buctootim

I think that would happen with proportional representation. With our current system it would likely just split the vote, very few get elected and rebels would gradually disappear, like the SDP last time.

Whatever your political allegiance these aren't typical times. Normally with unemployment this low you'd see record consumer demand, growing wages, low call on things like housing benefit and record tax receipts leading to very healthy public finances. Instead there is flat demand and wages, very heavy levels of private and public debt and a still running a budget deficit whilst supposedly in a boom. Its not good. If we get a downturn we'll be seriously effed.

Its a deeper squad, maybe more quality in total, but the first 11 is weaker than a year or two ago. .

President Trump asked FBI boss to end investigation into links between a top aide and Russia, US media report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39944520 He's sinking surely.

That used to be true but not anymore for most of the tabloids. You used to be able to read through the spin to get to the real story but they've moved on to deliberate misrepresentation of the facts to create a false impression. You can no longer glean truth from what they write.

Reading across the spectrum only works if the paper references its claims with actual facts, direct quotes or links. Most of the broadsheets do you but thr tabloids not. For example did Corbyn really demand Nia Griffin was there - where is the quote, letter or email? Why have they zoomed in on her and not the other eight shadow cabinet members? If Corbyn really did 'ban' her from the prior Chatham House speech then more than likely she also wasnt invited to this one.

There are at least 20 skin conditions which require the patient to use sun block, including cancer. Its as much a medical requirement as antibiotics. The current prescription charge is currently £8.60, more than most retail prices, so you can rest assured that the casual user seeking sunscreen for a holiday wont be asking for a prescription.

I don't want to get into the NHS argument again - but the problem with the NHS is not that its inefficient. Its because we refuse to limit the demands on it or match resources to demand. People think that because more money is going in to the NHS then the problems should go away, and when they don't its because the NHS is inefficient. Sure the number of staff has increased by 12% in the past 10 years but the number of operations has increased by 40%, hospital admissions by 28% and A&E attendances by 22%.

The problem isnt primarily tax rates or the top 10%. Its a combination of legally avoiding tax and the accumulation of wealth by the richest 0.01%. 100 people in the world have more money than the bottom half - 4 billion. That is only getting worse, not better.

Super private sector efficiencies she wanted to bring. Blocked at every turn she was. Bullied and discredited. Barely lasted 15 years.

Why do you think GPs don't use private hospitals more Batman? Could cut waiting times, private sector efficiency etc. Whats not to like? Why don't they do it?

Post up a link to that table. I'd be interested to see the context as it looks suspect to me. These are OECD figures for changes in per capita healthcare spending for Britain United Kingdom 2009/10 until 2012/13: -1.3%, -0.1%, 0.3%, 0.6% https://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/Focus-Health-Spending-2015.pdf http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SHA

I do like you trousers. Nothing personal. More to do with the combined weight of ****wittery in one place than you in isolation.

Your missus' experience is her truth of the unit she works in. Why do you think you can extrapolate that out to a service which employs 1,400,000 people and 243 million patient 'episodes'? Which will give you a more reliable indicator of the effectiveness of the service? Your wife or comparing performance of the NHS against private UK and international competitors? They say people vote with their feet. Telling that both your and Duckhunters wives prefer to continue working at the NHS than for the private hospitals (although to fair to Lord D he didnt know they existed till last week). Some people like to ******, but I wouldnt design public policy on it.

And that is your schtick. To say something negative, usually about public services, without providing any evidence, facts or links. When challenged you simply say "just repeating what I was told". Surely there must be something more substantial to your beliefs? you cant have a world view based on hearsay and smilies can you? Dont you ever check anything you're told? Coming next: Trousers' appraisal of prospects for the British Motor Industry, evidenced by a neighbours reports of a Rover 200 he used to own.

This what I find so astounding about many dyed in the wool Tories, especially on this board. The near total and absolute absence of facts or grasp of the issues - replaced instead with myths they want to be true to justify their views. What you have posted up is nonsense because it doesn't relate to the point being made. There are a number of valid points you could have made instead - but you don't do the reading, presumably because you don't want the cognitive dissonance and possibly be forced to change the views you want to hold. You could have said that: 1. UK wages as a share of national GDP has remained more constant in recent decades than most other developed countries, especially the US or 2. Flatter wages is a small price to pay for low unemployment (though you'd have to work out how that is linked) or 3. A transfer of wealth from young to the old is a good thing (though you'd need to justify that thought) But no, instead there is just dust thrown into the air. Like Lord D and Trousers on the NHS. Firm, formed and definite opinions on what is wrong with the NHS without, literally, the first idea on how its run or that private hospitals are wildly more expensive / less efficient.

tbf, you are. Here's a BBC article to make it simple for you. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38090977

Why dont you pluck facts out of the air instead? Average earnings after RPI. The current period is the worst in 70 years, possibly 100 according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

I spent half of today trying to find cheap flights during half term. Damn sight more stressful than work.

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Maybe, but maybe not. He keeps coming back to this NHS stuck in the 1950s point (such as it is). I think he really believes it, or at least it gives him mental space to trot out the "slash and burn to improve the service" trope.

I was thinking more of a Donald and Jeremy dream team

You know, this is more than just like, missiles. This is death that’s involved because people could be killed. This is risk that’s involved, because if the missile goes off and goes in a city or goes in a civilian area — you know, the boats were hundreds of miles away — and if this missile goes off and lands in the middle of a town or a hamlet .... every decision is much harder than you’d normally make. This is involving death and life and so many things.

Are you saying the NHS hasnt changed and that successive Governments have been lying to us for decades about introducing the purchaser-provider split, internal market, self governing hospitals, GP commissioning, PFI hospitals etc etc? How odd. All this expert opinion from someone who didn't even know that 200 for profit hospitals even existed in the UK or that there were was a severe nursing shortage nationwide. tbh if you don't even know the absolute basics its best not to pontificate on the harder stuff.

It's a pity you didn't do a module on Clear communication