Tony Blair

[kimthecat]

I'm glad you have good memories of the 80's (although I don't agree that council housing should have been sold at discounted rates thus causing social housing problems of today).

I remember the 80's as being a time when my Dad died (when we were all fairly young, and one still at school) leaving my mum in fear of being made redundant due to Thatcher's reforms, so not being sure how she would keep our household (with 3 kids at home) together. Her workplace wasn't unionised, and had to suffer real wage and condition 'cuts', and I can remember her crying at nights with worry when she thought we were all in bed.All this while yuppies made money on betting (the stock exchange), and wasted it.

 

I'm sorry about your dad dying. Not all my memories were good as my mum died but my dad had a job with London Transport so though we never had much money we didn't suffer like you did .

I'm sure selling off council stock has contributed to the lack of social housing today but few council housing has been built to replace the stock lost compared to swathes of private housing being built on Green belt land and farming land.

Alison

[kats n greys]

The councils that sold off their housing were stopped by Thatcher and successive Tory governments from spending the money raised on building more houses.

 

I would imagine most of that money went when the council grants from central government were stopped or cut to a minimum.

 

Thatcher made a promise to reduce "public spending"- which she did , but most people seemed oblivious that "public spending " was the money spent on the NHS, education etc, etc.

 

Maybe ICI should have employed her, you never know they might have eventually saved themselves.

Edited May 11, 2007 by kats n greys

[greys mum]

Although I always vote, I don't think there is a lot between them. Once they get their bums on the seats and have voted themselves yet another nice pay rise, it seems as if most of them forget they are supposed to be working for their constituants.

Tony Blair has done some good and some bad. (Just like any other leader we have had.)

[kimthecat]

The councils that sold off their housing were stopped by Thatcher and successive Tory governments from spending the money raised on building more houses.

 

I would imagine most of that money went when the council grants from central government were stopped or cut to a minimum.

 

Thatcher made a promise to reduce "public spending"- which she did , but most people seemed oblivious that "public spending " was the money spent on the NHS, education etc, etc.

 

Maybe ICI should have employed her, you never know they might have eventually saved themselves.

 

I didnt know that about councils being stopped building more but couldn't Labour have changed that

Also we need more housing because more people are single nowadays than in the 80s.

I can't see that the NHS and Education is any better now than it was under the Tories.

Alison

[Maria]

The NHS is far better now than it was, but still much of the money does appear to have just been squandered....

I became a school governor in the tail end of the Tory years, when most money was thrown at 'grant maintained' schools. Secondary schools had to have a ballot every couple of years to justify why they wouldn't become grant maintained, and to it's credit, my 'community' school refused to do so. As a result it was cash starved during the Tory years, but since the Labour govt it has received far more in funding and has really turned it's results around. And it continues to improve.

Think again about our utilities that are being asset stripped due to privatisation - many are now owned by companies from 'foreign' countries, who wouldn't dream of allowing foreigners to own their utilities. We were promised increased investment from privatisation, which just hasn't happened. Just look at the state of our water companies - many foreign owned, they haven't replaced infastructure so we have vast leakage, and they have missed their targets - the regulator is a damp squig! Take Thames water as an example - profits recently about £300m, of which about £290m went as dividends to it's parent company (abroad). It has the worse record for leakage, and while 'consumers' can look forward to high prices, restrictions and hose pipe bans, the foreign owners just take the profits which should have been flowing back to the UK Treasury.......

[Abigailj]

I think he chose this week to resign so that we may be less hated as a nation and perhaps score some Eurovision points

[JoC]

I think with the NHS, it's important to remember that medical science has come on a long way in the last 10 years, there are lots more drugs and treaments out there and they aren't cheap.

 

I'd like to see people encouraged to go private and get medical insurance to pay for it. I think if people who can afford to do that did, it would take the strain of the NHS bit. It's something I'm looking into myself but I'm worried that I'll be excluded for certain things (the things I'm most likely to suffer from) which would make it a bit pointless!

