Vote Labour at your peril at the next election

[walesrob]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091011...r-6323e80.html

"Thousands of newsagents are threatening to boycott the Labour Party at the General Election if legislation is passed banning them from openly displaying cigarettes.....The move is part of the Government's Health Bill, which was given its second reading in the Commons in June.
Ministers and health campaigners insist that putting cigarettes on open view encourages young people to buy them."

I'm not a smoker, but even I find this idea stupid, how far will this crooked government go next time? Start hiding mars bars and pot noodles under the counter, because putting them "on open view encourages young people to buy them."

"Young people" have been buying and smoking cigarettes for a long time, this is not really going to solve the problem - it’s always going to be a few bad retailers that will continue selling cigs even if they are displayed under the counter.
How about a new law to ban the Labour Party? Why? Because having the Labour Party might encourage "young people" to vote for them.

What saddens me the most is most people really can’t be bothered to speak out on things like this, instead we lie down and let this government walk all over us and treat us like naughty little children, and all we Brits say is Thank You.

[pennybarry]

Am I entitled to vote already?
I want to smoke but I cannot afford to buy.
So I still like Labour

Peace MOD

[aromulus]

What saddens me the most is most people really can’t be bothered to speak out on things like this, instead we lie down and let this government walk all over us and treat us like naughty little children, and all we Brits say is Thank You.

It doesn't matter what the majority of voters want anymore, with this shower in charge....
Everything gets overruled by them.
ie
Fox hunting ban...
EU referendum....
etc.etc....

The sooner they go, the sooner we may be able to brethe easier.

[KeithD]

I think the ciggie displays should be shrunk and only as high as the counter, these cancer toxic sticks get more promotional space than anything else in the shop, but hiding them completely is a waste of time.

[IainBusby]

It doesn't matter what the majority of voters want anymore, with this shower in charge....
Everything gets overruled by them.
ie
Fox hunting ban...
EU referendum....
etc.etc....

The sooner they go, the sooner we may be able to brethe easier.

Are you a supporter of the the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable brigade then Dom?

[aromulus]

Are you a supporter of the the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable brigade then Dom?

Nope.

I am a supporter of real democratic process and, in the instance you highlighted, there was none.

Ignoring personal feelings about the subject, I felt that an issue such as fox hunting, affecting thousands, if not millions of UK citizens, should have been put to the Nation, and not arbitrarily decided behind closed doors to glean MP support for other dubious policies.

[KeithD]

Why don't the fox hunters do something useful for society and take up illegal imigrant hunting?

[somebody]

By hiding them and giving them more rebel im a bad boy/girl appeal if you smoke them will surely tempt more youngsters?

[joebloggs]

Why don't the fox hunters do something useful for society and take up illegal imigrant hunting?

now that would get votes

how many times have the citizens of the EU been given a vote ?

and how many countries held a vote on the Lisbon treaty

out of 27 countries only Ireland gave it's citizens a say..

where is the democracy ?

[whiteraven]

lets have banker hunting instead, i wouldnt mind wearing a silly red coat for that

[aromulus]

out of 27 countries only Ireland gave it's citizens a say..

They weren't too happy with the honest result of the first vote....

So they were going to vote, until they got the result wanted....

Time and time again....

[somebody]

now that would get votes

how many times have the citizens of the EU been given a vote ?

and how many countries held a vote on the Lisbon treaty

out of 27 countries only Ireland gave it's citizens a say..

where is the democracy ?

How many years untill we are told we the voters are told by our betters maybe we should vote less so the Leaders get more time to implement there plans.

Voter apathy is fairly high in many countries from the little I know, people from around the world one thing they agree on is they have little say and whoever we vote for it wont make much of a difference

Im surprised how simple and without any major security features the postal vote form our local council is. Which the Wife recieved after becoming a Brit.

Been a few cases i have read of which seemed to barely register in the news where postal votes were forged.

