General Election 2017 | Cabinet reshuffle: Hunt re-appointed Health Secretary for record third time

How do you intend to vote in the 2017 General Election if eligible?

  • Conservatives

    Votes: 80 14.5%
  • Labour

    Votes: 322 58.4%
  • Lib Dems

    Votes: 57 10.3%
  • Green

    Votes: 20 3.6%
  • SNP

    Votes: 13 2.4%
  • UKIP

    Votes: 29 5.3%
  • Independent

    Votes: 3 0.5%
  • Plaid Cymru

    Votes: 2 0.4%
  • Sinn Fein

    Votes: 11 2.0%
  • Other (UUP, DUP, BNP, and anyone else I have forgotten)

    Votes: 14 2.5%

  • Total voters
    551
  • Poll closed .
Sammsky seems the kind of person who when stabbed, would push the blade deeper into his chest because you're not doing hard enough.
Again I ask why? What do you contribute to this country? Im really fascinated.
 
I'm happy to agree to disagree.

I will say that judging from your response to another poster, it seems you've been incredibly lucky to have the parents you did.

100%.
 
Please don't everyone pile onto @sammsky1


See it from his perspective though.

- He doesn't use the NHS
- Didn't use our School system
- Labour charged the higher earners 50% income tax, whilst putting huge debts on the country.
- The Tories are doing a better job of balancing the books, whilst taking low-earners out of income tax.
- He probably pays more tax right now than everyone criticizing him put together (maybe)

If I was in his shoes, I'd probably vote Tory too

Thats not really the issue here though. I agree he sounds well off enough to be a natural Tory voter and I can understand not wanting to vote against your own interests.

You can do that without talking absolute bollocks and pretending like you haven't come from one of the most privileged backgrounds it's possible to have. Sammsky's had a head start in life that others can only dream of and to act like the issue is that everyone else is lazy is downright insulting.
 
Please don't everyone pile onto @sammsky1


See it from his perspective though.

- He doesn't use the NHS
- Didn't use our School system
- Labour charged the higher earners 50% income tax, whilst putting huge debts on the country.
- The Tories are doing a better job of balancing the books, whilst taking low-earners out of income tax.
- He probably pays more tax right now than everyone criticizing him put together (maybe)

If I was in his shoes, I'd probably vote Tory too
Makes sense.
 
Do you believe that even when you control hours worked and the 'effort' (however you measure it) put in, that all forms of work are paid the same? You obviously don't.

Do you think children choose their parents? Choose their school at a young age? Obviously you don't.

Lots of people succeed despite their disadvantages (like you've tried to provide in your previous post) but there's no guarantee that everyone can do that.

It's about balance really. Everything you have in life is partly down to your actions and a bit of fecking luck (the hand your dealt). It's not all bad luck if you're poor and it's not all down to your 'hard work' if you're rich. If you believe that you've never been lucky at some point in your career I would call you a rare exception - everyone gets a rub of the green.

For those who don't always get that path laid out in front of them and their circumstances hold them back a bit, I think our society should provide what they need to live a life of decency. If we can't then I would suggest we're not that great a country at all.

(For clarity, I consider myself a left leaning centrist - my views cross over a lot but I believe looking after those at the bottom benefits everyone and I think research confirms this.)

Agree with a lot of what you say.
For interest what is classified as "poor" in the UK today - doubt it's the same as when I was young.

Also there are people who live off the state without making any effort to do anything about it
 
Please don't everyone pile onto @sammsky1


See it from his perspective though.

- He doesn't use the NHS

He did and does use the NHS. Every private healthcare plan in this country is subsidised because they firstly useNHS trained staff so they avoid the costs involved with that, and secondly, private healthcare in this country is not geared for emergency cover. Every emergency callout the patient will be routed to an NHS hospital using NHS ambulances. That is why it is so cheap.

UK private health costs is about £3,500 per household per annum of 4 last I checked. Pre obamacare, in the US it was $20K. That is how much he still gets subsidised by the NHS right now.
 
You being hypothetically selfish doesn't make him potentially voting Tory cause he doesn't want to support the poor less selfish.
The 1% disproportionality pay for this countries coffers, yet get a disproportional percentage of the blame.

It's not his fault Labour fecked us.

Voting for the Tories for selfish reasons is, by it's very nature, selfish. But many people would do the same, give the opportunity for a £15k pay cut
 
Hang on. You are unhappy about Brexit so you are going to vote Tory?

Tbf with that "feck you I got mine" attitude you should probably be voting for them anyway.

Where did I say this???????

I simply said that I wont vote for Corbyn to raise my taxes even more.
 
Private health companies use the NHS. They're not building their own hospitals, just giving the rich access to the fast lane. Like the expensive ticket at theme parks.
True
 
Please don't everyone pile onto @sammsky1


See it from his perspective though.

- He doesn't use the NHS
- Didn't use our School system
- Labour charged the higher earners 50% income tax, whilst putting huge debts on the country.
- The Tories are doing a better job of balancing the books, whilst taking low-earners out of income tax.
- He probably pays more tax right now than everyone criticizing him put together (maybe)

If I was in his shoes, I'd probably vote Tory too

We're not all as self-centered though. I pay higher rate tax, private health insurance etc and i think it should be more if im being honest. Its still historically very low.

As i have to explain to the in-laws frequently i value living in a decent society more than material gains.
 
The 1% disproportionality pay for this countries coffers, yet get a disproportional percentage of the blame.

It's not his fault Labour fecked us.

Voting for the Tories for selfish reasons is, by it's very nature, selfish. But many people would do the same, give the opportunity for a £15k pay cut

Yes!!! Thank you!

After voting then all my life, I just cant justify it anymore.

