UK General Election 2015

[WeAreOceans]

I drove through that protest, I fucking hate the Tories but it was pretty pathetic. Irritated students standing opposite bored police. I'm not even sure protests work that often, thousands turned out against the war on Iraq and look what happened there. I also used to work in a room literally on the first floor opposite 10 Downing Street and when there was a protest going off at the end of the road the only impact it had was someone closing the window so we didn't have to hear them anymore.

 

what are they even protesting? a democratically elected Parliament? sure FPTP sucks but change the system, not the result.

[Amen Warrior]

The plus (of the few I see) is that come September, they are introducing a 'help to buy' ISA for people househunting, where they match every £200 you put in with £50, up to a maximum bonus of £3,000. As someone about to buy himself and with money saved up, I'll be able to take advantage of it instantly (not that you get the cash, but a voucher paid towards your deposit when buying). It will help me, anyway.

 

And I was surprised Farage stepped down. Then again, it's probably certain he'll be back. At least UKIP will be quiet for a while.

It's not that much use for people about to buy...it's about 4 years saving the max amount (£200 pm) to get the full bonus. House prices will increase more than 3k in 4 years, at least in places people want to buy house... Total token measure, it's only slightly better than if they just did nothing to address the problem

[Amen Warrior]

Extending right to buy to housing association tenants is another massive mistake, but hopefully one which benefit me as I'm currently renting from a housing association ;) no way I'm not going to take advantage if I'm eligible to, not much info on it yet though

[pcock]

i despise the tories but they won fair and square. im just happy scotland stood up to the cunts.

[tec]

i despise the tories but they won fair and square. im just happy scotland stood up to the cunts.

 

Hardly fair as they had a lot of press smearing Miliband but protests now look like sour grapes. Wait until they give people a reason to kick off, which sadly won't take long.

[Guest Atom Dowry Firth]

They won despite 70% of the country not voting for them. They won because they spent months assassinating Ed Miliband's character, scared the country into believing the financial crisis was somehow caused by Labour and convinced everyone that a Labour/SNP coalition would somehow be a 'terrifying' prospect. They won because Rupert Murdoch owns a monopoly on right wing tabloid press which went into overdrive and spent the last few months running a smear campaign of fear and intimidation to coerce floating voters away from Labour. They won yes, but they did not win fair and square by a long shot

[Adieu]

Not trying to be inflammatory here, but aren't you guys just proving that R. Brand is right and your vote is meaningless?

[pcock]

i concede that point, but my point is that they won because people voted for them. the right wing tabloid media and smear tactics is dirty play aye, but ultimately they got the most votes. im more angry at the fact that people were either seflish or ignorant enough to vote for them. they have proven with the last 5 years how shitty they are, and it only takes 10 minutes on the internet to educate yourself. it makes me sick for england that so many people could actively go out and vote for the cunts. makes me sad for humanity.

and although the current voting protocol is skewed, if it was fair, propertionate representation, UKIP would be a fairly powerful party right now. which also makes me sad.

 

dunno if lumpenprol still posts over here, but me and few people have been in mad debates over at Fred's Island for Misfit Toys™ because he outed himself as a mad hateful racist. it makes me sad so many people in this country think that way.

[Guest Atom Dowry Firth]

i concede that point, but my point is that they won because people voted for them. the right wing tabloid media and smear tactics is dirty play aye, but ultimately they got the most votes. im more angry at the fact that people were either seflish or ignorant enough to vote for them. they have proven with the last 5 years how shitty they are, and it only takes 10 minutes on the internet to educate yourself. it makes me sick for england that so many people could actively go out and vote for the cunts. makes me sad for humanity.

and although the current voting protocol is skewed, if it was fair, propertionate representation, UKIP would be a fairly powerful party right now. which also makes me sad.

 

dunno if lumpenprol still posts over here, but me and few people have been in mad debates over at Fred's Island for Misfit Toys™ because he outed himself as a mad hateful racist. it makes me sad so many people in this country think that way.

