Thursday, January 21, 2010
A little bit of Politics anyone?...
TonbridgeBlog has been up for nearly four years now and never once has it even approached the subject of, I can hardly even say the word, POLITICS. It's been quite deliberate as it's the one subject bound to cause divisions, bad feeling and big arguments. But as there's been a Labour Government now 13 years, as we've seen spin and counter spin, back stabbing and underhand collusion and damned right lies; as there's to be a general election within the next 21 weeks and as it looks like a racing certainty that the Conservatives will get back in power, TonbridgeBlog asks: Is it time to get political???! Anyone care to go first? To pin you colours to the mast? Are you Toff Tories? Loose-moralled Liberals? Less -Lefty Labourites? or perhaps you're something less conventional? Come on let's get the great Tonbridge political debate rolling....
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19 comments:
Foregone conclusion, but be interested in hearing from anyone who would vote for the ruddy useless incompetent bumbling one eyed Scottish idiot.
Anon 5.14 cant be an over 60's enjoying his free bus pass, or have children that attended one of Kent's new built schools rather than the ones with leaking roofs and he cant be a mortgage payer at 4% rather than the 14% which was typical under the last tory government.
The south east may be tory but elsewhere they will never forget the last tory govenment and 4 millions unempoyed, propped up by north sea oil revenues.
Libs Dems for me!
We desperately need a strong opposition in Kent and in T&M, it's a one party state at present and that is not good for the county or the borough. Do we want more Kent TV?! Come on people WAKE UP and VOTE (not Tory though;))!
I won't be voting for labour - that is for sure and yes I have kids at school in Tonbridge and have kids at university. I remember when I didn't have to pay for tuition. Now it is almost crippling us as university fees soar and guess what they are free in Scotland, and to that I object. It is a struggle. They are here to stay that I know - it won't change for whoever is in Government - not now but it is a labour legacy. I am not happy about that and a million other things too. This time I am not too sure who my alliances are with I am generally trodden down and don't have much hope which is probably a reflection on most of us.
Yes, you do have to pay for uni but in general your children will soon recoup with better paid jobs. The oppotunity for all children to enter further education was not there ten years ago. Now 500,000 are at uni. Take a look at what is going on at West Kent College. Ten years ago it was on the point of folding.
Let's see what the Lib Dems take on things is. I still get their emails being as I am a lapsed member. You may see something there which strikes a chord or may be not:
"Do you know a young man or woman who has recently left college or university and finds they can't get job?
The recession is cheating a whole generation of young people. The number of young people unemployed for more than six months has doubled in the past two years. We have to act now to make sure they don't get left behind in any economic recovery.
Yesterday, Nick Clegg announced our plans to help young people through the recession.
The Liberal Democrats will cut the time it takes to provide training and education to young people on Jobseekers' Allowance. Currently, young people on Jobseekers' Allowance have to wait 12 months before they are guaranteed a job or training post. We will reduce that to 90 days.
We will also invest nearly £900 million to increase the number of further education places, and we'd give young people undertaking an internship a training allowance of £55 a week.
Nick also took part in an Online Public Meeting answering questions posed by young people through Twitter and the UK Youth Parliament's online forum. You can see the questions and answers here.
If you know a young person who has been affected by the the increase in unemployment, then forward this email on to them. You can also keep in touch with the latest news from Nick through NickClegg.com, and also on Facebook, Lib Dem Act and Twitter.
Many thanks for your support,
The Lib Dems Online Team"
I knew I should have stayed clear of politics! It's got some of you going already and I see we've even got a Jeremy Clarkson clone in our midsts. One thing I do totally agree with is tha everyone should go out and vote. Over the centuries people have died for that right and are still in many non democratic nations so toddling down to the polling station, whatever the weather, should be too much of a burden now should it. It would be interesting to see what the nation really thought if there was a 100% turnout on election day. Maybe, in the not too distant future, elections will be held by pressing the red button on your remote as if voting for your favourite X Factor act!...
I agree - everyone should go and vote and think as carefully as they can about it.
I have one daughter out of uni and who cannot get a job that will lead to her career field despite being at one of the top unis in the country and being totally over qualified. She worked hard and we paid hard for her to get through. We are proud of her achievements but that is not about putting bread in her mouth or her being able to feel secure for her future even though she has gone down the route that was advised, is preferred and succeeded. How sad is that. She odd jobs and feels worthless.
My children will not recoup by getting better jobs that is a fantasy world.
Far too many students do however go to university who really should not be there - are doing some worthless degree and money is going into the cogs of the business of education.
The opportunity for all children not to enter further education was not there 10 years ago as you so rightly state Anonymous however it is not the asnwer to hoard them all into education. What about apprenticeships? We are a deluded nation thinking that we are all the same and have the same capabilities - that is not real life but a fantasy almost communitist attitude. It is becoming so ridiculous the country cannot see beyond the end of their noses or think for themselves any more.
Good for WKC. One of my sons went there before going off to uni. Great place and if offered him wonderful grounded opportunities. However just because millions are being sunk into the place doesn't mean that grounded, intelligent, and well qualified young people will be churned out at the end.
