Sickening?.

[margaret*e]

The death of any child is devastating, but to trot this out with an election in the offing is unbelievable.

If it brought them to breaking point, with all the help available to them, how do they think other parents of disabled children manage, especially with all their help cut.

By the letters at the bottom the electorate aren't too impressed either.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/pms-wife-ivan-brought-us-breaking-point-025840368.html#c1T2Fc1

[joe_bloggs*]

I remember reading a blog a few years ago,I've just found it again;

We need to talk about Ivan

https://sturdyblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/we-need-to-talk-about-ivan/

it is uncomfortable to read,but a well written piece

[cee-dee]

Leaving aside the issues with the child, it's all just a dose of media-hype and they're hoping that one of them will say something the media commentators can sensationalise.

"The interview is the latest in a series of interventions by the spouses of party leaders in the run-up to the election."

"The media" are looking for any bit of tittle-tattle to fill their news items while they bore everyone with the election (except those who revel in political matters) whilst ignoring real news and dishing the dirt if they can find something to pick on.

[******lynda******]

It was an interview. Presumably she was asked the questions and answered. The media then can put whatever spin they choose on those answers, according to what they think will draw readers. They can be very misleading and they can ignore what they want. For example, in the big debate Sturgeon stated UK could not afford another 100 billion of borrowings so she should have power, to prevent this borrowing.
Yet 3 weeks before she had said that as kingmaker, she would demand 180 billion extra just for scotland as a price for her support. Which would need to be borrowed. Salmond also quoted the same in another interview. The media ignored this conflicting stand.

Be very wary of the media. They have their own agendas.

[******lynda******]

Also remember, the media habitually paraphrase what is said, thereby entirely changing the meaning. I have had personal experience of this, where what I said was twisted to mean almost the opposite. Not that her comments about the situation with Ivan were twisted but it happens. They also can put emphasis on parts of an interview and ignore other parts to give an impression they want to promote, depending on their own political preferences.

[fallen-archie]

I sympathise with any parent who has a terminally ill child and or. Has lost a child. The grief felt is awful and extends to all regardless of means. Many never fully recover from that experience.
The Wail has simply chosen to highlight this and connect it to the GE, that is cynical but what does anyone expect from today's media?
I wish this election could be injected with a truth drug and that those lifelong supporters of one party or another would take a step back and digest a few facts, our country is divided by the haves and the have nots, yet we are blessed with wealth, cheap food, free healthcare and social care. Go to Africa and live a day in their lives. Where women from one village refuse to marry men from another because of the distance they have to walk to find water each day. One man invented a new way of growing crops, essential when you live so close to starvation, a year on and others set fire to his crop out of pure jealousy.
Fast forward and we are no different, from the way you speak to the state of your teeth it's about having or not, the haves of course take from the have nots, Some are born with a silver spoon some with a benefits cheque. We cannot discuss the NHS its use or abuse without privatisation scaremongering. We cannot mention care for the elderly without debating who pays, Nuclear weapons or power are hugely expensive, wind power is disliked because of its visual impact, Fracking is scorned because the Americans messed it up.
We are a mixed up bunch of people, our likes and dislikes ingrained to the point that debate serves no purpose other than the brief if satisfaction gained when someone agrees with you.In a true and responsible democracy we should challenge all politicians and treasure the vote, Stick to facts and ignore the processed rubbish so loved by activists.
Amen

[ravendays]

To be fair it's probably the media side of the party rather than Dave himself that selects it.  If anything it reeks of desperation and considering this is likely to be the lowest turn out for an election (let alone so many choosing UKIP) it's hardly a surprise.  I'm half tempted to buy popcorn and just chuckle during the whole farce as between Dave and Ed the UK is fast becoming an absolute joke and not a very good one at that.

[******lynda******]

Unfortunately, this election is not a joke. If the rest of the UK splits their votes so no one has a majority, SNP are going to be empowered and have a greater say than if there is a majority government. This will be a disaster for everyone. They are not to be trusted. They said they would honour the result of the referendum ans Salmond said he would not resign. Within 4 hours, he had resigned and said the campaign goes on. Sturgeon is also heading either for another referendum, or destroying the union. She likes to point out the fact that Scotland pays more income tax per capita to Westminster than the rest of UK. She does not care to balance that with getting much more per capita back, such that Scotland is running a deficit of about £700 per head. Ie they get to spend 700 more per head than they could if the taxes went straight to Holyrood. And she wants more..at the expense of the rest of the UK.

Westminster must have a majority government, because although the silent majority in Scotland did not want independence, most hate the Tories and are turning even more against Labour. SNP could end up with a lot of seats. In the way Labour won GEs because of the scottish support, SNP will be a force in opposition/coalition.