 

There was barely any increase in votes for the Tories afaik, I think it was 0.something%? Labour just weren't playing to win. They did nothing to grab the balls of the voting public and make them pay attention. They were just sitting there passively hoping enough people would be turned off the Conservative leadership because of the last five years. Then factor in the time they spent bickering deciding who was going to be leader when they should have been defending the way they handled the global financial crisis - because of that everyone thinks they're incompetent. Ed Miliband was going to dismantle Rupert Murdoch's media empire which made him enemy number one in the eyes of 100% of the Conservative press. Virtually the entirety of Scotland turned their back on Labour which had a massive negative effect on their credibility south of the border. A lot of people who used to be Labour supporters didn't vote for them because they don't trust them any more (liberal lefties who feel betrayed by Blair/Brown). Everyone who voted for the Lib Dems last time probably either didn't bother voting this time or protest voted instead. The support for the Conservatives was not massive, but the support for the alternatives was fragmented into meaninglessness

[Dale]

I think the Tories probably had the most votes because there are more middle class and 'aspiring' middle class families out there who have registered to vote compared to low income/unemployed families.

And when I speak to people who are aspiring middle class, they are generally of the conservative mindset e.g. keep things as they are, cut back as much as possible, look out for myself and my family etc.

None of them think as though they want anything to radically change; just as long as them and their family are okay.

Conservative mindset is very shallow. Very damaging on a social level. So this is the England we have right now.

I wish I was Scottish!

[usagi]

dunno if lumpenprol still posts over here, but me and few people have been in mad debates over at Fred's Island for Misfit Toys because he outed himself as a mad hateful racist. it makes me sad so many people in this country think that way.

lumpy that is, not Fred, FYI for the rest of y'all. he always gave off whiffs of it even before, especially when he was talking about brown people.

[Bechuga]

 

The plus (of the few I see) is that come September, they are introducing a 'help to buy' ISA for people househunting, where they match every £200 you put in with £50, up to a maximum bonus of £3,000. As someone about to buy himself and with money saved up, I'll be able to take advantage of it instantly (not that you get the cash, but a voucher paid towards your deposit when buying). It will help me, anyway.

 

And I was surprised Farage stepped down. Then again, it's probably certain he'll be back. At least UKIP will be quiet for a while.

It's not that much use for people about to buy...it's about 4 years saving the max amount (£200 pm) to get the full bonus. House prices will increase more than 3k in 4 years, at least in places people want to buy house... Total token measure, it's only slightly better than if they just did nothing to address the problem

 

 

I have read more about it and yes, it seems like a pretty slow crappy deal now lol. If I could my money straight into it and get the bonus right off it would be sweet but, £200 for a few years? Lame.

 

Screw the tories

[Guest chunky]

the tories had nathaniel's backing (masons)

 

1 it means they have israel's backing

2 it means highlevel masons backing

those 2 alone can swing things

 

they have teams of statisticians analysing every seat. one guy is called rob ford, they had a thing on the telegraph called polling observatory. the logo was a pyramid with the eye on it. sign of lucifer/masons/rothschild influence. on the computer side they have gchq and jamie bartlett. the thing is the tories could see the other party's computer activity. also they could slow down the connections of rival's computers.

 

one strategy by matt goodwin and rob ford was to help ukip take labour votes. they often analysed this.

 

miliband farage etc needed better protection on their computers. masons + gchq = bad for your electoral prospects.

tories had some strong strategies too. labour+snp threat encouraged ppl to vote tory.

 

lib dems went from 6 million to 2 million votes, probably went tory.

 

those mason ppl all chill out with each other at chatham house. tea and scones.

 

kindly old gentleman at the top. kindly starting wars. call lumpenprol a 'racist' but you dont understand that waycism as a concept was created by lucifer worshippers. when you shit on your friend for waycism you are doing lucifer's job.

[Alcofribas]

 

dunno if lumpenprol still posts over here, but me and few people have been in mad debates over at Fred's Island for Misfit Toys because he outed himself as a mad hateful racist. it makes me sad so many people in this country think that way.

lumpy that is, not Fred, FYI for the rest of y'all. he always gave off whiffs of it even before, especially when he was talking about brown people.

currently reading one of those lumpy threads and oh my fuck. props to cats like b born, keltoi & eugene for fighting the good fight over there. goddamn

[usagi]

 

 

dunno if lumpenprol still posts over here, but me and few people have been in mad debates over at Fred's Island for Misfit Toys because he outed himself as a mad hateful racist. it makes me sad so many people in this country think that way.

lumpy that is, not Fred, FYI for the rest of y'all. he always gave off whiffs of it even before, especially when he was talking about brown people.

currently reading one of those lumpy threads and oh my fuck. props to cats like b born, keltoi & eugene for fighting the good fight over there. goddamn

 

 

mad dissapoint

[Alcofribas]

 

 

 

 

dunno if lumpenprol still posts over here, but me and few people have been in mad debates over at Fred's Island for Misfit Toys because he outed himself as a mad hateful racist. it makes me sad so many people in this country think that way.

lumpy that is, not Fred, FYI for the rest of y'all. he always gave off whiffs of it even before, especially when he was talking about brown people.

currently reading one of those lumpy threads and oh my fuck. props to cats like b born, keltoi & eugene for fighting the good fight over there. goddamn

mad dissapoint

I had to give up half way. wtf is that place.