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/mi...5233-24725542/

Is it just because most of us think it doesn't make much of a diffrence in the long run

[joebloggs]

The UK last held a referendum on 6 June 1975, two-and-a-half years after joining the European Community, on whether to remain a member. Two-thirds of those who voted said "Yes".

24yrs ago some democracy

[GaryFifer]

lets have banker hunting instead, i wouldnt mind wearing a silly red coat for that

Kinda like that Crimson Permanent Assurance Sketch Monty Python did

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iakR7sB0skw

[IainBusby]

Nope.

I am a supporter of real democratic process and, in the instance you highlighted, there was none.

Ignoring personal feelings about the subject, I felt that an issue such as fox hunting, affecting thousands, if not millions of UK citizens, should have been put to the Nation, and not arbitrarily decided behind closed doors to glean MP support for other dubious policies.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was voted for by the majority of MP's in a parliament of 650 odd who were elected by those entitled to vote and in a free and fair election. I don't think it could be classed as an issue of national importance of kind the that calls for a referendum.

Had it not been for the fact that it's a sport (for want of a better word) that is supported and indulged in by the upper classes and royalty no less, it would have been banned many years ago at the same time as cock fighting and dog fighting etc.

To be honest, I couldn't care less if they chase little foxes and let the hounds tear them apart, but to me this whole argument just smacks of one law for the rich, who can afford to sit on a horse and watch the animal being killed and another law for the rest of us, who shouldn't be encouraged to indulge in such bloodlust in the name of sport.

[aromulus]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was voted for by the majority of MP's in a parliament of 650 odd who were elected by those entitled to vote and in a free and fair election.

arbitrarily decided behind closed doors to glean MP support for other dubious policies.

There is your answer.

If you remeber, it kept going back and forth to the Lords, until it was passed by act of Parliament, thus bypassing any more shenanigans from the Lords, which, even including labour stooges, wanted it amended.

It was not voted on, in its present form.

[Northerner]

To me. The most important thing in my mind is civil liberties. And Labour have attacked them left, right and centre.

This was the government that gave us the asbo. A way to criminalize someone who does not break any laws (and in one case I know of was abused to criminalize a woman later found to be the victim of liars for neighbours). Remember the ID cards? Despite a huge opposition to them, the government still went ahead to try and force them onto us. Only the recession saved us from that one!

And the "Respect for Religions" act, which would have made it a criminal offence to lampoon or even criticise any religion, lost by 1 vote (Tony Blair thought he had lost it by more and so went home early, otherwise it would have passed). These people wanted to extend the nanny state, telling us all what we can and cannot do. We live in a country where two women get criminalized if they agree to look after each others children (to save money) while the other goes to work...

And now it appears that Gordon Brown might have to pay back some of his expenses if they are shown to be excessive (in other words - fraudulent)....

I am no Tory, and if a conservative ever tells me they have plans to privatize the NHS, they lose not just my vote but I would canvass for their opposition (if they even had my vote in the first place).

[LastViking]

Nope.

I am a supporter of real democratic process and, in the instance you highlighted, there was none.

Ignoring personal feelings about the subject, I felt that an issue such as fox hunting, affecting thousands, if not millions of UK citizens, should have been put to the Nation, and not arbitrarily decided behind closed doors to glean MP support for other dubious policies.

Well said Aromulus, whatever you may feel about the subject, the process is now in serious question.

[bornatbirth]

an issue such as fox hunting, affecting thousands, if not millions of UK citizens, should have been put to the Nation

you mean some tory voting country folk,im not sure they go into millions

lets not forget everyone the tories have shafted everytime they are in power and would you believe that some are going to vote for a millionare former public school boy to be PM

[joebloggs]

lets not forget everyone the tories have shafted everytime they are in power and would you believe that some are going to vote for a millionare former public school boy to be PM

yes, thatcher sold the family sliver off
and brown the gold.

just as bad as each other
but at least the labour mob brought in the minimum wage

[walesrob]

and brown the gold.

...and now they plan to sell a lot more.....£16 billion worth

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8301787.stm

kerching

[walesrob]

where is the democracy ?

