Anybody watch last night's debate?

[jd.linklater]

Non event of the year so far in my opinion. They all made their opening statements then spent the next two hours more or less repeating themselves. I don't think any of them made any arguments to persuade me to vote one way or the other. A complete waste of time.

[ravendays]

Neither of the two parties can be differentiated between hence why so many are choosing UKIP or not voting at all.  It really is a sad state of affairs when the future of the UK hangs in the balance...

[elfkincatcher]

It was pretty ludicrous...doesn't matter what you think of Plaid Cymru or SNP if you live in England....Greens came over as a bunch of twits...LD were always going to face uphill battle...Labour and Tories...well...two halves of same coin (...no change there!😉).....leaving UKIP....probably the most honest of all of them regardless of whether you like their policies or not!

I'd like to hear a discussion on Mode 4 agreements that are ratified in Europe but never discussed! Mode 4 allows workers from outside EU to work here under trade agreements. In particular the one with India! It was probably the worst trade agreement foisted on us (by us I mean ordinary British people!) in cahoots with both Labour, Tories ....and by default LD. It allows Indian companies like TATA bring in skilled workers (mostly IT) to work on rolling short term visas...with no employment rights...very minimum wage ...to do jobs not advertised to British workers which would command higher salaries commensurate with skill/experience. The trade off is that generic drug companies that supply aid agencies in 3rd world must put their prices up so that the likes of Glaxosmithkline and Bayer can compete...meaning that AIDS and cancer drugs are likely to be restricted in Africa...all that money raised for Africa from such charities like Children In Need, Comic Relief, Red Cross and Medicin Sans Frontiers....so much will go into the profit pockets of these drug companies! Famine, AIDS, Cancer....and of course Ebola....are highly profitable....if they can't pay their prices...people die....simple! Add to this the EU milk surpluses that are also being foisted on India to the detriment to their dairy farmers already only just scratching a living...this trade agreement is disgusting! This and a clutch of other Mode 4 agreements with USA, Canada etc are never discussed....how many jobs are affected....who knows! They apply throughout the EU but in regard to India, we and Ireland are really the only countries affected. This is part of the EU Trade sector that none of the parties want to talk about....because the people / companies financing the parties don't want you to know....you can guess why!

I get fed up with the old NHS chestnut....without immigration it would come to a full grinding halt...there was immigration to supply nurses and doctors long ago...before we joined the EU...Why would that change? We have always allowed immigrants in to fill essential jobs! However, why are nurses who have just qualified unable to find jobs in the NHS??? The old State Registered/ State Enrolled/nursing Auxiliary system worked so much better than what we currently have! When hospitals were run by matron and chief medical officer with minimal bureaucracy! The NHS has been used as a dumping ground for the unemployed ...in much the same way that the armed services were with National Service...and bureaucracy has grown like a weed strangling the NHS! I dread to think what streamlining the NHS would do to unemployment figures!!!

As for skills shortages...that's easy ....train the youngsters languishing on the dole or on stupid job creation programmes designed to take then out of unemployment statistics! Bring back technical colleges and PROPER apprenticeships where youngsters learn a real trade....and can not only produce a piece of paper to say they can do the job...but can ACTUALLY do it! NVQs are not a patch on the old fashioned indentured apprenticeship. We had one of the best apprentice schools in Portsmouth Dockyard...until it closed in the '80's. We now produce a lot of people who can do jobs on paper....in practice is a different matter! Employing teams of Polish builders won't help as these teams won't employ Brits...as it would be disruptive ....because they can't speak Polish! Same applies for ships crews etc! Just how many of the 'new' jobs created, according to Cameron, are available to 'everyone' is debatable! How many jobs lost is not mentioned either....we lost 1000 jobs with BAe pulling out of Pompey Dockyard...we even got a minister to help us recover from this...unfortunately a tiny fraction of these jobs have been replaced by like for like! We have huge problems with unemployment here! Bognor (up the road so to speak) has a vast (and I mean VAST!) Polish and Russian speaking community! Many jobs advertised in the area insist on fluent Polish! Unfortunately the local schools don't have Polish on the curriculum! I'm all for diversity....we are a mongrel nation after all...BUT...some areas have very serious EU migrant issues!

Add in mediocre and patchy schools and the refusal to accept that comprehensive education has never worked as it was intended. The stupid idea of keeping youth out of JobCentres (and unemployment statistics) by keeping them in school till 18....when it is not at all suitable for many. Tuition fees/student loans are so daunting...meaning students end up with excruciating debt! Trying to make pensioners stay in work longer and longer means rising youth unemployment! I'd like to have seen this issue discussed properly. We know the problems....what about solutions??? JobCentres are not fit for purpose anyway...

