Can the Conservatives possibly win the next election?

[Chippiewill]

I think at the next general election I'll be voting Conservative unless I get a UKIP mp where I live.

The Conservatives may not have cut much (yet) but at least they're trying to do something. Labour's plan at the last election was dumb and shouldn't have been considered. Lib-dems.. well, coalitions are fun, I guess?

[Ardemax]

I think at the next general election I'll be voting Conservative unless I get a UKIP mp where I live.

The Conservatives may not have cut much (yet) but at least they're trying to do something. Labour's plan at the last election was dumb and shouldn't have been considered. Lib-dems.. well, coalitions are fun, I guess?

Cutting services left right and centre is only screwing up our future.

Why don't we have a party that stimulates growth and investment...

[-:Undertaker:-]

Well I don't know where you got the 'third' from as any targets I have seen would never add up to that. Have you got any links for this?

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/0...76N32J20110724 including EU targets state we have to meet something like 20% from renewables by 2020 (which is actually impossible). These are the reasons why energy prices are rising, and they will continue to rise thanks to the European Union, the Conservatives and Labour and Miliband and Huhne.

I agree that the Railway and Utility 'privatisations' are a complete mess as they are. I do believe in a mixed economy just not as much as you do in respect of privatisation. I do not actually think the bank bail out will cost us anything in the long run but they should be made to pay for their mistakes as well. They do seem to get off scott free.

If you want somebody punished, the prime reason was the central banking system and our monetary system as I said earlier yet you insist on voting for the same people who created the mess in the first place? But on the bank bailouts - why do you want them punished? you've just rewarded bad management by giving them taxpayer cash for running a shoddy business. Had we let the banks fail then their toxic debts would have been wound up and ordinary Joe and mainstreet wouldn't have had to pay the price of yet more debt added to the already massive mountain we had.

In times of trouble government investment does help to keep the private sector growing. I am not suggesting that it should be done in times of prosperity just to avoid more unemployment.

Where does this money come from to keep weak, bankrupt 'private business' afloat? business that provides real growth. Because you remove that capitol from the good business, you then cause a rot through the entire system.

See 1970s when we had to subsidise bad industry and private enterprise fled Britain.

I do not feel young women should be sacked for being pregnant and should have maternity leave after working for the company for a reasonable time but I do think it has gone too far and I see very little reason for paternity pay.

But a lot of young women aren't being hired in the first place because of maternity leave, so you are making them worse off despite the best intentions that you may hold. Leave contract agreements to the employer and employee.

Employees should be paid a living wage so I have no argument with the minimum wage at all. There is high youth employment because there is high unemployment overall and companies are obviously going to favour those with experience. I do feel though that there is an excessive number of NEATs who should do something in return for their benefits.

The minimum wage creates unemployment, to give a person without the skills needed a job for £5 an hour is an act of forced charity - an act of charity that many business owners simply cannot afford. Without the minimum wage, workers would be allowed to learn a skill on the job and work their way up - this is again, good intentions which have the opposite affect.

Cutting services left right and centre is only screwing up our future.

Why don't we have a party that stimulates growth and investment...

This government is not cutting spending, it is increasing spending.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehou...-figures.thtml

[Ardemax]

This government is not cutting spending, it is increasing spending.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehou...-figures.thtml

If it's increasing spending, why is it in the media constantly at how teachers are practically losing their pensions, how the NHS has to save billions and how the education system budget has been cut time and time again...

[-:Undertaker:-]

If it's increasing spending, why is it in the media constantly at how teachers are practically losing their pensions, how the NHS has to save billions and how the education system budget has been cut time and time again...

Because it suits certain parts of the media to say that this government is cutting back spending in order to please Conservative voters, while it suits other parts of the media to also say how the government is cutting back, which is in order to please Labour voters.

Because without the fantasy of these 'cuts' - what would they both pretend to argue over?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/c...is-rising.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/c...ing-soars.html
http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2011/10...-its-official/

What are your thoughts on this? do you now support this government know that you know they are increasing spending just like they did in Greece, Ireland and Portugal to 'stimulate growth', like you want?

[Ajthedragon]

Hopefully they will. Although somehow I doubt it!

Labour always mess things up, redistribute too much wealth and so the rich move, make everyone too equal and have taxed us out of our eyeballs almost every single time they've been in power (council tax has doubled..., although when my council became Tory again it went down), but sadly because people don't understand that measures have to be taken to reduce a deficit, nor suddenly make everybody economically certain again when Europe's in the news every five minutes, the Tories are the evil party.

I think the Tories don't do well simply because there is too much bad blood. "What Thatcher did!". Frankly they're so one-nation again you may as well consider them liberals with conservative economic policy.

Plus if Ed Miliband ever becomes prime minister then god help us. :rolleyes:

[-:Undertaker:-]

you may as well consider them liberals with conservative economic policy.

Its conservative economics to spend even more than the last socialist government? how does that work out?

Or is it the case, as I argue, that the Conservative Party is actually left wing to judge by its actions rather than its hollow rhetoric?

[Ajthedragon]

Its conservative economics to spend even more than the last socialist government? how does that work out?

Or is it the case, as I argue, that the Conservative Party is actually left wing to judge by its actions rather than its hollow rhetoric?

It is the conservative view to bring in gradual change, thus the full extent of the cuts won't kick in until next year.

Plus generally I don't believe they are spending more anyway.

[-:Undertaker:-]

It is the conservative view to bring in gradual change, thus the full extent of the cuts won't kick in until next year.

We were told this last year, now its 2011 and government is still spending more. We were also told this in the run-up to the General Election remember? 'just you wait until Dave is in and he'll unleash his conservatism and save this country' well we are still waiting.

Its nice to hope, but pointless to put faith in something that isn't happening, is not going to happen or will ever happen.

Plus generally I don't believe they are spending more anyway.

Is this because you want to believe in a myth despite what the figures show? you want to believe (just as I do) that the mess Labour created is being cleaned up? I must ask, what has the Conservative Party done for you and me as conservatives? nothing, it has utterly failed us both. Another example of Tory deception on the issue of spending is the fact that David Cameron, until 2008, openly supported Labours spending plans. To put it bluntly; If you want a conservative government then your going to have to stop voting for this dreadful political party which is dead in the water.

Until then, we will continue to have more debt, more EU, more immigration, more appalling education, more crime and so on.