Well done Jezza!!

[hoolahoop]

    And who is going to do this investment Copps...Most people are employed by company's with 0-25 employee's...These company's haven't ever seen a penny of outside investment ever!!! They struggle to compete with low wages elsewhere like Poland,Romania,China as it is..Just how are they going to pay a £10 living wage??? Nobody wants to explain that in the Labour party..it's pure fantasy.....

Exactly why it's fantasy. Ito common sense that if you lift the bar up ato the bottom that goods will become dearer for the " poor " - increased costs means small businesses going to the wall and of course that £10 p.h doesn't go as far ! It's common sense that we need to keep the businesses alive and healthy especially when we come out of the EU .

I'M  a ' floating ' voter too but I know it's madness to peddle the ideal of this and other policies / intentions.
We need an opposition that will look at things sensibly, that have MPs & leaders that inspire  confidence sadly that's lacking and hence we have a media and idealogically driven right wing of the Tories dictating our return to the 60s .

My heart bleeds for this country especially as a committed Europhile ; here we are at a crossroads for this nation and we are led by politicIans that haven't got a fecking clue what they are doing so they just follow the 3 nutcases in charge of Brexit.

How I hate that fecking word and all those that voted for it . Whilst our country harks back to the good old days of the British Empire .....the rest of the world moves on .

Who can I vote for , who can many of the 16,000,000 vote for ?

[hoolahoop]

The minimum wage has been increasing steadily for years. As I said, a living wage of £9 in 2020 wouldn't be that far off an increasing minimum wage.

There is conclusive evidence to show that the minimum wage introduction had very little effect on employment. There is also a consensus among most level-headed people that it has very little effect on prices or any other economic measure, in fact. I'm not an expert but that is as far as I know.

For me it's not about producing an economic change is about the suitable standard that anyone employed should expect. There are countries/cities that have a relatively high minimum wage and maintain high employment levels. That is surely what we should aspire to?

OK but increasing the minimum wage or 'living ' wage makes this country uncompetitive at a time when we need to be the MOST competitive.

If businesses make less profit in all likelihood they drop payroll numbers/hours or pay less into the Exchequer and struggle to invest .

That's the problem with Labour policies they are oh so simple to them but in reality they DON'T work.

As for us having a nuclear deterrent without nuclear weapons/ someone that would use them .....it's just ridiculous .

I'm sick of hearing about the 500k membership , you need to attract X 25-30 times that to stand a chance of forming a government . New and  not old idealogies are needed not just from Labour but all our politicians.

[hoolahoop]

Anyone who wants to do away with our Nuclear deterrent when there crackpots like the one in Russia and North Korea that are flexing their muscles on a weekly basis will never get my vote. Add to that he wants to sit down and have tea and buscuits with ISIS and other terrorist organisations!

Which of North Korea's missiles can reach us, again?

By the time we have renewed Trident there should be more than enough. They believe they can reach the USA and Japan already . Check out their recent tests and there are quite a few.
Corbyn needs to get real. We have enemies in Russia and N. Korea already.

[Sprotyrover]

3 little old ladies summed it up for me who I overheard in Donny Market,"what he goona do about all them foreigners taking our benefits and hospital beds?"
Welljezza summed himself up nicely, he will open the doors and direct more money to the areas where they will live to help me settle!
2 million more UKIP voters won over!

[Copps is Magic]

This el' be the same UKIP who support immigration then, I suppose?

Take it you've actually read their policy documents.

[Copps is Magic]

Here's how I see the zeitgeist of our current age.

Every single major political party in this country (including UKIP) supports mass immigration into the country. Why? Because every half-intelligent person knows the measly economic growth we've experienced over the last 8 years is being propped up by immigrants. Most of our public services and higher education institutions would collapse without them. Every sector and job for which indigenous people are untrained or unwilling to do is being filled by migrants.

What these half intelligent people (i.e the politicians) are doing to varying degrees is playing on the fears of the ignorant. And that's why I suggested going to read UKIPs literature because you wouldn't for a moment get the impression this is a party who wants an end to mass immigration. Because they don't. Do not get mistaken by some nutter with a UKIP badge on his twitter profile tweeting things like 'send the buggers back'.

So what actually is being offered? Well, Labour want to tackle the social problems that are (widely) percieved to be caused by immigrants. The conservatives want to increase punitive measures to force indigenous people to do jobs that migrants are filling. UKIP want to beef up the border patrol and essentially introduce increased profiling to get a 'better quality' of migrant. All of this appeasement.

So it's spin your moral compass and pick your poison time. Just don't go getting yourself into something you thought was one thing and turned out to be another.

[hoolahoop]

Too late CIM far too many have already done just that and a 32 year low for the £ is a sign of the mayhem to come.

