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Does the Prime Minister really dictate policies himself or does he merely act on the advice of senior civil servants? In other words, is he just a figurehead?
Edited by L'escargot on 24/06/2008 at 17:29
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>>I dont mind paying taxes for health and welfare
Neither do I, if the money is wisely spent. One of Labour's pledges was to increase spending on the NHS to the EU average, and as socialists are excellent at spending other people's money, they've achieved it. Unfortunately, the service hasn't improved to the EU average which was the implied but not promised outcome. If we had ended up with a service as good as the French get I'd be happy. As it is I feel ripped off.
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The words 'Prime Minister' (Mr Brown) and 'acting on advice' in the same sentence doesn't compute.
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I don't like Gordon Brown, he makes my flesh creep. However if anyone seriously thinks things would significantly change under 'call me Dave' Cameron and 'gorgeous' George Osborne then they are living in a fools paradise. Probably all that would happen is that the top 10% income group would gain a bit. OK, maybe top levels of VED would reduce slightly and there would be some tinkering of stamp duty and inheritance tax to help the better off. 90% of the country would notice no difference though. And it seems to me that, if anything, the Conservatives are more persuaded by environmentalist arguments than Labour. Probably big tax reduction for anyone driving a Lexus hybrid! LOL!
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Don't have a lot of faith in Call me Dave myself.
Liked David Davis before the decided to become the Eddie the Eagle of politics.
But anyone must be better than a completely unreconstructed 1970's style beer and sandwiches at Number 10 Brother.
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To give Dave his due, he promises (whatever a politician's promise is worth) that any green tax will be offset by a tax elsewhere, so the whole thing is revenue neutral while encouraging 'good' behaviour.
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I doubt if we would be paying less for fuel under the Conservatives as opposed to Labour, but if you take the credit for a booming economy (Which has little to do with government - their influence only extends to how much or how little they screw it up), then you can't complain when you get the blame when it all goes wrong.
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I may have mentioned this before , but a couple of months ago I went to France.
The fuel over there was more expensive than it was here.
Also, I watched a Fifth Gear around the same time, they were saying that Poland has the cheapest fuel in the E.U., yet it was still only 15% cheaper than it is here.
Given that Polish wages must be a pittance compared to the UK, I do sometimes wonder how badly off we really are.
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I'm going to stick my neck out here.
I think that fuel is NOT expensive.
Yes, I would like for it to be cheaper, but 95% of the population can still afford to fill up their cars without too much concern. Might get a grumble at the pumps, but it doesn't mean you cant afford to eat.
When it gets to the point where before each journey you ask yourself "can I afford to drive to x" then its expensive.
As others have mentioned, at the current levels we will all soon get used to it and accept it.
The big worry is what happens when it IS too expensive. Who knows what will happen then. I like to think we will adjust to it or find solutions rather than a Mad Max scenario.
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Whilst Govt spending is at the level it is then we need taxes to fund it.
Leave Afghanistan, Iraq to themselves.
Have wholesale change to the benefit system to reduce the number of con-people
People who do receive benefits and who are able, must give something back to the community.
Chain gangs for the prisoners to give something back.
Lets face it, if you are a politicaian, never mind a Prime Minister, what in reality have you got to lose? It is one of the most cushiest jobs around and if you get voted off, then there are all sorts of parachute and pensions payments, not to mention being appointed to several Boards and possibly doing a tour of speeches.
Blair knew exactly what he was doing and took things to the brink before jumping to his golden nest egg he had built up ready for him.
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qxman said >> If the government reduced fuel tax by 5p tomorrow you can bet that pump prices would go down by only 2-3p. >>
If the government reduced VAT on fuel from 17.5% to nil, the pump price would go down by the reduction in tax because the oil companies wouldn't have that tax to pay over.
I still back my hedge/fund speculator view.
Those with HBOS shares will have noticed that funds have had to declare their interests because of the rights issue. They're selling HBOS short, that is driving the price down. I heard an American wheat farmer recently say that there were more futures in a particular type of wheat from the next harvest than there is that type of wheat available.
Does anyone really think the current oil price hike is just supply and demand?
Having said that, it might help if GB hadn't discouraged further work in the North Sea.
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I may have mentioned this before but a couple of months ago I went to France. The fuel over there was more expensive than it was here.