[usagi]

 

 

 

 

dunno if lumpenprol still posts over here, but me and few people have been in mad debates over at Fred's Island for Misfit Toys because he outed himself as a mad hateful racist. it makes me sad so many people in this country think that way.

lumpy that is, not Fred, FYI for the rest of y'all. he always gave off whiffs of it even before, especially when he was talking about brown people.

currently reading one of those lumpy threads and oh my fuck. props to cats like b born, keltoi & eugene for fighting the good fight over there. goddamn

mad dissapoint

I had to give up half way. wtf is that place.

 

 

BDB's laissez-faire nature means that people like compson and hat and now lumpy are free to congregate there and spew shit. you just have to look past all that. the broader BDB massive is a'ight, some bros there.

[Alcofribas]

i kind of get a kick out of the concept but basically every one on there seems like a dupe of some one from here.

[goDel]

Wait, what? Lumpy = Cameron?

 

 

*exploding head gif*

 

*trollface between spoiler tags*

[cwmbrancity]

i despise the tories but they won fair and square. im just happy scotland stood up to the cunts.

 

 

the point here is the SNP now actually have to deliver

 

this is why, whatever any1 things about Murdoch etc, Labour's failure in retaining its core Scottish vote REEKS of complacency

 

"identity politics" is 1 thing (i voted Plaid for example), but actually delivering outcomes that help the aspirations of population is where the SNP (and Plaid for that matter) are on pretty shaky ground

[cwmbrancity]

ps: as for R Brand's last minute "swing" over to officially endorsing Labour ...... def 1 of the more hypocritical & cynical political gambits in recent memory

[Guest Atom Dowry Firth]

ps: as for R Brand's last minute "swing" over to officially endorsing Labour ...... def 1 of the more hypocritical & cynical political gambits in recent memory

 

 

 

We Can Change Whatever We Want

A mate who I trust said to me;

“You know what this election boils down to? Who do you want to be protesting against on May 8th?

Or whenever they finish counting, negotiating and posturing?

David Cameron and a Tory coalition or Ed Miliband and one led by Labour?”

I suppose, implicitly my argument has always been - the Tories - let them wrench out the organs of the nation with such ferocity and contempt that usually phlegmatic people are dragged into the war against the establishment by the dreadful, eviscerating G-force.

The conservatives are such cinematic villains, the Etonian gits with their Freudian slips; the “West Villa United” supporting, “career-defining”, Darth Vader toffs. If you’re auditioning for heads on spikes “come the great day”, there’s no competition.

Like the fierce and exciting Nicola Sturgeon, or anyone with ears, I thought the difference between the two main parties was insufficient. Ed Miliband’s campaign manager, David Axelrod – a more appropriate name for a spin-doctor it’s difficult to imagine – he may as well be called Zach Huxter, is the bloke who delivered unto us Barack Obama; a tidal wave of potent promise that became a drab damp patch of disappointment. If that doesn’t induce a sigh of impotent lassitude you’ve got more “Yes We Can optimism” than Rolf Harris’s art dealer.

In the episode of The Trews in which I interviewed Ed Miliband there is no Damascene moment. I did not tumble back in a white beam of enlightened reverie, scales falling, realising that the Westminster machine, with a different pilot will serve ordinary people. We decided to endorse Labour before we approached them for the interview.

The simple truth is I don’t have a “ready to wear” system of government to offer people on May 8th and neither does anyone else I’ve yet spoken to.

My fundamentalist abstemiousness became untenable because of mates making practical pleas of varying import;

1. “My brother has MS, if the Tories get in, his independent Living Fund will be cut and he’ll have to go in a home or move into mine…”

2. “My kids can’t do a production at school because of budget cuts...”

3. “My daughter can’t go to university because we can’t afford to pay a student loan back...”

4. “Our drug treatment day care program is being shut down due to cuts…

In the grand scheme of Revolution these are small problems, I agree, small problems that can be somewhat assuaged with the small solution of getting rid of the Tories.

Ultimately what I feel, is that by not removing the Tories, through an unwillingness to participate in the “masquerade of democracy”, I was implicitly expecting the most vulnerable people in society to pay the price on my behalf while I pondered alternatives in luxury.

