UK General Election - 12th December 2019 | Con 365, Lab 203, LD 11, SNP 48, Other 23 - Tory Majority of 80

How do you intend to vote in the 2019 General Election if eligible?

  • Brexit Party

    Votes: 30 4.3%
  • Conservatives

    Votes: 73 10.6%
  • DUP

    Votes: 5 0.7%
  • Green

    Votes: 23 3.3%
  • Labour

    Votes: 355 51.4%
  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 58 8.4%
  • Plaid Cymru

    Votes: 3 0.4%
  • Sinn Fein

    Votes: 9 1.3%
  • SNP

    Votes: 19 2.8%
  • UKIP

    Votes: 6 0.9%
  • Independent

    Votes: 1 0.1%
  • Other (BNP, Change UK, UUP and anyone else that I have forgotten)

    Votes: 10 1.4%
  • Not voting

    Votes: 57 8.3%
  • Undecided

    Votes: 41 5.9%

  • Total voters
    690
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.

Fully Fledged

Full Member
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
16,214
Location
Midlands UK
Hear me out guys.

Maybe, maybe, if we didn't accept the Tories selling off national assets to their mates in cut price deals that benefit nobody but themselves in a thinly disguised exercise in corruption, Labour wouldn't have to promise to spend vast quantities of money to buy them back?
That's just common sense we can't have that.
If its £20b then about 60 quid per year per tax payer on average i would guess.
That's way less than I'm paying now for superfast broadband.
 

Sweet Square

Full Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
23,675
Location
The Zone
The anti-worker hangover from serfdom is weird.
This isn't a mild and gradual plan though. I'm intrigued about how the pricing of any nationalisation deal would work and struggle to see it not ending in either the taxpayer getting fleeced or a bitter shareholder legal dispute
The issue of the firm's pension liabilities will be massive and potentially strip away a lot of the perceived cost savings of nationalisation.
It's a broadly well-meaning, but poorly thought out idea.
Labour say the plan would be finish in 2030. The Green New Deal Labour will put forward really should be the standard most western countries take towards climate change.

I really try to understand the worries a lot of people have about the Labour Party but if we just take a step back and look, the truth is we can't simply afford mild gradual action. Also Jippy you've done the boring tory shite for long enough, come on and have a little bit of fun now.


 
Last edited:

Fully Fledged

Full Member
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
16,214
Location
Midlands UK
When I started work in engineering I was on a machine that had a cooling fan and the wing nut on the fan came loose so I picked it up and screwed it back on. I was carpeted for doing a job that I should’ve called maintenance for. This was around 75. Demarcation was ridiculous. They said management of Leyland was bad but the truth was that they were trying to make the place more competitive and better quality products by introducing methods that were already being adopted overseas. 536 strikes in 30 months is impossible to manage. It was protectionism. The Japanese introduced the same said manufacturing practices in Sunderland. Difference was they were dealing with people who had no jobs so it was their way or the dole queue.
Could only happen when you have full employment of skilled workers. Back in the 70's you could walk out of a job in the morning and into another one in the afternoon. Thatcher stopped that not by passing laws on unions but by destroying industry.
 

Jippy

Sleeps with tramps, bangs jacuzzis, dirty shoes
Staff
Joined
Nov 19, 2009
Messages
57,448
Location
Jet fuel doesn't melt steel beams
Labour say the plan would be finish in 2030. The Green New Deal Labour will put forward really should be the standard most western countries take towards climate change.

I really try to understand the worries a lot of people have about the Labour Party but if we just take a step back and look, the truth is we can't simply afford mild gradual action. Also Jippy you've done the boring tory shite for long enough, come on and have a little bit of fun now.


Well, I'm never voting Tory again, so my vote is Labour's to lose.
I just don't think the BT part-nationalisation is well thought through.
I also think you're conflating the BT plan with the green new deal. Can't see the linkage, given accessing broadband requires loads of power being guzzled.
 

VeevaVee

The worst "V"
Scout
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
Messages
46,262
Location
Manchester
I've successfully turned a non voter who thought 'they're all as bad as each other' in to a Tory hating voter.
 

Honest John

Full Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2002
Messages
8,352
Location
Hampshire
Could only happen when you have full employment of skilled workers. Back in the 70's you could walk out of a job in the morning and into another one in the afternoon. Thatcher stopped that not by passing laws on unions but by destroying industry.
But you need to look at the industry that you say she destroyed. Vast swathes of factories in the midlands producing what? Springs, washer, nuts, bolts .. penny-a-bucket parts. Yes they employed people but it was never sustainable. This stuff was always going to go go to low-cost developing countries.
 