[joe_bloggs*]

I think its backfired a bit according to most of the comments under the daily mail article !

[fallen-archie]

You are right Lynda, it's high time Salmond was exposed for what he is and this whole issue North of the border can be resolved in the interests of everyone without his divisive tactics. Britain has no borders and a single coastline which is how we have defended ourselves in the past, without it we are much weaker and vulnerable, I see Sturgeon met with the French, trust them to see an opportunity!

[cee-dee]

Hmmmmm, perhaps Antoninus and Hadrian had the right idea after all?

[******lynda******]

Indeed. I voted for the union in the referendum, because I felt independence would be bad for Scotland and for the UK. .at least with the SNP model. Now I think the SNP supporters maybe should have won, if only to open their eyes. It would have served them right. There is no logic in the minds of the indie supporters...they blindly believe SNP rhetoric. The fish people are dangerous.

And as for everyone else who is moaning. Can I point out that before the last GE, every party was advocating cuts. As the outgoing Labour note said...there is no money. Every party warned recovery would be long, slow and painful. Yet the people expect a quick fix. Once the amount paid in interest is reduced, it would free up revenue for the NHS and police etc. As long as we pay so much in interest, there is less to spend on what we want.
Everyone wants money from government for free services. But government has no money. The money has to come from taxes. So the more we want, the more we have to pay in tax to the govt.

If you max out your credit cards, you have to tighten belts till it is paid off. Then your income is yours again, to spend as you choose. If the govt keeps borrowing, the lenders eventually get cold feet. They call in debts, refuse to lend more, put interest up, and then what do you do? SNP want to borrow..for Scotland. But it will be everyone in the UK that has to pay it back.

I still think this quote is relevant:
“Friend, you cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. And what one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government can’t give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody. And when half of the people get the idea they don’t have to work because the other half’s going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea it does no good to work because somebody’s going to get what I work for. That, dear friend, is about the end of any nation.”

[cee-dee]

Another quote:-

“The government cannot give to anybody, anything that the
government does not first take from somebody else.”

[joe_bloggs*]

But Lynda this government has borrowed more in 5 years than 13 years of the last labour government,and as you say taxes have to pay for services,but cutting the top tax as this government has done means even less money for vital services,The lenders don't appear to be getting cold feet about all this extra borrowing by Osborne !

[******lynda******]

I'm not saying this govt has not borrowed too much.

Cutting top rate tax has been proved to generate more income. If the top rate gets above a certain level, those who are expected to pay it either move away or stop working. 50 percent of nothing is nothing. Bring it down to a perceived acceptable level, the payers will pay and 40percent of something is more than 50 percent of nothing. That is why Labour only increased it at the end, when they knew they would lose the election. The top 10 percent of wealth generates 80 percent of tax revenue.

[******lynda******]

And the lenders were getting cold feet before the last GE. I guess it is about perception. If lenders think the path being trodden is going to win out in the end, they will take risks, but if they see a path to self destruction, they will put on the brakes. I remember when this country was so broke, you could only take £50 spending money out of the country if you went on holiday.
To look at this govt, I am sure they would have preferred to borrow less, but with the people clamouring for spending, it must be difficult. The important thing, in my mind, is to redirect the spending so it generates money, not just uses it up. I don't know if this lot are achieving any of that, but the fact remains,
Hollande in France got in on an end austerity brief. Within a couple of years of trying to spend his way out of austerity, France was on its financial knees and he has had to change policy and France lost its triple A rating

[joe_bloggs*]

"France lost its triple A rating"

So did the UK,under Osborne

[cee-dee]

I know this has nowt to do with the intended course of the thread but sticking with the thread title "Sickening?", if you want something truly sickening, have a look at the pics coming out of Syria, Iraq and Africa and see the headless bodies..........

The hostages killed by IS are there, still dressed in Orange suits with their heads placed on their chests. See also the Christian babies beheaded by IS, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram. Look also at the other atrocities and think.....

In comparison, a bit of electioneering pales in to insignificance?

[fallen-archie]

If you must make claims about borrowing then please set them in context. The real recession kicked n at the end of the Labour government. Income decreased and therefore the incoming coalition had little choice but to borrow. Labour if in charge would have faced the same problem. All parties yearn for growth because that is the only way thaey can climb out of deficit without being hammered by the electorate. If all parties were tied to a maximum level of borrowing then the voting public might wake up to austerity and promote fiscal responsibility. But as long as activists promise the earth without also engaging the public on the consequences we will continue with this boom and bust roler coaster and even more mmigration until ur landscape is entirely concreted over.

[fallen-archie]

My apologies CD We cross posted, but you make an excellent point, one which I have banged on about for a while. Those who claim we are hard done by, on our uppers etc are seemngly blind to reaality of how things are elsewhere.