Its you who lied #AlistairCarmichael.Not the SNP. How can you con your constituents into voting for you in a General Election, get in by under 1000 votes and think this is okay?
#CarmichaelMustGo
"The right to smear an opponent is not one we should be defending." Alistair Carmichael, 2010
I am for YES because the London
political parties have offered Scotland very little since the end of the 1970s.
There is very little difference between the Self-servatives, Lavender Labour
and the Fib Dems on so many policies – i.e. all their platforms are based on a
neo-liberal agenda that seems alien to many Scots even if many of them go out
and vote for these parties in the hope that they may offer something different.
At least in Scotland we have the SNP Government who have done what they can,
with the few powers they actually have, and have offered more than Waste-monster
has in years…
Free Prescriptions
Abolition of tuition fees for further and higher education
Council tax freeze
Balanced budget (how different from the UK as a whole)
Preservation of free personal care despite budget cuts from Westminster
Public sector NHS wherever possible
Abolition of bridge tolls (including Forth, Tay, Erskine and Skye)
Improved capital spending to help the economy
Protection from some of the worst ravages of the austerity programme, and cuts in the welfare system being foisted on Scotland by a Government it did not vote for. I am very aware that this cannot go on forever (another reason to vote YES).
And there are many more.
Vote YES to continue this work. Vote NO to stall it and perhaps have it all destroyed due to Westminster austerity cuts.
In England
and in the UK as whole (because of the imbalance in parliamentary seats between the constituent countries) there are only 3 parties ever likely to be part of a UK Government at the
present time.
These are …
Conservatives
Labour
Liberal Democrats
CON: The price of
everything and the value of nothing.
The
Conservatives know the price of everything and the value of nothing. They run
the country like UK plc screwing down the workforce to the lower pay values
possible. They believe in business and money, freedom, and the rights of the
individual (if they are successful in monetary terms) to choose. They remove
rights and laws protecting those at the bottom of society and by inference or
direct statement blame the most vulnerable for being a drain on the country.
They are not in hock to the Unions but are instead the bedfellows of big
business and the rich and are funded by them. Traditionally they are also the
party of the landed gentry and the hereditary principle. The usual colour they
are represented by is blue.
LAB:should change its colour from Red to an
increasingly bluish lavender
The Labour
Party was once a party of principle who believed in sorting societies ills to
make a better future for all the people of the UK. They believed that all
essential industries and utilities should be owned by the people and run for
their benefit. They set up the National Health Service offering health care
free, to be available as required rather than on the ability to pay. They
carried through and enhanced the Beveridge Liberal vision of a welfare state.
They are still in a large part funded by the Unions who are themselves funded
by a large proportion of the UK population. However the post Thatcherite Labour
Party is a shadow if it’s former self and should change its colour from red to
an increasingly bluish lavender. It has accepted most of the 1980s Conservative
ideology meaning there isn’t much to distinguish it from the Tories, except you can expect them
to be a bit less concerned about the price of everything and more likely to
know the value of something, although recently they have gained the notoriety
of being in charge during the 2008 financial crisis. I believe they
actually did the right things (as compared to the Conservatives who would have let the banks go to the wall at the time) but got no thanks from the electorate due to the
preceding years of profligacy.
There was a
remarkable similarity between the two UK conference sets recently of the
Conservatives and Labour party. Both had a blue background and both included
the Union flag. Similar in design and similar in basic ideology with slightly more social minded policies from Labour.
LIB DEM:They are represented by a golden yellow
colour (that sums them up!)
The once
mighty Liberal Party now the Liberal Democrats who came up with the majority of
the welfare state is now likely to only get into Government as bedfellow to
either one or other of the big two mentioned above and has been in this
position since World War 2. They claimed to be principled prior to the 2010
election spouting ‘an end to broken promises’, fairer student funding, a fairer
UK electoral system, and Mr ‘read my lips’ Clegg stated that he would never go
into coalition with the Conservatives as they were not progressive in their hopes
for a better society. They are represented by a golden yellow colour (that sums
them up!). However all that got ditched in 2010 and now they are no different
to either of the above. Indeed it could be argued that they are worse. At least
you know that you are going to get brutalised by the Conservatives and
incompetence from Labour. After 2010 you could anything at all from the Liberal
Democrats!?*!
Danny Alexander in shock as he is told he is not a Conservative but a Liberal Democrat MP.
There must be
something better, surely! Anyone?
If you want
to pick a party that is likely to get into power in a UK General Election then (barring
in one English Constituency i.e. Brighton Pavilion where the Green Party of England and Wales got
its first representative) you are completely bereft of a choice that offers any
moral, just, principled argument based on anything but how much everything
costs in monetary terms. I do not believe the English people are so mercenary.
