Topic: General political discussion Part II

[Skeeve]

well given you have not had the experience that myself and others have endured i would not be surprised if you posted anything different, as to your comment about Rawk quite right it does rightly lean towards a labour site, on occasions though  these political threads are not very representative of Rawk in my opinion.

Supporting labour does not automatically imply people should be silent about or blindly follow a shockingly inept leadership team that seems certain to lose another election to another shambles of a tory party.

[ShakaHislop]

Government borrowing in October highest since 2014

Government borrowing in October rose to its highest level in five years, official data shows.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing last month hit £11.2bn, £2.3bn more than last year.

That is much higher than economists had expected and it is likely to rise again after the election, with all major parties making costly spending pledges.

Total borrowing this financial year, which runs from April, is £46.3bn, over 10% higher than the same time in 2018.

In October, central government borrowed £7.6bn and local governments added another £1bn to the total.

The Bank of England, meanwhile, borrowed £2.5bn and another £100m was borrowed to cover pension costs.

Debt climbed by £32.1bn to £1,798.5bn, or 80.4% of gross domestic product.

Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson's Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party have promised big increases in spending on health, schools, police and infrastructure ahead of a general election on December 12.

In September, Chancellor Sajid Javid announced the biggest increase in day-to-day spending in 15 years and Labour has said it wants to nationalise energy companies and other utilities.

Both parties have also promised to put more money into infrastructure if they win the election next month.

Analysis
By Dharshini David
Economics correspondent

As the major parties lay out their spending and tax ambitions, there is a new blow for the next chancellor, with a reminder that the cupboard is pretty bare.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the last month was the worst for government borrowing in five years, with a deficit of £11.2bn - up by more than £2bn on a year ago.

That increase was down to an increase in goods and staff spending - perhaps due to Brexit preparations. This leaves the whole year deficit on track to rise for the first time in a decade.

Crucially, the rise in borrowing in recent months risks wiping out the surplus on the current (day-to-day) account which was £5bn last year.

So any party which targets balancing the books on that score will have to raise taxes/cut spending to offset any giveaways.

Think tank The Resolution Foundation has said those promises would see public spending grow to its highest level since the 1970s, under either Labour or the Conservatives.

James Smith, research director for the body, said: "The 2019 public finances deterioration provides a sobering backdrop to manifesto launches this week, alongside a wider weaker outlook for both domestic and global growth next year.

"With all main parties committed to balancing the books on current spending, this deterioration should be a reminder to whoever wins the election that the state of the public finances will continue to be a constraint on plans for higher public service spending or tax cuts in the next parliament."

Labour has said it would fund some of the increased spending through higher income tax on the top 5% of earners - who already pay half of all income tax - as well as reversing cuts in corporation tax made since 2010.

Mr Johnson, meanwhile, has said he will not go ahead with a planned further cut in corporation tax, but he does intend to reduce workers' social security contributions.

Corporation tax revenues fell 6.2% in October, the biggest fall for that month in four years.

But overall tax revenues have increased by 2.4% so far this year - driven by a big rise in staff costs and higher spending on other goods and services.

"Today's data contained mixed news on the public finances," said John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC.

"On the one hand," he said, "borrowing in October was £2.3bn more than in the same month last year.

"On the other hand, estimates of borrowing in the six months from April to September have been revised down by £5.2bn, reflecting lower estimated government spending."

He added: "The net effect of these changes is favourable, with public borrowing in the financial year to date up only £4.3bn compared to the same period last year, rather than an estimated overshoot of just over £7bn in last month's original data."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50501801

[Mutton Geoff]

Supporting labour does not automatically imply people should be silent about or blindly follow a shockingly inept leadership team that seems certain to lose another election to another shambles of a tory party.

It doesnt mean they should seemingly enjoy and wallow in it and use any minute source from right wing media and twitter platforms, often found to be false later just to denegrate the leader and the party, and comments like shockingly inept is engendered by the tabloid shite in the media and eagerly regenerated by a select few in here, had any other leader made any of these so called shockingly inept errors i would maintain because we had similar with Ed they would have been afforded far more slack than Corbyn has had since day one.

 For a few and thankfully it is just a few Corbyn was not their choice and they simply could not accept democracy in action within the party, they only wanted their choice of leader and then amazingly  talk about a broad church.

The biggest problem i have with these threads is they have been a mirror image of the worst elements of the billionaires tabloids and broadsheets where they do not attack the policies and simply attack the man, and when the policies are lauded as good, there is no credit given so the viewpoints are not balanced!  This has been a few years of always playing the man and never the ball like a group of Chopper Harris's or Norman Hunter's and that also applies to anyone who even hints of defending anything within the party in any post of this period of time as well.