[Sammy Chung was King]

It's getting to the stage where the only hope is that teresa may is somehow different from other tory leaders. Labour i don't see as a challenge to the tories any more, unless a leader appears from somewhere that can unite the party together.
I'm hoping that may lives upto her promise of ''brexit being brexit''. i'm hoping she is kinder to the poor and disabled. I'm hoping that she will encourage our country to start manufacturing more of our own goods!.
I'm hoping to see houses built with the infrastructure to deal with those extra people occupying those areas. I'm hoping for the cruelty meted out by the tories to stop.
 I'm hoping for the north & south divide to close a bit. I'm hoping that our country helps others abroad in need, but only to a degree, i want a government that prioritises it's own people first.

I'm hoping that eventually free prescriptions come in for working people as well as the unemployed, if the scottish prescriptions are free why aren't ours?.
I'm hoping that she creates government that doesn't demonise the unemployed, putting working against unemployed, as has been the case for years now.
I'm hoping that we have a government that doesn't let more people come to our country than we can cope with. But also one who recognises that these people who are here and contributing are welcome!.
The foreign people are the new unemployed, in that they are turning people against them as the main problem our country faces. They do this through our press and programmes aired on our tv's.

Let hate get into your heart and ukip become a viable alternative. That isn't our country our country on the whole mixes together all different communities.
The country needs to be run fairer where people get a decent wage for a decent days work. The unemployed need to stop being looked down on as scroungers, many are not!.
 Foreign people need to be taken at face value a good person is good no matter the colour race or religion. The government has to control who comes in and the numbers.
 Until the government get the country on an even footing we can't help as many others as we would want.Get our country in order, get it functioning properly then you can help other countries, our people must be priority to start off with.

[bobjimwilly]

I'm hoping to see houses built with the infrastructure to deal with those extra people occupying those areas. Sorry, not going to happen.
I'm hoping for the cruelty meted out by the tories to stop.Sorry, not going to happen.
 I'm hoping for the north & south divide to close a bit. Sorry, not going to happen.
I'm hoping that our country helps others abroad in need, but only to a degree, i want a government that prioritises it's own people first. Sorry, not going to happen.
I'm hoping that eventually free prescriptions come in for working people as well as the unemployed Sorry, not going to happen.
I'm hoping that she creates government that doesn't demonise the unemployed Sorry, not going to happen.
The country needs to be run fairer where people get a decent wage for a decent days work. Sorry, not going to happen.
The unemployed need to stop being looked down on as scroungers, many are not! Sorry, not going to happen.
Until the government get the country on an even footing Sorry, not going to happen.

 

[The Red Baron]

Now that UKIP have shot themselves in the foot I just wonder what's holding back Theresa May from calling an early General Election and getting a working majority?

The Lib Dems are showing signs of recovery - although as a result of centre-left frustration with Labour - but they will need a year or two to build up any kind of momentum (small "m" note!)

Like Gordon Brown in 2007, she may regret not going to the country when she had a favourable wind.

[wing commander]

   I would be going to the country now to RB,She has announced a brexit timetable so that was a stumbling block that has at least some clarification..Labour of course have there staunch left wing Corbyn membership but the rest of the country don't and never will buy into his madness and they couldn't buy a Scottish vote...It would be a landslide victory for her...Probably the biggest in a very long time....

[wilts rover]

And these new Tory MP's you have all elected - what is their take on Brexit going to be? Are they going to be hard right or centrist? Will they support May - or challenge her?

Lots of things to consider before a PM would call a General Election.

[BobG]

Whatever she does I suspect her performance today may have put the final nail in the Labour Party coffin for a good while. They're lucky UKIP are as mad as the Labour Party. But if the smug female gets even a part of the working class on her side, she'll be unstoppable and the Labour Party will be truly unelectable.

Bob

[The Red Baron]

And these new Tory MP's you have all elected - what is their take on Brexit going to be? Are they going to be hard right or centrist? Will they support May - or challenge her?

Lots of things to consider before a PM would call a General Election.

There always are lots of pros and cons. For example, I've always been convinced that Gordon Brown opted not to call a GE in the autumn of 2007 because he was concerned about possible Labour losses to the SNP in Scotland. Ironically they would have been nothing on the scale of last year's cataclysm.

I'd have thought the Brexit stance of the Tory Party would have been low down her list of concerns. The party at large is probably more Eurosceptic than the Parliamentary Party, and any new MPs are likely to reflect that.

If I was in May's kitten heels I'd be more concerned about holding a GE in Spring 2020 when we will have a different relationship with the EU and any post-Brexit turbulence is likely to be being felt.