[magwai]

To be totally frank I think that there is little difference in many respects between Thatcher and Blair (though I do agree that Smith was a major and serious loss ) - they both proclaime(d) that 'love 'em ot hate 'em, you could not ignore them' and I'd agree with that .... but, Thatcher was *infamous* for not turning - Blair is still wriggling... IMO

[kimthecat]

The NHS is far better now than it was,

 

I'm not so sure. In what way do you think its better? I've had a lot of good and bad experiences with hospitals in my area over many years with myself and my family and I can't see a lot that's better apart from new drugs and new life saving techniques . I guess it also depends on where you live and whether you can get the available drugs or not.

Despite criticsims I would still prefer to have a NHS than not have one. I appreciate the treatment I've received.

Alison

Edited May 13, 2007 by kimthecat

[ailsas mum]

Although I always vote, I don't think there is a lot between them. Once they get their bums on the seats and have voted themselves yet another nice pay rise, it seems as if most of them forget they are supposed to be working for their constituants.

 

Totally agree with you.

 

I must admit that Thatcher was good for us, it was after she got in that my oh at last had a wage we could live on, before that he and a lot of his work mates took on second jobs which was not allowed and could have seen them all sacked.

I hate Blair with a vengance, arrogant stuck up prick that he is, I hope to hell he never comes back to his home town to live, which I very much doubt he will.

 

Terri

[Jemimap]

For those of you who didnt agree with Tony Blairs decision about Iraq......what other choice did we have?

 

If he had said no and we didnt support the USA were would that have left us?

he other choice would of been to not bomb Iraq.

 

 

At the time, the tories supported going into Iraq. The only reason they object now is because it's popular. They jump on the bandwagon of whatever is in the papers at the time.

 

Not sure if you meant me Jo but i said i hated Tony Blair because of Iraq and nothing to do with Labour or Conservative.

 

 

ETA: Off topic, but just wondered if the tory voters own large estates (land, not car, lol) or businesses or have salaries over the six figure mark.....I seriously do not understand why any working class folk could vote tory - sorry.

 

Nope, no land, no business and no six figure salary

[mum24dog]

Margaret Thatcher stated there is 'no such thing as society', and that is why we have the selfish, me,me, me world of today.

 

And she was quite right - and misinterpreted.

"Society" is nothing but a collection of individuals.

Each individual is responsible for his own actions and decisions and shouldn't hide behind the excuse of "society" and blame others for his shortcomings.

Just think what a difference it would make if everyone took personal responsibility seriously.

 

Ironically, my mother voted Labour all her life, and yet she was most Conservative in her belief in pulling herself up by her own bootstraps, never falling back on the welfare state even when in deep financial trouble and never complaining that her problems were someone else's fault. Very much a Tebbit "Get on your bike and look for work" sort of person - 3 jobs at a time sometimes. And much of that was in the Wilson eras.

 

Pam

[Sheplover]

And she was quite right - and misinterpreted.

"Society" is nothing but a collection of individuals.

Each individual is responsible for his own actions and decisions and shouldn't hide behind the excuse of "society" and blame others for his shortcomings.

Just think what a difference it would make if everyone took personal responsibility seriously.

 

Ironically, my mother voted Labour all her life, and yet she was most Conservative in her belief in pulling herself up by her own bootstraps, never falling back on the welfare state even when in deep financial trouble and never complaining that her problems were someone else's fault. Very much a Tebbit "Get on your bike and look for work" sort of person - 3 jobs at a time sometimes. And much of that was in the Wilson eras.

 

Pam

I thought a Conservative was defined as getting someone else to pull their bootstraps up

[Riciamarn]

ETA: Off topic, but just wondered if the tory voters own large estates (land, not car, lol) or businesses or have salaries over the six figure mark.....I seriously do not understand why any working class folk could vote tory - sorry.

I usually vote Conservative & I certainly don't own a large plot of land, my own business or have a six figure salary - not sure why you think that

 

How do you define 'Working Class'?

[Trallwm farm]

QUOTE(Sheplover @ May 11 2007, 09:26 PM)

ETA: Off topic, but just wondered if the tory voters own large estates (land, not car, lol) or businesses or have salaries over the six figure mark.....I seriously do not understand why any working class folk could vote tory - sorry.

 

 

THAT is the sort of snobbery that seperates society.

Why shouldnt someone bright be able to have anything they want in life without someone else telling them its out of thier class.

Why shouldnt working class people have achievable dreams.

 

By assuming working class means no hope you do working class a dis service