There must be something better, surely! Anyone?
Fortunately in
Scotland there is the SNP
Fortunately
in Scotland there is a fourth realistic choice the SNP. The SNP in its first majority Government within the Scottish Parliament has done things that Labour should be fighting for i.e. free prescriptions for all, free university tuition fees, the return of at least a partial student grant, keeping the NHS from being privatised, etc. Unfortunately they are never going to have a majority in the Westminster Parliament as they only stand in Scottish constituencies.
It is about time
Scotland learned that it could have a new future away from the above UK ‘choice’ (is it really a choice?). Only
by voting YES in the forthcoming Scottish Independence Referendum can they have
a new start. Will they chose this? I hope so.
I have a
chronic illness called chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as ME) with
fybromyalgia which has no effective treatment although I take medication which
reduces a number of the symptoms.
I am in the red no
matter what I do or what I do without
Thank you
SNP Scottish Government for removing prescription charges. Being charged
anything at the moment would be too much as week on week I am in the red no
matter what I do, or do without. I would have to forgo some if not all of my
medication if prescriptions were not free.
I am fortunate
I am
fortunate I know to have worked for getting on for 20 years allowing me to pay
into a UK system which I thought was there to care for me when the worst
happens.
I was too ill to
appear the decision that said I was in ATOS’ opinion 100% fine
It seems in
that respect I was somewhat naïve, as I have been left with no income
whatsoever several times during my illness as I was too ill I to appeal the
decision stating that in the DWPs or ATOS’ opinion I was 100% fine. At least I
didn’t die which has happened to some, and at least I had some money in the
bank to tide me over.
I want the 19 years of
wasted contributions back
I am also aware
that if I had worked for only a year I would be receiving the same benefit, and
would love now to get the 19 years of wasted contributions back.
I have been penalised
over and over for being responsible when I was working
Throughout
the years I was working I saved money allowing me to graduate my disappearance
into poverty, although almost always I have been penalised for this as my
benefits were reduced as a result.
At least one worry has
been removed?
Despite my
best efforts my savings are almost gone, so at least the reduction to my
benefits worry has been removed!? Small comfort.
I feel as though I am
being punished for becoming ill
I feel as
though I am being punished for becoming ill getting the small amount of money
from the DWP in Employment and Support Allowance (although at least at present
I am getting it!).
Without the help of family and friends many weeks I would be going
hungry
I am
expected to run my house on a little over £100 per week. Out of that I require
to keep the roof over my head, pay the factor, pay for food, travel, the water
part of my Council Tax, electricity, etc.
I am already cold
throughout the winter and have no social life to save money
Without the
help of family and friends many weeks I would be going hungry. I am already
cold throughout the winter and have no social life to save money.
On a yearly basis the
UK Govt. and their well paid servants ATOS, threaten to take this meagre amount
of money away from me
On a yearly
basis the UK Government, and their well paid servants ATOS, threaten to take
this meagre amount of money away from me and force me onto Job Seekers
Allowance which is even less, and is designed for well people looking for jobs.
Trying to get myself
well is a big enough job most of the time
I would
love to get a job (although trying to get myself well is a big enough job most
of the time), and I am constantly trying to think of a job which I can do whilst
ill (being a blogger is not well paid, I am currently in credit by £0, although
I do hope for some pin money hence the ads on this site – I get paid if
somebody is kind enough to press the link on one of them – although I am rather
ashamed of needing/wanting to have them here, as my country must come before me
particularly on this occasion).
In a rich country such
as the UK this is obscene
In a rich country such as the UK (and in particular such a
resource rich country as Scotland) it is to me obscene that ill people as left
in such situations as I find myself in, through no fault of my own. I have done
everything possible right yet the UK systems are failing me. The trajectory of
UK social security policy is to demonise the poor and ill more and more hoping
that they will somehow disappear and not be such a drain on society.
My particular disgust is always reserved for the Tories (also known as
the Nasty Party)
Only two parties are ever likely to be in power in the UK
system, with the Liberal Democrats possibly filling in to prop up either
Conservative or Labour Governments. All 3 of these parties have similar
policies these days, particularly when it comes to social security (although my
particular disgust as regards this issue is always reserved for the Tories,
also known as the nasty party).
The UK is not OK for the vulnerable in our society
Only by the Scots voting YES in the 2014 independence
referendum can I see any possibility that things will substantially change. PLEASE,
PLEASE Scotland vote for a NEW politics and give some hope to the poor, ill and
disenfranchised in your society. The UK is not OK for the vulnerable in our
society.
The original film of the above can be found on Youtube on the Kevin Donnelly channel at this address... Better Together on Poverty
