2015 Election - antidotes?

https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/bob-mountain/hsbc-scandal-if-hmrc-is-underfunded-tax-cheats-will-continue-to-win

Whoever gets this sorted will have no problem funding the NHS properly.

For you, soontobe.

www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2015/feb/18/general-election-2015-labour-policy-nhs-liberal-democrats-conservatives

Thank you.

I see the usual happened today.

Labour run NHS in Wales reported their waiting time target of 95% was missed for January 2015. They achieved 82.3%, up from 81% for Dec 2014.

Had this been the reported figures for England it would have been headline news and Burnham would have been all over the TV channels calling for Hunt's resignation, at least another 'Urgent Question'.

Anyone would think there is an election looming.

But Wales will still vote Labour again
They like cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

They like cutting off their noses to spite their faces.
They probably do that to jump the long queues in A&E in Wales.

Here's another way for private companies to make money to hide from the taxman.

www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2015/02/18/outsourcing-democracy-how-private-companies-could-profit-fro

" Toward the tail end of 2014 there were some promises of electoral sweeteners – admittedly uncosted and set for some time in the distant future – but in 2015 the Tory message has been universally negative.

This starts with the approach to Labour. Miliband is relentlessly mocked as weird, a tactic Michael Gove specifically took umbrage at recently. The party's warnings about Labour in office are borderline hysterical, veering from Trotskyism to 28 Days Later.

And its policy proposals are no more positive. Yesterday David Cameron said unemployed young people would be forced to do six months unpaid community work to get their benefits. It didn't matter that London's post-riots 'Day One Support for Young People Trailblazer' scheme had shown these initiatives to be counterproductive and ineffective. Under Crosby's leadership, these measures poll well, so they are pursued."

Crosby's tactics obviously work on some gransnetters.

The link to the Guardian in the post of 12.33 gives voice to Richard Vize.

Nothing remotely biased in that non tallented piece of journalism was there.

Irony

I found this very interesting about rail privatisation.

actionforrail.org/private-rail-operators-using-public-subsidies-to-fund-pay-outs-to-shareholders/

A reason to vote for a party that wants to renationalise the railways.

And your point about Richard Vize is, POGS?

POGS Richard Vize's article, which durhamjen posted, had a go at all the mainstream parties, saying none of them offered a "convincing plan for change". What did you feel was biased about it?

The fact his precis for the conservatives read :-

'The Conservatives don't want a fight on this territory 'AT ALL' their interest is in closing down debate on the NHS and focusing on the economy. Health does not feature in their top 6 priorities'.

Now it is arguable as to whether that is right or wrong but he detailed information as to Labour policies in a comprehensive fashion and gave 'lick spittle' to the Lib Dems.

There was no coverage of conservative plans past or present other than that one paragraph and another at the end of his report which was beyond trivial.

I wouldn't be arguing over the report if he had been honest and said he was discussing Labour policy but his article title gave the reader the impression he was serious about raising policies by all three main party's and he made no attempt to do so.

How is it arguable?
Health did not feature on Cameron's list of the top six priorities.
As it is usually the top for the general public in any survey, I think Vize is doing him a favour by mentioning it and reminding him.

So, I've done a search on Richard Vize and can find nowhere where it says he supports Labour.
This article was from the Guardian, but he has also written for the Times and the Telegraph. He also worked for Ofsted and the King's Fund at one time, hardly part of the Labour party.

Perhaps you can find it, POGS.

I dont think I want the railways renationalised.
It was pretty awful last time round.
On the whole, I think the railways are pretty well run. A bit expensive though.

"Conservative health secretary Jeremy Hunt has indicated that he still sees a powerful role for commissioning, while moving his party into the territory of clinical improvement by announcing an annual review of avoidable deaths through analysis of patient case notes. England will be the first country in the world to monitor avoidable deaths in this way.

While Labour will ensure health policy generates election controversy, it is unclear whether it will swing votes. The Conservatives’ aim is simply not to lose voters over the NHS, while Labour’s anti-private sector approach seems to be aligned with a core vote strategy, rather than an attempt to win new supporters. Kendall’s backing for personal budgets shows where Labour could have gone in the search for new voters."

Two paragraphs at the end comparing Labour and Conservative policies.. Which is beyond trivial?

That's my opinion.

Did you look at the charts, soontobe?
The reason the fares are so high is because the companies pay dividends to shareholders. However, we subsidise the railways anyway. The only one that gives more money back to the government than it takes in subsidies is the East Coast line, which is nationalised anyway at the moment. However, the government has plans to sell it off, to Virgin, I think, so your fares are not going to go down.

I'll keep the railways as they are thanks.

Have you ever wondered why foreign governments are allowed to own British utilities, but not our government?
Many continental railways are owned by the people. The trains are usually clean, cheap and on time. Why shouldn't ours be like that?

Trouble is, ours had awful troubles when nationalised. No thank you very much.

My memory is of even more moaning and bitching about the 'nationalised' BR than you hear nowadays.

Our railways are the world's oldest, and while France and Germany were able to almost start again after WWII with a clean slate, we had to make do and mend to keep running at all.

Maybe it's just the national sport, moaning and bitching, Feetlebaum.

Can you explain why the only nationalised railway line makes a profit, to give back to the government, and why the government does not like this?

Don't you want trains that are cheap, clean and on time, soontobe?

The ones myself and family go in are on time and clean.
A good service.