Buster15

Go on Didier
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Messages
13,501
Location
Bristol
Supports
Bristol Rovers
No one seems to worry that our Marxist overlords will be using the provision of free broadband to spy on our every move?
No one seems to worry that our Marxist overlords will be using the provision of free broadband to spy on our every move?
Do you not think that this is being done already. Overtly or covertly.
 

Paul the Wolf

Full Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2014
Messages
17,825
Location
France - can't win anything with Swedish turnips
Well, I'm never voting Tory again, so my vote is Labour's to lose.
I just don't think the BT part-nationalisation is well thought through.
I also think you're conflating the BT plan with the green new deal. Can't see the linkage, given accessing broadband requires loads of power being guzzled.
Seems to be a common theme with Labour policy. Manifesto due out next week, the foreword rumoured to be by Lewis Carroll.
 

Classical Mechanic

Full Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
35,216
Location
xG Zombie Nation
You can look at the whole renationalisation narrative as a win for Labour. They’ve managed to put Brexit on the back burner for now which was always what they wanted. I heard Nicky Morgan and Micheal Gove on the radio yesterday and today and they were both absolutely desperate to try and get the narrative back on Brexit, even though they were asked about Broadband and tree planting as an environmental policy.
 

Fully Fledged

Full Member
Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
16,214
Location
Midlands UK
But you need to look at the industry that you say she destroyed. Vast swathes of factories in the midlands producing what? Springs, washer, nuts, bolts .. penny-a-bucket parts. Yes they employed people but it was never sustainable. This stuff was always going to go go to low-cost developing countries.
That's just not true. F. H. Lloyds for one was a massive foundry group that had plants all over the country.

They made parts like this hardly a bucket of washers.

1980s: F H Lloyd, at one time the largest steel foundry business in Europe, fell into a severe decline resulting in the closure of the Wednesbury foundry in 1982 and the Parker foundry at Derby in 1987.

1981 The Cardiff foundry was closed[18]

1987 Lloyds (Burton) was the last remaining steel foundry still operating of the three foundries which were once part of the F H Lloyd Group.

1987 Triplex Lloyd formed by merger with Triplex Foundries Group[19]

By 1989 although Lloyds (Burton) was trading profitably it was no longer relevant to the Triplex Lloyd strategy and was sold to William Cook.
 

sullydnl

Ross Kemp's caf ID
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
34,063
Obviously I like the idea of free broadband because frankly who wouldn't?

Labour's figures on the cost of running said broadband seem to be optimistic well beyond the point of being deliberate untruths though, which is quite an issue when placed alongside all the more immediately apparent issues with the idea.

Though I suppose downplaying the negative consequences of a vote-grabbing policy is entirely par for the course in UK politics. Not like that could have any negative impact on the country.
 

Sweet Square

Full Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
23,675
Location
The Zone
Well, I'm never voting Tory again, so my vote is Labour's to lose.
I just don't think the BT part-nationalisation is well thought through.
I also think you're conflating the BT plan with the green new deal. Can't see the linkage, given accessing broadband requires loads of power being guzzled.
I was just using it as a way to hit back against the mild and gradual plan stuff. We can't fight climate change with gradual change.
 

Sweet Square

Full Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
23,675
Location
The Zone

The fiscal rule is stricter than that proposed by the Conservatives, which would see current spending balancing taxation within three years. Labour also want a balanced budget but say it would take five years to reach. Sir Ed told activists: "Just look at the contrast with the other two parties. The spending competition between the Brexit parties, the Labour and Conservative fantasists, has made Santa Claus seem like Scrooge."

The Lib Dem plans are in some ways stricter than the fiscal rules introduced by George Osborne when he was Chancellor - raising the prospect of a swift return to austerity.
But yeah they aren't a bunch of tories for some reason. Can someone explain why anyone who considers themselves on the left(Or even New Labour-ish)would vote for this lot. Is the pull of eu face paint that strong ?
 