The impression abroad is that most Tonbridge people would vote for a monkey, if it wore a blue rosette. But that is not really true.
Of all the registerd electors in Tonbridge, only about half of them actually vote in an election (shame on the rest)
Of that 50% of voters, half ticked Tory, and the other half ticked a mixture of Lab/Lib/others.
So the true picture is that the current MP has only been put there by around 25 percent of the local people.
Even the most Luddite of constituents must realise that it is time for a fairer electoral system, that increases the turnout, and reflects local opinion.
Bring on the election. The sooner they're back better. Goodbye minimum wage (just freeze it) and hello smoking rooms in pubs. Say goodbye to the nanny state.
I'm with Delia on the university thing - the idea that all (or even most) graduates do on to better paid jobs just isn't true, partly because the jobs aren't there for some grads and partly because not all of us want to sell our souls to some corporate machine.
Please could all you anons pick a name? We don't know if the same anon comments more than once!
Politicians are all the same as far as I'm concerned, desparate to eithre gain power, or hang on to it. There's nothing to choose between the two main parties; if "Call me Dave", "hug a hoodie" Cameron gets in then instead of New Labour we'll have Blue Labour. Not for nothing is Cameron known as the "Blair apparent"!
Goevernments of what ever persuasion have an agenda of imposing ever more increasing controls over the population, and the all pervading power of the "Nanny State" grows ever stronger by the day.
The following speech, made by Oliver Cromwell when he dismissed Parliament back in the 17th Century, nicely sums up politicians:
“...It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
“Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the
Commonwealth?
“Ye sordid prostitutes, have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd; your
country therefore calls upon me to cleanse the Augean Stable, by putting a final period to your iniquitous proceedings, and which by God's help and the strength He has given me, I now come to do.
“I command ye, therefore, upon the peril of your lives, to depart immediately out of this place! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors. You have sat here too long for the good you do. In the name of God, go!”
Seems as though nothing has changed since the 17th century.
You are absolutely right Paul Bailey and it is the failing of capiltalism that everything only has monetary value. This has socially and culturally transformed the very essence of our lives - from the cradle to the grave, education, family values, how people themselves are valued and judged. Yet people and blind and now take it as the norm and are unable to rip away the layers and really reflect on the truth.
Great post.
Paul Bailey: good point brilliantly made. But is a dictatorship the answer? If it is then not for very long because, as we all know, that leads to much worse abuse. A monarchy with executive authority? That would be fine until we get a weak King obsessed with art and architecture and the finer things in life, who's totally out of touch with reality and the common man (sound familiar?!) A Republic with a President elected every four or five years might work but he can't possibly make all the decisions otherwise he's (or she's) nothing more than an elected dictator. All of which is why I should never have got onto the subject of politics in the first place. Damn that Nippy West for putting such ideas in my head! (My A-Level politics teacher circa 1979!)
NOT voting for any of the LIB/LAB/CON parties after watching these.
Brian Gerrish - Common Purpose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-il5tbn9Ns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY0Q28ooJco&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTo3DtmdVjQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE22gqezNME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqS6R1oZikQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTlbYthHueA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycXu1-abJho
Of course a dictatorship is not the answer Tonbridgeblog and I don't think Mr. Bailey was suggesting that. However if one reflects carefully on what we have in place at present it is actually something like or close to a dictatorship. Freedom of choice is only free within the boundaries of that choice. It is not a true freedom of choice. So the question to ask is is how free are we.
Therefore we have to use our right to vote. Call it a freedom if you wish but remember the confines in which it is cast, and it isn't too good at present.
Just watched these , this is absolutely disgusting and if this is really going on in our schools , why are we not being told ?
ARK and the Adams Family
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyqsOBkLWh0
ARK Schools, Academies and eugenics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBxQpft5F_k
What is Carter & Co really up to in Kent, are they really
concerned about children , not according to this conservative blog?
http://theconservativeblog.co.uk/?p=1999
The secrecy of state child seize in Britian
This is happening in Britain, which we believe to be a free country. As the economy descends into massive borrowing, and as politics turns into a daily farce whereby not even the cabinet can get rid of the Prime Minister, it is clear that power has shifted away from where it used to be.
Into this void, our enemies, and devious criminals can work their way, and remove our most precious assets from in front of our noses, our jobs, our industries, our freedom to speak, and our children too.
Policy suggestions -
1. End the secrecy of the Family Courts
2. End targets and rewards to councils for removing children.
Will the Conservatives please add these policies to their manifesto?
EXAMPLE -
Maidstone Borough Councillor Sheena Williams resigned from the Tory party , after Tory run Kent County Council stole her 4 young granddaughters for Forced adoption
Elle-May, Ruby, Lacey & Poppy Williams-Piper
This seems a bit rich; may be they could stop Forced Adoptions in Tory run local authorities, this could help thousand of children and families stay together.
http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2010/01/Plans_outlined_for_strengthening_families.aspx
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