Being out of Europe with a trade agreement would suit us far more than keep paying into the money pit. That is what we originally signed up to! Merkel and co don't want us in...because we have never been truly European! They are fed up with us whingeing at all their federalist schemes. Nothing would change for the vast majority of us. They want to export to us ...and we want to export to them...there's more of them....I can't see any problem! Travel would be little difference....you need a passport come what may! There was never any obstacle to living abroad in the past either...you needed a job and/or enough money to live on...can't really argue against that!

None of these big issues were properly discussed! PLUS ....who decided to put it on with the new episode of BIG BANG THEORY in competition.....that was the clear winner with me!!!!😀

[malacandran]

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@ravendays wrote:

Neither of the two parties can be differentiated between hence why so many are choosing UKIP or not voting at all.

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The best thing is - not to vote at all.

More and more people are realising this. I hope the "General Election" has a very low turn-out.

That will show that most of us, aren't completely stupid.

[elfkincatcher]

There are plenty of candidates worth a vote... Not necessarily for the main parties! If people stopped 'tactical' voting we would get a more balanced idea of the parties true popularity! Frankly, I'd rather not support the people 'behind' the parties! It's all about their self interest...certainly not ours! I'd like to see a list of names of the top 20 backers being published before any election....cos that's who you are voting for....they are the ones pulling the strings!

I do think everyone ought to vote....we should engage more with our local politicians. Many of the candidates are 'bussed' in and have little to do with the area. The one that does get elected should be reminded regularly that they are elected in their own right to REPRESENT the people of that constituency...they are not elected as a Conservatives, Labour etc! They should put the people before the party.....which very few do?...preferring to climb the **** licking ladder! It's a pity they don't have the old town/school hall debates where they can get on the soap box and tell the people where they actually stand on the major issues affecting them ....they used to be lively, animated affairs!

If you don't vote...you can't complain about who you get saddled with! Plus...we shouldn't forget those who died to enable us to all have the ability to vote!

[malacandran]

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If you don't vote...you can't complain about who you get saddled with! 

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That should be  - if you vote, you can't complain about who you get saddled with!

Because by voting -  you are asking to get saddled.  Like a turkey voting to get roasted.

Whereas by not voting -  you are standing away, and refusing to have any part of it.

Which is what a sensible person should do. 

[astrologica]

It was very predictable. I'm Welsh...but Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cwmru made my blood boil. When Nigel Farage, who spoke the only common sense of the evening, delivered the figures regarding the number of foreign people with HIV being treated on the NHS, and the costs of that treatment, she had the nerve to tell him that he should be ashamed! Ashamed...for trying to ensure that the NHS treats British people first! Those numbers were shocking. Where would those other parties draw the line regarding people from other countries being treated free on the NHS? Haven't they noticed that the NHS is on its knees?The other leaders trotted out the same old well rehearsed sound bites...but it is plainly obvious that they are terrified of Nigel and UKIP.

[joe_bloggs*]

Last nights leaders debate was won by the person you’ve already decided to vote for, we can report today.

This result was backed up by the newspaper and websites you usually read, and about 80% of the people you chose to be connected to on social media.

Early polling amongst UKIP, Plaid Cymru and Green voters indicated solid victories for Nigel Farage, Leanne Wood and Natalie Bennett depending on who was asked, whilst in Scotland ‘The National’ newspaper declared that Nicola Sturgeon had resoundingly trounced the other party leaders.

Guardian and Daily Mirror readers disagreed, giving a solid win to Ed Miliband and claiming his performance indicated he was ready to become a world leader.

However, Conservative voters were unconvinced, saying the debates showed only David Cameron had the gravitas and skill to serve as Prime Minister.

Early polling after the event indicates a massive 0% of people changed their voting intentions as a result of the debates.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that none of the six remaining Liberal Democrats intend to desert the party ‘unless they change their minds’.

http://newsthump.com/2015/04/03/my-favourite-candidate-won-the-leaders-debate-insists-everyone/

[malacandran]

Astrologica, what you say is obviously true. But we're being told these days, that it's "shameful" to think that way.

Anyone with any sense,  can see what's going on.  The politicians are not acting in the interests of the British people. They are engaged in destroying us.   Why they're doing it, I'm not sure.  There are various theories.

[jd.linklater]

Astrologica, I agree wholeheartedly with what you say about Leanne Wood's haranguing of Nigel Farage. Strangely her comments raised one of the few rounds of applause of the evening. What a predictably PC audience they seem to have selected for the debate.