Manche (Pays Mortainais) Posts 8,781 Re: Aspirations..................................  Albert the InfoGipsy wrote:  Dick Smith wrote: BB - I'm a committed Labour supporter Can we get the rest of them committed as well? Yeah, well, it's comments like that that keep the level of debate to the lowest common denominator, isn't it? Regards Dick Smith Nowhere is there warmth to be found Among those afraid of losing their ground    Report

27/04/2008, 18:11 Dick Smith Joined on 23/08/2004 Surrey and Manche (Pays Mortainais) Posts 8,781 Re: Aspirations..................................  now just john wrote: Joseph de Maistre stated that “Toute nation a le gouvernement qu’elle merite.” (“Every country has the government it deserves”), Lettres et Opuscules Inedits, (1851) I would suggest that the unfettered social state started with Wilson, unions et al heralding the decline of work ethic in Britain in my lifetime, Maggie tried to remedy some of it until the poll tax debacle did for her, downhill eversince, whoever gets in will find a bill from  public private finance. waiting for them, not to mention pensions. Labour = Spend & Bust. Tin hat on But John, there is a lot of cause to say that society in general wants the government to spend freely on some things - look at all the polls which showed a public willingness to accept tax rises to spend more on the NHS and, to a lesser extent, education and defence. The entire Welfare State project was embraced by the nation not on any grounds of cost, but because it meant that the less fortunate/weaker members of society would get a share of the goods (in the Socratic sense). Not everyone sees society as a profit and loss account. Regards Dick Smith Nowhere is there warmth to be found Among those afraid of losing their ground    Report

27/04/2008, 18:14 cassis Joined on 28/12/2007 Manhattan and Glasgow Posts 533 Re: Aspirations..................................  now just john wrote: Joseph de Maistre stated that “Toute nation a le gouvernement qu’elle merite.” (“Every country has the government it deserves”), Lettres et Opuscules Inedits, (1851) He may have said it, but that does not make it true. There have been many mad, barbaric dictators and oppressive loonies who have governed/overrun countries by force.  Zoggy played guitar, jammin' good with Weird and Golly. Lyrics copyright Sausage Music 2008    Report

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