The reason I didn’t suggest it sooner is because, twerp that I am, I have hope. I really do believe that real, radical change is possible that the tyranny of giant, transnational corporations can be ended, that ecological melt-down in pursuit of imaginary money can be arrested and reversed, that an ideology that aspires to more than materialism, individualism and profit can be realised and practiced.

People that know a lot more about this than me, and probably you, advised me that we’ll be better off rucking with a Labour government than a Conservative one - if that strikes you as a pitiful choice, more sympathetic I could not be – but some people are facing much worse dilemmas than reneging on a puritanical political stance.

Does this country need a radical new political movement? An equivalent of Syriza in Greece or Podemos in Spain? It feels like it does and when the next administration fails to deliver because of the limitations of parliamentary politics I’ll happily participate in setting it up. With you.

Do we need an international confederation of new political alliances that are committed to real change, real democracy, a revolutionary alternative to capitalism? That can challenge the IMF, WTO, WBO and all the other global acronyms so portentous and phony they may as well be the wrestling federations they sound like? Of course we do, my schedule’s pretty clear, I’ll join in. Will you?

What Ed Miliband said on The Trews that seemed positive is that his government will be responsive to activism and campaigning. That will be pretty easy to evaluate quickly. Are media monopolies being broken up? Are the urgently needed houses being built? Is austerity continuing? Is the NHS still being privatised? Are we still blaming immigrants, the disabled and disadvantaged for massive economic problems that they can’t have created? Is domestic policy being dictated by unelected elites in the financial and corporate world?

If the answer is yes then you know that democracy in its current form is near redundant, that we are not offered reasonable alternatives and that parties that try to, like the Greens are stymied to the point irrelevance by ancient electoral architecture.

My position will not have changed on May 8th, I’ll be doing my best to amplify movements I believe in, from housing, to trade unions, football fan campaigns, social enterprises, digital activism, student occupations, organic agriculture, crypto-currencies; the same things I’m doing today, the things I’ve been learning about for the last 18 months; since I said I don’t vote on the telly.

My recommendation that people vote Labour is an optimistic punt that the degeneration of Britain will be slowed down and the lives of the most vulnerable will be a little more bearable than they’d’ve been under the Tories.

Nothing more ambitious than that.

It will take serious activism, committed action comparable to the sacrifice of those whose memories are continually evoked as a spur for us to vote. The women who died for that right, the people all over the world branded terrorists and imprisoned or executed for demanding democracy.

I fully understand that real change, real democracy is not something that can be palmed off in a booth twice a decade, a crossed box and crossed fingers. Democracy is for life, not just elections.

[Adieu]

 

ps: as for R Brand's last minute "swing" over to officially endorsing Labour ...... def 1 of the more hypocritical & cynical political gambits in recent memory

 

 

 

We Can Change Whatever We Want

A mate who I trust said to me;

“You know what this election boils down to? Who do you want to be protesting against on May 8th?

Or whenever they finish counting, negotiating and posturing?

David Cameron and a Tory coalition or Ed Miliband and one led by Labour?”

I suppose, implicitly my argument has always been - the Tories - let them wrench out the organs of the nation with such ferocity and contempt that usually phlegmatic people are dragged into the war against the establishment by the dreadful, eviscerating G-force.

The conservatives are such cinematic villains, the Etonian gits with their Freudian slips; the “West Villa United” supporting, “career-defining”, Darth Vader toffs. If you’re auditioning for heads on spikes “come the great day”, there’s no competition.

Like the fierce and exciting Nicola Sturgeon, or anyone with ears, I thought the difference between the two main parties was insufficient. Ed Miliband’s campaign manager, David Axelrod – a more appropriate name for a spin-doctor it’s difficult to imagine – he may as well be called Zach Huxter, is the bloke who delivered unto us Barack Obama; a tidal wave of potent promise that became a drab damp patch of disappointment. If that doesn’t induce a sigh of impotent lassitude you’ve got more “Yes We Can optimism” than Rolf Harris’s art dealer.

In the episode of The Trews in which I interviewed Ed Miliband there is no Damascene moment. I did not tumble back in a white beam of enlightened reverie, scales falling, realising that the Westminster machine, with a different pilot will serve ordinary people. We decided to endorse Labour before we approached them for the interview.

The simple truth is I don’t have a “ready to wear” system of government to offer people on May 8th and neither does anyone else I’ve yet spoken to.

