THE Election - Made your mind up yet ??

[Fred Bassett]

Here's a good quote:-

 

Before you critisize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

 

That way, when you critisize them, you are a mile away and you have their shoes;).

 

SOD'EM - you've just nicked part of my signature!

 

Fred

[SOD'EM]

Love this.....No idea why I have posted it here though.

 

[angry cat]

Here's a good quote:-

 

Before you critisize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

 

This American idiom means that you should try to understand someone before criticising them.

 

The closest and famous quote is from the story "To Kill A Mockingbird":

 

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." spoken by Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Edited May 25, 2010 by angry cat

[Desperate Daniella]

Like the new avatar.

 

But supposing the shoes don't fit, and you get blisters?

 

Girls can get away with boys' shoes, but wouldn't you get some funny looks if you were a boy and walked a mile in stilettos?

 

A friend of mine once met a new boyfriend who turned up in a sarong. He insisted on walking about six feet behind in case anyone saw them.

[SOD'EM]

SOD'EM - you've just nicked part of my signature!

 

Fred

 

 

And I am now a mile away, try and catch me:D

[angry cat]

Like the new avatar.

 

But supposing the shoes don't fit, and you get blisters?

 

Girls can get away with boys' shoes, but wouldn't you get some funny looks if you were a boy and walked a mile in stilettos?

 

A friend of mine once met a new boyfriend who turned up in a sarong. He insisted on walking about six feet behind in case anyone saw them.

 

Flip Flops?

[angry cat]

On reflection, one would not want to walk a mile wearing, flip flop sandals!

[Fred Bassett]

And I am now a mile away' date=' try and catch me:D[/quote']

 

No sweat - I just nicked somebody else's shoes!

[angry cat]

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his/her point of view - until you climb into his/her skin and walk around in it."

Edited May 25, 2010 by angry cat
correction

[Desperate Daniella]

I've just seen a report that Diane Abbott is tipped to win the Labour leadership race. It says, "Intriguingly strongest support comes from Conservative and LibDem voters." :D:D

[babybear39]

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his/her point of view - until you climb into his/her skin and walk around in it."

 

Are you trying to tell us something in your own special way?

 

Any psychotic tendancies? Urges?

[locutus]

Are you trying to tell us something in your own special way?

 

Any psychotic tendancies? Urges?

 

Are you refering to this?

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his/her point of view - until you climb into his/her skin and walk around in it."

 

and thinking of this scene in silence of the lambs?

 

[babybear39]

I was trying, successfully, not to think about that Locutus

[locutus]

That just shows your mind is as twisted as mine

 

My commiserations!

[locutus]

Now I've got this song stuck in my head

 

[Bookworm]

Meanwhile, back to the Queen's speech (well, not really hers, written for her by the government for her to read), in more simple words:

 

"Schools to be able to opt out of local authority control by applying for academy status and receiving their funding directly" - Privatisation.

 

"Private sector allowed to buy shares in the Post Office." - Privatisation.

 

"Moves to drive investment in airport facilities for passengers and cut regulation and bureaucracy" - I'm not 100% sure, but it does seem to point towards privatising security/passport control?

 

"Labour’s planned one per cent National Insurance rise will go ahead for employees but not employers" - Employees get clobbered, but not the employers. So much for the indignant "tax on jobs" they so decried before the election.

 

"Corporation tax rates reduced and simplified over five years" - More tax breaks for the very wealthy.

"Transfer of City supervision powers to Bank of England" - Even less powers to crackdown on the banks, and no mention of cutting down bonuses or tackling the iniquitous charges system. Instead, the B of E will "supervise", but whether it will be able to enforce anything is another matter. Looks like the banks will be left to self-regulate again, and we know how well THAT worked in the past.

"Continued commitment to working with Afghan government to deliver lasting security and stability" - No pulling out of the troops any time soon, if ever.

"Constituency maps redrawn to reduce number of MPs and make seats a similar size" - Just in case the 55% is not enough, let's make sure Labour safe seats are wiped out altogether.