Also there is a distinct possibility that the Lib Dems might be much stronger by then. And unlike a Corbyn-led Labour might pose a real threat to Tory-held seats.

[MachoMadness]

Talk about a divided party, eh...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37572377

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

SO his new team is being announced. Not much surprise so far.

[BobG]

He's pushed out a good 'un though.

BobG

[wesisback]

Actually agree Bob.
As someone who voted Corbyn and a Doncaster Central constituent, Rosie Winterton does a fantastic job here and has always been swift when I've wrote to her. I recently wrote to her regarding my concerns within the Labour Party, particularly those that have been outspoken against the elected leader. She responded in an honourable way. I don't know her views on Jeremy Corbyn, nor does it matter particularly. I'd rather have someone hold their views back and get on with their jobs than spend more time criticising their party than the opposition like Flint has for the last 6 months. Nobody is forced to like their boss, however they are expected to do their job and Rosie Winterton does.

[BobG]

Agreed Wes. She's been a bit of a star ever since she was first elected - and that's quite a while back now. Even more impressive, to me anyway, is that after reading your praise of her, she's managed to impress two people, us, who are, I reckon, quite a long way apart politically. That takes skill and talent. She really must be a star

Cheers Wes

Bob

[hoolahoop]

And these new Tory MP's you have all elected - what is their take on Brexit going to be? Are they going to be hard right or centrist? Will they support May - or challenge her?

Lots of things to consider before a PM would call a General Election.

There always are lots of pros and cons. For example, I've always been convinced that Gordon Brown opted not to call a GE in the autumn of 2007 because he was concerned about possible Labour losses to the SNP in Scotland. Ironically they would have been nothing on the scale of last year's cataclysm.

I'd have thought the Brexit stance of the Tory Party would have been low down her list of concerns. The party at large is probably more Eurosceptic than the Parliamentary Party, and any new MPs are likely to reflect that.

If I was in May's kitten heels I'd be more concerned about holding a GE in Spring 2020 when we will have a different relationship with the EU and any post-Brexit turbulence is likely to be being felt.

Also there is a distinct possibility that the Lib Dems might be much stronger by then. And unlike a Corbyn-led Labour might pose a real threat to Tory-held seats.

I think you're right about the timing if she waits a) Despite their real lack of leadership the Lib/Dems will be a credible opposition in the shires and backwaters  b) Labour might improve  c) ukip become organised d) The mumbling from her own Eurosceptics become louder.

If I was her I would call an election as soon as possible.

Evidence of the growing Lib/Dems membership is there to see and there are 16,000,000 votes to fight for who are looking for a centre/ left party . They have the structure and probably the funding now as and when they need it .
Question is can they attract some of the Europhiles from both the Tory party and disaffected MPs within the Labour party  oh and marry them together in a common cause.

[The Red Baron]

Although I'm pretty certain the Tories will hold Witney in the forthcoming by-election, the size of the Lib Dem vote will be interesting.

[hoolahoop]

Seems they are chucking everything at it and of course it is call me Dave's old constituency. Are all the colonels and blue rinse brigade going to be enamoured by what they've heard this week ?

[BobG]

The SW Labour Party are actively encouraging all and sundry to proselytise the new labour message on the streets of Witney....

BobG

[wesisback]

Till they lose then it'll be Jeremys fault obviously.

[The Red Baron]

Although I'm pretty certain the Tories will hold Witney in the forthcoming by-election, the size of the Lib Dem vote will be interesting.

I was saying?

The Lib Dems increased their vote share quite dramatically in a constituency where they have never done very well. (There is a residual Labour vote around Witney itself that usually guarantees Labour second place.)

May (pardon the pun) have scuppered thoughts of a GE in early 2017.

[The Red Baron]

And it looks very much as though there is going to be another by-election in a Tory held seat.

The Government has declared for a Third Runway at Heathrow. Zac Goldsmith said he would fight a by-election in Richmond Park if they did. So stand by for developments.

Goldsmith will obviously want the by-election to be a referendum on the Third Runway. But the constituency voted heavily for Remain. Could there be a Brexit Dimension for the Lib Dems to exploit?

Also LDs are the main opposition in Richmond. More promising territory for them than Witney.

[The Red Baron]

Definitely will be a by election in Richmond Park. Goldsmith has applied for the Chiltern Hundreds.

[BobG]

A man of his word then. Unlike our despised and despicable Foreign Secretary.

BobG

[Glyn_Wigley]

A man of his word then. Unlike our despised and despicable Foreign Secretary.

BobG

Boris is a man of his word! It's just that his word is a movable feast! lol

[BobG]

Aye. And he's got far too many of them too.

(That's words as well as feasts - the incoherent fat bas**rd)

BobG