gordondaviesmoustache said:
Chippy_boy said:
What utter tripe. Everyone on all sides of the political debate want a decent and fair welfare system, good schools, an excellent health service, police, defence etc. We all want that.
The question is how on earth do we pay for it? The tories believe that a healthy, vibrant and growing economy is the only way to achieve this in the long run. That by taxing less you encourage investment, entrepreneurialism and growth and then you actually raise more in tax revenues to pay for things.
Labour believe you don't have to worry about any of that. Just take more money off rich people. Only there aren't enough really rich people to make a difference, so they have to take it off everyone else as well.
Not only is this morally wrong, it's actually counterproductive: The most creative and wealthy in society just bugger off or jump through loop holes so they don't pay it. Businesses do the same, or burdened with taxes struggle to stay afloat, let alone prosper and grow and employ more people.
High taxes are a tax on jobs, on wealth and everyone suffers under your "fairer" system.
Labour policies are doubtless well intentioned, but they just do not work in reality. That's why every single socialist economy in the history of the world ultimately fails or bottoms out at a lowest common denominator of service levels. Here in the UK, they just fuck it up for 5 or 10 years before getting kicked out again. Then the tories come back in, and spend 5 or 10 years fixing it - which inevitably involves pain - so the public conned by the illusion of it being better under Labour, kick them out again and we go around the loop. Tories fixing it, Labour fucking it up, around and around again.
If we just allow the tories to continue for a while we might actually get the growth, wealth and prosperity - and through that the excellent public services - that we ALL want.
Economically, there's a lot in that post that I profoundly agree with.
The primary issue I have with the Tories (and more so UKIP) is that they, and moreover, those that support them, have a social philosophy that is such an antithesis to my view of the world, that it would feel like an utter act of betrayal to my real self as a person if I ever voted for them. On that particular subject I am resolutely militant.
I am, if I'm being honest, a slightly right-of-centre bloke, who is insanely liberal, and thinks that those on the right are utterly full of shit when it comes to social issues. Utter contempt for their mindset. It's so small-minded.
Who the fuck do I vote for?
You sound like the product of middle class academia and I think you have a viewpoint many share. Just be glad you are not American - imagine being a liberal but an economic conservative having a tea party loon as your republican offering.?
There are many on some of the immigrant posts on here and I suspect many on the right who are the exact opposite , really quite protectionist and left economically but harshly conservative social policy wise.
I am definitely quite central economically though I do believe more money needs to get into education and youth and some elements need to be better taxed on their wealth ,but above all I am a social liberal. In politics the lowest of the low for me is the social conservative bullying of minorities to try to gain or keep power be that immigrants, homosexuals, the young, the old , the very poor. Bullying by individual or by government had always disgusted me!
As for corrupt, deviant or dishonest politicians - there have been many in all the main parties and like every facet of life they have good and bad eggs.
As to who you vote for I guess you decide what issue is most important to you now, what the quality is of your local candidates and thus what feels right! You could be in the seat with a liberal conservative standing against a conservative labour candidate after all ?