Where was that? The Champs Elysee? I was in France last month and the figures on the pump were the same as in the UK. Except it was in Euros not £, and therefore about 70% of what we pay!
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>>..but if you take the credit for a booming economy..>>
The economy was actually in very good shape when New Labour came into power (well documented and, what's more, acknowledged privately by Brown), whilst inflation and unemployment had been steadily falling for several years.
The current problems stem, it seems to me, from the fact that the electorate is being hammered on virtually all fronts now, rather than perhaps one or two areas such as fuel prices.
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The price of petrol wouldn't make me vote non-Labour. Not that much to do with them and the others wouldn't be much different.
The thing that might tempt me to vote against the carphounds is this anti-automobile fashionable bias which is of course beneath contempt and was found to a high degree in the ghastly Ken Livingstone of execrated memory. Unfortunately, here again the other side might easily be, or have to pretend to be, just as bad. This knee-jerk stuff is fashionable among unthinking media and communications people too, as well as the great bleating herds even in this country with its bolshy side. So I might as well continue to vote 'on the side of the heart' as a French Communist lorry driver once rather mawkishly put it to me. No reason not to really.
People who like cars and are rational about them are as rare as hens' teeth. We've had it, as I have felt obliged to comment before. Being reactionary won't save us.
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things would significantly change under 'call me Dave' Cameron and 'gorgeous' George Osborne then they are living in a fools paradise.
I'm really worried now Qxman, as i agree with every word in your post, and thats a first for both of us.
I wouldn't trust any of the 3 main parties TBH, they're all reading from the same hymnsheet whilst filling their own bottomless pockets.
If you think about it, this is a wonderful time to sign away sovereigny of the country to the EUSSR. Most people are too preoccupied with making ends meet and watching their houses plummet in value, and worrying about their jobs to realise that Lisbon treaty will be ratified soon, and our country then becomes just a satellite of Europe.
As it were a good day to break unfortunate news?
And anyone who thinks we've heard the last of 'fill my pockets Blair' is in for a nice surprise IMO, when he again leads Britain down the visionary path from his throne in the council of ministers.
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My workplace is located on the edge of one of Europes' largest council estates, and most of the people who live there are Chavs and Labour-louts and few of them have ever had a job, yet they can afford to run cars and have the time to use them a lot during the day because of the generous welfare (they all have too many children - we breed em you feed em) and pretend to be disabled and depressed to get extra money, their favourite mode of transport seems to be an old Vauxhall Zafira. Maybe to keep their license valid they have sufficient NI contributions and say 6 months of dole, you should have the license suspended?
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The price I quoted was at a hypermarket in Boulogne, so hardly a rip off.
Honestly, I wasn't dreaming.
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I noticed when I was there a couple of weeks back that diesel in Germany is no cheaper than here. ?1.59 per litre. At ?1.23 to the £ which my bank statement told me I was getting, that's near as dammit £1.30 per litre.
As I said, and Lud also said, it's the whole "anti-motorist" attitude that stinks as much as any one issue. That, and tax increases generally while getting nothing tangible in return. Who can honestly say the NHS or education systems are any better than they were a decade ago, despite billions allegedly being pumped into each. On the motoring front, the roads are potholed and falling to pieces, there are no traffic police on the roads any more, and the backdating of VED is bordering on theft.
Cheers
DP
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" a couple of months ago I went to France.
The fuel over there was more expensive than it was here.
The price I quoted was at a hypermarket in Boulogne, so hardly a rip off.
Honestly, I wasn't dreaming. "
Sorry mate, but you were dreaming - yes fuel has gone up a lot in France but I was also there twice in last couple of months - highest price I paid was still 15p a litre less than cheapest I could find in UK.
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petrol prices in France
www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/
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Next month, I will start a new job, which will be 'home based'. There will be significant UK travel, but every mile of it will be paid my my employer.
My old job was on a single site, but involved a 70 mile round trip each day, paid for out of my own pocket. It had got to the state where I was working a day a week just to pay to travel to work!
I'm lucky that I've been able to get an increase in pay, eliminate travel to work costs and join a company with better prospects.
I'm sure that many workers are hard hit by travel to work costs, and for many the choice will be a lower paid job or none at all. That really will hit the government where it hurts.
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Don't forget fuel (and everything else!) has gone up in France by around 20% since last year due to the strong euro, so at e1.40 to the pound the fuel is considerably less
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