Rolandofgilead

Trigger Happy Priest Killer
Scout
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
21,515
Location
Bob Lucas Stadium
Supports
Weymouth
Is it true that the Bolton fire had a similar cladding to Grenfall on the outside? If so that is a disaster for the Tories in s political sense, the first priority should of course be with the victims.
 

rcoobc

Not as crap as eferyone thinks
Joined
Jul 28, 2010
Messages
41,701
Location
C-137



But yeah they aren't a bunch of tories for some reason. Can someone explain why anyone who considers themselves on the left(Or even New Labour-ish)would vote for this lot. Is the pull of eu face paint that strong ?
Because they're the party of remain, the party of the environment, party of the NHS, party of small government, party of common sense
 

Ubik

Nothing happens until something moves!
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
18,925
Because they're the party of remain, the party of the environment, party of the NHS, party of small government, party of common sense
Party of completely misreading the room.

Probably chucking my vote away at the Greens this time.
 

Cheesy

Bread with dipping sauce
Scout
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36,181
You can look at the whole renationalisation narrative as a win for Labour. They’ve managed to put Brexit on the back burner for now which was always what they wanted. I heard Nicky Morgan and Micheal Gove on the radio yesterday and today and they were both absolutely desperate to try and get the narrative back on Brexit, even though they were asked about Broadband and tree planting as an environmental policy.
True, even if Labour don't win this election (and it's incredibly unlikely they will), the fact we've got a major party floating ideas that would have been seen as unpalatable but are actually quite popular in reality seems quite significant. Voters are now aware that these policies are potentially achievable.
 

Maticmaker

Full Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
Messages
4,709
Voters are now aware that these policies are potentially achievable.
Sorry don't really understand this, they are 'potentially achievable'... why, how, because Jeremy said so?

Desirable maybe, potentially achievable is another matter. "Free" (at the point of delivery) is also a relative term in these circumstances, just like the NHS, nothing is free, we all pay, some more than others, through taxation. Just like the statement "polluters should pay", then 'users' should also pay, whether its railways, broadband or whatever, anything given free is rarely valued and sub-standard service becomes acceptable as people think "well its free, what can you expect."

Talk about turning the clock back, Corbyn and Macdonell at times seemed to be sensible people, then all of a sudden they leap into a time warp.
 

Cheesy

Bread with dipping sauce
Scout
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36,181
Sorry don't really understand this, they are 'potentially achievable'... why, how, because Jeremy said so?

Desirable maybe, potentially achievable is another matter. "Free" (at the point of delivery) is also a relative term in these circumstances, just like the NHS, nothing is free, we all pay, some more than others, through taxation. Just like the statement "polluters should pay", then 'users' should also pay, whether its railways, broadband or whatever, anything given free is rarely valued and sub-standard service becomes acceptable as people think "well its free, what can you expect."

Talk about turning the clock back, Corbyn and Macdonell at times seemed to be sensible people, then all of a sudden they leap into a time warp.
Potentially achievable insofar as politicians are advocating for these ideas and thus normalising them. While Labour aren't going to win by the looks of it, the policies themselves are popular and therefore could be vote winners in future elections.

The NHS is, if anything, actually an example of why policies being advocated by Labour can be implemented: if you're wary of the government ensuring free broadband for all, then if it didn't exist already you'd likely be dismissive if a nationalised health service where most provisions are free at the point of use. We're aware we pay for them through taxation, yes, that's hardly new; the idea is that if a privatised service isn't necessarily working for people (like broadband, which is currently shit) then a government taking control of that service have a greater obligation to ensure it works for the public, because if they don't then they'll get voted out. In that regard, the "sub-standard" comment doesn't really wash: across swathes of the country railway services aren't very good even though people pay a lot for them. It's also a sector where there's ultimately not that much of an incentive for improvement; it's hard to introduce competition because I can't decide to just operate my own rail companies on lines already occupied.

Whether it's actually worth, say, providing free broadband for everyone is another debate that I'm all for having, but the idea it's somehow not achievable is ridiculous.
 

Mr Pigeon

Illiterate Flying Rat
Scout
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
26,339
Location
bin
Ed Davey was saying the other day on 5Live that thanks to the Lib Dems, Scotland has made the UK the offshore wind farm capital of the world. Twice. So even if yer man is being sarcastic here the Lib Dems are delusional enough to believe that they have never done anything wrong and are responsible for everything great.
 

Maticmaker

Full Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
Messages
4,709
Whether it's actually worth, say, providing free broadband for everyone is another debate that I'm all for having, but the idea it's somehow not achievable is ridiculous.
It certainly is another debate!

Potentially achievable insofar as politicians are advocating for these ideas and thus normalising them.
I was however asking what grounds did you have for saying it was 'potentially achievable' and your answer seems to be that if the politicians keeping talking about it, then it will become so. We are therefore it seems back to Jeremy's 2019 GE 'Epistle' on Broadband for everybody.
 