For example i have had people questioning my mental state, my age, another wishing people my age should be dead, another suggesting that i have sympathy for antisemitists, called a liar, called an idiot, and now seemingly called a wanker(post deleted) and lately slurs on my integrity by making false claims that i persistently report people in here, not corrected by the mods who know the truth of that though and just left that claim to stand why?

 All because i support the framework of this party which means in 99% of the time i will support the leadership and the shadow cabinet irrespective of who they are.

Some posters are clearly not going to vote labour (one or two never where anyway) and they need reasons to do so.

We even have people already slagging off possible replacements who have not even put their hat into the ring yet WHY!

[KillieRed]

I`ve got something that might shock you;

My consituency recently had a farmers market and all the main parties had little stalls, mingled with the great unwashed and answerred questions.

The Tory candidate helicoptered in (not actually...well, to my knowledge) from Edinburgh where she lives, took her photo outside of a Costa to prove she`d been there and left again.

It`s probably a rite of passage that all Tory candidates have to do before they can be stood in safer environs.

[Skeeve]

All because i support the framework of this party which means in 99% of the time i will support the leadership and the shadow cabinet irrespective of who they are.

Some posters are clearly not going to vote labour (one or two never where anyway) and they need reasons to do so.

We even have people already slagging off possible replacements who have not even put their hat into the ring yet WHY!

Being so uncritical of a failing leadership does tend to leave you open to be criticised by people who are so disappointed at how labour have been allowing these abysmally inept tories to remain in power and also failing to provide sufficient opposition to these tory c*nts as they seek to destroy this country with this moronic brexit idea.

Don't beat about the bush, why not break out the usual accusation of them being tories rather than simply claiming they are defintiely not going to vote labour.

If the possible replacements are fruit of the same poisoned tree then is there any point to them taking over if nothing will actually change?

[Sudden Death Draft Loser]

It doesnt mean they should seemingly enjoy and wallow in it and use any minute source from right wing media and twitter platforms, often found to be false later just to denegrate the leader and the party, and comments like shockingly inept is engendered by the tabloid shite in the media and eagerly regenerated by a select few in here, had any other leader made any of these so called shockingly inept errors i would maintain because we had similar with Ed they would have been afforded far more slack than Corbyn has had since day one.

 For a few and thankfully it is just a few Corbyn was not their choice and they simply could not accept democracy in action within the party, they only wanted their choice of leader and then amazingly  talk about a broad church.

The biggest problem i have with these threads is they have been a mirror image of the worst elements of the billionaires tabloids and broadsheets where they do not attack the policies and simply attack the man, and when the policies are lauded as good, there is no credit given so the viewpoints are not balanced!  This has been a few years of always playing the man and never the ball like a group of Chopper Harris's or Norman Hunter's and that also applies to anyone who even hints of defending anything within the party in any post of this period of time as well.

For example i have had people questioning my mental state, my age, another wishing people my age should be dead, another suggesting that i have sympathy for antisemitists, called a liar, called an idiot, and now seemingly called a wanker(post deleted) and lately slurs on my integrity by making false claims that i persistently report people in here, not corrected by the mods who know the truth of that though and just left that claim to stand why?

 All because i support the framework of this party which means in 99% of the time i will support the leadership and the shadow cabinet irrespective of who they are.

Some posters are clearly not going to vote labour (one or two never where anyway) and they need reasons to do so.

We even have people already slagging off possible replacements who have not even put their hat into the ring yet WHY!

Spot on post

 

[rodderzzz]

https://thebrexitparty.com/

[Mutton Geoff]

Being so uncritical of a failing leadership does tend to leave you open to be criticised by people who are so disappointed at how labour have been allowing these abysmally inept tories to remain in power and also failing to provide sufficient opposition to these tory c*nts as they seek to destroy this country with this moronic brexit idea.

Don't beat about the bush, why not break out the usual accusation of them being tories rather than simply claiming they are defintiely not going to vote labour.

If the possible replacements are fruit of the same poisoned tree then is there any point to them taking over if nothing will actually change?

Fairly cowardly to only quote a small amount of my post and not the whole post which would have put those final comments in context, so why did you do that?

[Skeeve]

Fairly cowardly to only quote a small amount of my post and not the whole post which would have put those final comments in context, so why did you do that?

I quoted the bit I was replying to, hardly cowardly, merely not needlessly reproducing an entire post that was a whole two above mine.

As far as the first bit, I didn't think there was any point replying to your conpiracy theory and veiled abuse of people on here by calling them tory, right-wing or idiots who have bought into the media rather than people who are genuinely disappointed and angry that the ineptness of the labour leadership is going to end up handing this country to Boris and his gang of c*nts to destroy as they see fit.

[Elmo!]

Can we just leave it? I for one would very much like the News forum to stay open.

[Mutton Geoff]

happy to leave just another echo in an echo chamber

[idontknow]

Spot on post

 

Agreed, a very spot on post.