My fundamentalist abstemiousness became untenable because of mates making practical pleas of varying import;

1. “My brother has MS, if the Tories get in, his independent Living Fund will be cut and he’ll have to go in a home or move into mine…”

2. “My kids can’t do a production at school because of budget cuts...”

3. “My daughter can’t go to university because we can’t afford to pay a student loan back...”

4. “Our drug treatment day care program is being shut down due to cuts…

In the grand scheme of Revolution these are small problems, I agree, small problems that can be somewhat assuaged with the small solution of getting rid of the Tories.

Ultimately what I feel, is that by not removing the Tories, through an unwillingness to participate in the “masquerade of democracy”, I was implicitly expecting the most vulnerable people in society to pay the price on my behalf while I pondered alternatives in luxury.

The reason I didn’t suggest it sooner is because, twerp that I am, I have hope. I really do believe that real, radical change is possible that the tyranny of giant, transnational corporations can be ended, that ecological melt-down in pursuit of imaginary money can be arrested and reversed, that an ideology that aspires to more than materialism, individualism and profit can be realised and practiced.

People that know a lot more about this than me, and probably you, advised me that we’ll be better off rucking with a Labour government than a Conservative one - if that strikes you as a pitiful choice, more sympathetic I could not be – but some people are facing much worse dilemmas than reneging on a puritanical political stance.

Does this country need a radical new political movement? An equivalent of Syriza in Greece or Podemos in Spain? It feels like it does and when the next administration fails to deliver because of the limitations of parliamentary politics I’ll happily participate in setting it up. With you.

Do we need an international confederation of new political alliances that are committed to real change, real democracy, a revolutionary alternative to capitalism? That can challenge the IMF, WTO, WBO and all the other global acronyms so portentous and phony they may as well be the wrestling federations they sound like? Of course we do, my schedule’s pretty clear, I’ll join in. Will you?

What Ed Miliband said on The Trews that seemed positive is that his government will be responsive to activism and campaigning. That will be pretty easy to evaluate quickly. Are media monopolies being broken up? Are the urgently needed houses being built? Is austerity continuing? Is the NHS still being privatised? Are we still blaming immigrants, the disabled and disadvantaged for massive economic problems that they can’t have created? Is domestic policy being dictated by unelected elites in the financial and corporate world?

If the answer is yes then you know that democracy in its current form is near redundant, that we are not offered reasonable alternatives and that parties that try to, like the Greens are stymied to the point irrelevance by ancient electoral architecture.

My position will not have changed on May 8th, I’ll be doing my best to amplify movements I believe in, from housing, to trade unions, football fan campaigns, social enterprises, digital activism, student occupations, organic agriculture, crypto-currencies; the same things I’m doing today, the things I’ve been learning about for the last 18 months; since I said I don’t vote on the telly.

My recommendation that people vote Labour is an optimistic punt that the degeneration of Britain will be slowed down and the lives of the most vulnerable will be a little more bearable than they’d’ve been under the Tories.

Nothing more ambitious than that.

It will take serious activism, committed action comparable to the sacrifice of those whose memories are continually evoked as a spur for us to vote. The women who died for that right, the people all over the world branded terrorists and imprisoned or executed for demanding democracy.

I fully understand that real change, real democracy is not something that can be palmed off in a booth twice a decade, a crossed box and crossed fingers. Democracy is for life, not just elections.

 

 

fixt

[Npoess]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/conservative-secret-plan-for-12bn-welfare-cuts-10140610.html

 

So basically the majority of British people are masochists?

 

I know cuts are required sometimes, but isn't around 1m British people on food stamps? (think I read that somewhere) - it's not like there already is that much welfare to take from to begin with compared to other western European countries and the economic inequality is obviously rising considerably.

 

How can a country with a great deal of working poor, have a conservative government, the disconnection between profession, social status and voting habits is so stupid to me.

 

At last the Scots seem to have some sense though.

[Guest Atom Dowry Firth]

fixt

 

What did you fix? Can't see an immediate difference

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/conservative-secret-plan-for-12bn-welfare-cuts-10140610.html

 

So basically the majority of British people are masochists?

 

I know cuts are required sometimes, but isn't around 1m British people on food stamps? (think I read that somewhere) - it's not like there already is that much welfare to take from to begin with compared to other western European countries and the economic inequality is obviously rising considerably.

 

How can a country with a great deal of working poor, have a conservative government in a democracy, the disconnection between profession, social status and voting habits is so stupid to me.

 

At last the Scots seem to have some sense though.

 

See my post on the last page. They weren't voted 'for' as much as they just simply weren't voted cohesively enough against