Posts by LoC

  • UK Bill of Rights

    Quote from OLD BOY

    I’m fed up with hearing about people’s ‘rights’, to be honest. It’s just a recipe for people doing what they want at the expense of others.


    There is nothing wrong with sending people who do not have the ‘right’ to live in this country to Rwanda. If they don’t like it, they shouldn’t have come here illegally.


    We should talk more about ‘responsibilities’ and less about ‘rights’.

    Basic rights are surely important though and this Bill will remove some pretty important ones to say the least.


    My question to you would be - how is this Rwanda policy doing anything to stop the root cause of this? The people smugglers.

  • Wakefield

    Quote from OLD BOY

    The rail strike should do the Conservatives some good.

    Why would they? Labour surely can’t be blamed for something they have no control over. The RMT isn’t even affiliated to the Labour Party.


    If anyone is more to blame it’s the government. The unions are in disagreement with the rail companies and as far as I can see the government have done nothing to avert these strikes. Quite the opposite in fact which I suspect is deliberate.

  • Democracy , A moveable feast ?

    Quote from OLD BOY

    In what way do you consider the government indecisive?

    By being to pre-occupied with its own internal issues over Johnson’s leadership and Partygate to effectively govern, whether it’s on the cost of living or rail strikes.


    I also don’t remember a government that has made so many U-turns, the windfall tax being the most recent.

  • Wakefield

    Hoping Tory defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton will put more pressure on Johnson. I doubt it though as this is Boris we’re talking about.

  • Tories illegal Christmas party.

    Personally I hope Starmer goes. I think there are better leaders that would give Labour a chance of winning the next election. Like I’ve said before, both Burnham and Nandy would be good choices. Appreciate Burnham would have to become an MP first.

  • National rail strike on the cards

    I blame the government for these strikes. They’re refusing to get round the table and talk and have no interest. Why may I ask?


    I think they’re too busy playing politics. Publicly condemning the strikes but privately hoping they take place and there’s disruption so they can blame Labour for “being in the pockets” of the union barons. It’s a classic Tory electoral ploy and rather underlined the cynicism of this government.

  • The Great NHS debate

    Quote from OLD BOY

    I think most of us agree that a health service free at the point of delivery must continue to exist. But that doesn’t mean that the private sector cannot be part of that process.


    Unfortunately, the politicians who are able to change the way the NHS works appear to be paralysed into accepting what we already have. The longer this goes on, the bigger the problems will become and the more dissatisfaction will be experienced from patients.


    The NHS is not a ‘wonderful organisation’ and if you relied on it as much as some of us do, either for ourselves or our loved ones, you would come to realise this

    I’m certainly not going to pretend there aren’t problems. Admittedly I use the NHS less than many, however I went to A&E for a precautionary heart scan a few months ago. In total I waited 10 hours which I do think is unacceptable. It was quite clear how much pressure they were under.


    By wonderful though I do think the doctors and nurses and staff who work in it by and large do a great job under a lot of pressure and not blessed with lots of resources. Like you say, I feel most people continue to support an NHS free at the point of delivery and many are also uncomfortable with the idea of even parts of it being privatised which is why even Tory politicians wouldn’t consider it.


    I don’t know the answer to the NHS problems. A more joined up approach to social care would be a start as would better primary care services. I also think there is a lot of waste and bureaucracy in the NHS and money could be saved on all these top managers. Money and resources can always help and it shouldn’t just act as a sticking plaster and I accept that throwing more cash at the problem isn’t always going to solve it.

  • The Great NHS debate

    My non-expert view is that the NHS is a massive organisation and clearly reform and changes are needed. We all know it’s always under a lot of pressure and like any organisation of its size, it needs to adapt with the times.


    However I’m a strong believer that the publicly funded model free at the point of need must persist. I can’t even begin to imagine what an America/style privatised insurance-based system would be like, where those who can least afford it would not be able to use it.


    The NHS has many problems but I still think it’s a wonderful organisation and one which we should defend and that should still give us a huge source of national pride. It’s lasted all these years and we need to make sure it lasts many more years into the future.

  • Margaret Thatcher

    Quote from OLD BOY

    He is not keen on a windfall tax, but he does have to balance the books, despite all the adverse economic winds blowing.


    What I you think Maggie would have done? After all, this thread is about her, not Boris.

    You’re right about him not being keen on the windfall tax and in fact any state interventionist policies that would help people during this cost of living crisis. He’s more concerned about pandering to the low-tax advocates in the Tory party. No politician of left-wing persuasion would back such an approach.


    As for Thatcher, I don’t think she would have done much for people struggling right now. She was a typical small state Tory all about promoting individualism and personal responsibility. I certainly don’t think she was on the side of the working man. Just look at what she did to the miners and with social housing to name a few.

  • Margaret Thatcher

    Quote from mike murphy

    Boris is a liberal Centrist leaning to the left. He is in no way a true conservative. At the moment he is the best we have, so although not being everybody's cup of tea we should support our government against all the other countries who are trying to trying to disadvantage us.. The biggest threat to the UK though is the "Enemy Within", Marxists and Wokerati.

    Sorry but I disagree with that. Boris is a populist. He goes whichever way the wind is blowing and with what he thinks will win him votes.


    On the one hand he backs a left-wing policy such as the windfall tax and then on the other, he’s wanting to send migrants to Rwanda and threatening to break up the NI protocol, both hard right policies.


    One thing he certainly isn’t is liberal centrist leaning to the left. He’s a right-wing libertarian in my mind.

  • Judge orders boy's life support machine to be turned off

    It’s such a difficult decision and you’ve got to really feel for the boy’s family. I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through.


    However a decision unfortunately does have to be made by the judge on the basis of the MRI scan and the conclusion is the boy basically has no chance of survival, and even if he miraculously pulled through, we don’t even know what state he could be in. As tough as it is the humane thing here is to withdraw the life support and allow him to pass away peacefully.

  • Fuel price

    Quote from OLD BOY

    Who is? Supply and demand is what is putting prices up.


    What I cannot understand is why Saudi Arabia is not taking the slack. Maybe they are the ones taking advantage, sitting back and just enjoying the extra revenue.

    Our own government could do more though with fuel duty and VAT for a start.