Zimbabwe

[joebloggs]

Zimbabwe

at least they get to vote, just like the Iranians , even if it is fixed

[somebody]

yes, thatcher sold the family sliver off
and brown the gold.

just as bad as each other
but at least the labour mob brought in the minimum wage

The Minimum wage was both a goodf thing and for some a bad thing.

It would be intresting to see how many jobs were brought down to the minimum wage as were brought up.

Dont get me wrong it did help a lot of people and families but im pretty sure it also hampered some others

I can remeber with the Wife looking in a jobe centre when she was first here and nearly every job was hourly and minimum wage when i had looked ten years before or so the wages per hour for temp work and shop jobs were not that much lower from memory.

While it may have raised wages up north and elsewhere it drove down some wages in London it seemed and possibly elsewhere. A good Idea which possibly was not so well thought out.

[Northerner]

Regarding the minimum wage.. When I was 18 I worked for £80 a week

My employer at the time was a mean little who no doubt would have cried poverty when the minimum wage came into being. The minimum wage by a vast scale has made a positive impact on this country.

[somebody]

you mean some tory voting country folk,im not sure they go into millions

lets not forget everyone the tories have shafted everytime they are in power and would you believe that some are going to vote for a millionare former public school boy to be PM

Sadly mate so have Labour. People need to get away from Red or Blue is good. The sooner they realise this country needs some serious change and inward looking. A vote for a "none above party" to get voted in and demand real change to the voting system parliment and possibly annual refrendums on all major bills for the year.
5 years and no say for the masses has shown in a world which is getting faster and faster being shown to be a major issue.


To be honest a millionaire former Public school boy is not what turns me off hopefully hes had a decent education which separates him from many who ended up at the state school which due to either crazy policys or underfunding/staffing (Red or Blue covered there) possibly got a far less decent education.

But saying that Tony Bliar was public school and oxford educated

[walesrob]

Regarding the minimum wage.. When I was 18 I worked for £80 a week

My employer at the time was a mean little who no doubt would have cried poverty when the minimum wage came into being. The minimum wage by a vast scale has made a positive impact on this country.

The only problem with minimum wage is that a lot of employers ONLY pay the minimum wage and nothing more. A lot of supermarkets are an example of this, although the one I work for (Where mums go to, and where Kerry got fired from ) we are very lucky in that we get 30p above minimum, plus we've had a 5% payrise this week, but I know the other big supermarket chains only pay minimum wage for checkout staff and shelf fillers. I was shocked to learn that the average wage in the UK is supposed to be £400 a week, so on £6.50 an hour I get, I would have to work 61+ (more if you take into account tax and NI) hours a week. Labour talk about an equal society for all, but nah, they've got a long way to go.

[bornatbirth]

But saying that Tony Bliar was public school and oxford educated

i never voted for him either

i admit i cant see any real change whoever wins,the country is in a mess.

the tories need to raise taxes but arnt going to tax there own,so we working class are going to get stuffed...as labour are already taxes us to death,house prices and the cost of everyday bills is soaring out of control....whoever gets these back down gets my vote

[walesrob]

But saying that Tony Bliar was public school and oxford educated

and that Harriet Harrowwoman.

[Northerner]

The only problem with minimum wage is that a lot of employers ONLY pay the minimum wage and nothing more. A lot of supermarkets are an example of this, although the one I work for (Where mums go to, and where Kerry got fired from ) we are very lucky in that we get 30p above minimum, plus we've had a 5% payrise this week, but I know the other big supermarket chains only pay minimum wage for checkout staff and shelf fillers. I was shocked to learn that the average wage in the UK is supposed to be £400 a week, so on £6.50 an hour I get, I would have to work 61+ (more if you take into account tax and NI) hours a week. Labour talk about an equal society for all, but nah, they've got a long way to go.

I always doubt the offical average salary since the days of Thatcher. All governments like to make their figures look better. This little graph I drew up shows what used to be done years ago to create the so called average.. It would not suprise me if it is still done today.