Cheesy

Bread with dipping sauce
Scout
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36,181
I was however asking what grounds did you have for saying it was 'potentially achievable' and your answer seems to be that if the politicians keeping talking about it, then it will become so. We are therefore it seems back to Jeremy's 2019 GE 'Epistle' on Broadband for everybody.
Do you genuinely not think that free broadband is not a policy that could be implemented by a national government in any form whatsoever?
 

hobbers

Full Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2013
Messages
28,321
A whole country taxpayer funded roll-out of full fibre didn't exactly go very well when Australia tried to do it. A calamitous train wreck of a project that went over double the budget and delivered nothing but slower speeds.

People should realise by now that there are no politicians who understand the first thing about the internet or the infrastructure that supports it.
 

Maticmaker

Full Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
Messages
4,709
Do you genuinely not think that free broadband is not a policy that could be implemented by a national government in any form whatsoever?
Not simply by keep talking about it... No!

Any or all Policies need to have implementation plans, and those which plan to eventually give away free the product asset generated they definitely need implementation plans(with risk assessments) to be clearer still. Apart from finding £20B through borrowing, or at least that's what they have said, to fund this policy, how it will be rolled out is quite sketchy and sets up massive financial and as well as technical hurdles, renationalisation, off grid provision, delivery in house (i.e. does everyone without laptop, get one free as well?)

To be honest its a headline grabbing attempt to shoot one of Boris's foxes, and its has had limited success, but if I were Jeremy I would play it down a bit now, move on to other things, before Andrew Neild, Emily Matlis and co, start applying the thumbscrews.
 

Cheesy

Bread with dipping sauce
Scout
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36,181
Not simply by keep talking about it... No!

Any or all Policies need to have implementation plans, and those which plan to eventually give away free the product asset generated they definitely need implementation plans(with risk assessments) to be clearer still. Apart from finding £20B through borrowing, or at least that's what they have said, to fund this policy, how it will be rolled out is quite sketchy and sets up massive financial and as well as technical hurdles, renationalisation, off grid provision, delivery in house (i.e. does everyone without laptop, get one free as well?)

To be honest its a headline grabbing attempt to shoot one of Boris's foxes, and its has had limited success, but if I were Jeremy I would play it down a bit now, move on to other things, before Andrew Neild, Emily Matlis and co, start applying the thumbscrews.
So your answer is yes, then, if the planning is correct.
 

ZupZup

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
Messages
2,401
Location
W3104
A whole country taxpayer funded roll-out of full fibre didn't exactly go very well when Australia tried to do it. A calamitous train wreck of a project that went over double the budget and delivered nothing but slower speeds.

People should realise by now that there are no politicians who understand the first thing about the internet or the infrastructure that supports it.
Geographically speaking, rolling out broadband across a country as vast as Australia is going to be completely different and more difficult to doing so in the UK.

The reality is the work will still be carried out by the likes of Openreach, just as it is now... but under public ownership. The current issue is that BT are not interested in expanding the network to areas where it isn't economically beneficial to do so. Not so long ago I was living in a town centre just 100 yards from the main train station and couldn't get fibre broadband. When I contacted Openreach they would just say it was in the pipeline but 3 years later, still nothing. I've just checked and now over 5 years on, still no fibre to that postcode and it has even changed to "we don’t have plans to upgrade your area yet."

I really can't understand how anyone could be against upgrading important infrastructure in this country... do we just want shit things?
 

Cheesy

Bread with dipping sauce
Scout
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36,181
Geographically speaking, rolling out broadband across a country as vast as Australia is going to be completely different and more difficult to doing so in the UK.

The reality is the work will still be carried out by the likes of Openreach, just as it is now... but under public ownership. The current issue is that BT are not interested in expanding the network to areas where it isn't economically beneficial to do so. Not so long ago I was living in a town centre just 100 yards from the main train station and couldn't get fibre broadband. When I contacted Openreach they would just say it was in the pipeline but 3 years later, still nothing. I've just checked and now over 5 years on, still no fibre to that postcode and it has even changed to "we don’t have plans to upgrade your area yet."

I really can't understand how anyone could be against upgrading important infrastructure in this country... do we just want shit things?
I believe the state already subsidise Openreach to an extent anyway, so it's not as if this is an area into which the government put no money.

And since coverage is often dreadful in rural areas as you mentioned, it's probably worth noting that improved broadband coverage could potentially boost businesses in non-urban areas - low internet speeds and poor connectivity would no longer be as much of a problem.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.