"A ‘fairer and simpler’ tax and benefits system" - Nothing more said, but the real worry is that "fairer and simpler" will mean major cuts all around, with a system where either you tick all the boxes and you get the benefits or you don't and you get turned down.

"Welfare Reform Bill to better encourage people to return to work" - IB claimants to be assessed by ATOS and if declared fit for work, switched to JSA instead of IB.

 

And did anyone see anything about repelling the bailiffs' extended powers so touted before the election? No? didn't think so.

 

Summary: If you are already filthy rich, the ConDem will look after you.

If you're poor, who cares anyway?

[babybear39]

Bookie, I have to point out that you got a very important point wrong

 

It's ESA, not JSA

[Bookworm]

Bookie, I have to point out that you got a very important point wrong

 

It's ESA, not JSA

 

 

Are you sure? My understanding was that IB is to be replaced by ESA, but that if you are deemed fit to work, then you get downgraded from ESA to JSA.

 

Happy to be corrected if I am wrong, it's -thankfully- something I haven't had to look into closely.

[babybear39]

ESA = Employment Support Allowance

[Bookworm]

Yes.

 

From DirectGov:

 

Employment and Support Allowance

 

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was introduced on 27 October 2008.

It replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support, paid because of an illness or disability, for new claimants only. If you already receive Incapacity Benefit, you will continue to receive it. It is intended that recipients move to the new benefit between 2010 and 2014.

 

... and the plan is to assess people on IB OR ESA, and if they are deemed "fit to work", they will then be taken off IB or ESA and moved onto JSA which pays about £25 less / week.

Edited May 26, 2010 by Bookworm

[Thailand]

"Moves to drive investment in airport facilities for passengers and cut regulation and bureaucracy" - I'm not 100% sure, but it does seem to point towards privatising security/passport control??

 

UK airports to become "better not bigger" - Travel Trade Gazette

 

Not really sure what any of this means, but the CAA was useless to me before. I know I've read the airline industry wants EC261/2004 weakened (they never played ball with it anyway!) and that they wanted the gov. to help them out. With the proposed changes to APD and this, I think they are looking to boost the airline industry somewhat - who have had it tough! But I think they will try and shaft the consumer more at the end of the day.

 

So, maybe less flights - higher fares due to the per plane new tax - less need for new runways/infrastructure & green benefits (not that a single penny of green tax has ever gone to a green issue, lol) but it sounds good enough - I just think the consumer will be hit somehow! The well off will be able to fly, but the poorer less...this also has a great effect on the balance of payments again! In other words, less flights, less regulation, less consumer rights & less leakage.

 

I'm only guessing and can see a good side to all that, I can just see a bad side too...time will tell - but I'll be looking to get a cheap flight in soon!!

[locutus]

OK, I agree with 99.9% of what bookie says on this thread... one little thing I want to point out tho just to keep things balanced

"Constituency maps redrawn to reduce number of MPs and make seats a similar size" - Just in case the 55% is not enough, let's make sure Labour safe seats are wiped out altogether.

Both the big parties do this. If you look at how many voters it takes to get a seat, the Labour party only needed 33,000 and the conservatives needed 35,000. Both of the big parties keep the "constituency map" drawn in their favor when they get voted in. How else can the lib dems have had 1% higher proportion of votes than the previous election and lost 5 seats? Just to add, to vote a lib dem into a seat it took 120,000 votes! And the "political reform" they are so keen on talking about still means if you live in a stronghold and you want to vote against the trend, your vote is worthless!

[babybear39]

Why wold the poor need to fly? They'll have no money for frivulous things like holidays

[Desperate Daniella]

If privatising the Post Offices keeps more of them open, or results in new ones opening I can't see any problem with that. Since masses of them closed down in the last couple of years the queues at the existing ones are just unbelievable.

[woody1066]

Why wold the poor need to fly? They'll have no money for frivulous things like holidays

We will need to fly all of those Johnny foreigners (who are over here taking all of our jobs) back home.