My mum is now 70, lived in UK for 50 years and voted labour all her life. She just told me she also wont vote for Corbyn.
 
Cheap shots. of course you have no valid or worthy opposition. Much too much hard work to type out an answer.

How is it a cheap shot? You said something that suggests you don't understand how hard work and income relate to each other. That makes it an ignorant statement.
 
Yes!!! Thank you!

After voting then all my life, I just cant justify it anymore.

My mum is now 70, lived in UK for 50 years and voted labour all her life. She just told me she also wont vote for Corbyn.

To be fair, despite the abuse you're getting, I wouldn't vote for him either (although for other reasons).
 
We're not all as self-centered though. I pay higher rate tax, private health insurance etc and i think it should be more if im being honest. Its still historically very low.

As i have to explain to the in-laws frequently i value living in a decent society more than material gains.
40% is a good figure really. For every 10 hours you work, you are working 4 hours for the government. They'll pay you back in things like state pension, NHS, roads, defence, etc. Especially when you pay only 2% National Insurance, so you can pay 98% of your earnings into your SIPP.... I have no qualms about higher rate's tax rate.

But higher than 40% I find it harder to justify. The old days of 50% income tax were a bit silly.
 
I'm a commodities trader.

Well, I read all posts in that exchange and some of sammsky's posts in this thread haven't been glorious. Something I would expect from a GOP supporter for a guy who consistently opposes Trump in US. I'm going to put it down to frustration.

Good luck with your trading. FWIW, I support higher taxes even though it may not be the best outcome for me personally. It creates a safety net for many and of course it is hard to ensure every penny is spent the right way. If we need that type of assurance, we can as well stop giving to all charities
 
Apart from the education you talk about. The healthcare that saw you all born safely an dprovides a healthy workforce the for the businesses that pay you all. The infrastructure that allows you to have a home that is reasonably safe, providing a legal system that ensures your business can function and provide social cohesion that means you don't need to hire bodyguards for the trip to waitrose.
The transport system that lets you travel around, the telephone infrastructure that allows you to visit this forum and presumably use the internet for commercial work.

But apart from that, you did it all by yourself.
yawn yawn

This is why Labour will get swept into oblivion this election. And they will never ever come back, because their socialist agenda is so out of touch with 21st century Britain.
 
But higher than 40% I find it harder to justify. The old days of 50% income tax were a bit silly.

Just a reminder, it was 73% when Thatcher was in office. It was over 80% during the previous tory government of Ted Heath.

We do not have high taxes.
 
@sammsky1

So basically, the ''scrounging classes'' voting for Brexit is the final straw for you, you don't want to vote to help them in any way, any more?
 
Well, I read all posts in that exchange and some of sammsky's posts in this thread haven't been glorious. Something I would expect from a GOP supporter for a guy who consistently opposes Trump in US. I'm going to put it down to frustration.

Good luck with your trading. FWIW, I support higher taxes even though it may not be the best outcome for me personally. It creates a safety net for many and of course it is hard to ensure every penny is spent the right way. If we need that type of assurance, we can as well stop giving to all charities

utter frustration with an idiotic labour party leader and his ancient socialist policies.
 
Again I ask why? What do you contribute to this country? Im really fascinated.
:lol:

Sammsky, I'm from a very similar background as yours. I'll avoid the whole Labour vs Tories debate, and tell you that your original premise is wrong. Not all people on welfare voted Brexit, and even then it wouldn't matter. They're also not all lazy gits. There are many more variables than "hard work" to escape poverty. Some people don't have families to lean on, some are sick, and some are just really unlucky.

I know a "good" is as subjective a measure as there is, but would you say you have a good life? Because there are many more hardworking people like you don't have a good life, and as long as I have a good life, I'll be voting for a better one for them.
 
Agree with a lot of what you say.
For interest what is classified as "poor" in the UK today - doubt it's the same as when I was young.

Also there are people who live off the state without making any effort to do anything about it

I think most sensible people acknowledge those people and I certainly do. I just don't think their sins justify punishing the whole group.

It's also a both a societal issue and a state issue that neither wishes to properly tackle it seems.

---

Also just to use myself as an example (well my parents) regarding the 'hard work' factor:

Dad was a fire fighter - had an accident on the job which later gave him early retirement on a 50% pension I believe (he was on pretty big money before he left, 80-100k I believe). Hasn't worked a day beyond his own hobbies since. State funded.

Mum is a social worker, a former nurse and ward sister. Loved her job but hasn't had a pay rise in 10 years (if not longer, I forget). Her work load has exponentially increased (as you will read in the papers all the time). So she's working harder, without any increase in pay.

Dad sits on his arse, earns a fortune. Mum busts her ass and it isn't reflected in her pay.

There's luck involved people.
 
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We're not all as self-centered though. I pay higher rate tax, private health insurance etc and i think it should be more if im being honest. Its still historically very low.

As i have to explain to the in-laws frequently i value living in a decent society more than material gains.
I pay all that too and not sure I'd describe it as 'historically low', particularly when you factor in loads of indirect taxes we pay, such as VAT etc...Id happily pay a penny more on income tax if the money raised was guaranteed to be used by the NHS, even though I can go private.
 
40% is a good figure really. For every 10 hours you work, you are working 4 hours for the government. They'll pay you back in things like state pension, NHS, roads, defence, etc. Especially when you pay only 2% National Insurance, so you can pay 98% of your earnings into your SIPP.... I have no qualms about higher rate's tax rate.

But higher than 40% I find it harder to justify. The old days of 50% income tax were a bit silly.
The annual allowance for pension contributions is capped at £40k, not meaning to be a pedant.
 
Just a reminder, it was 73% when Thatcher was in office. It was over 80% during the previous tory government of Ted Heath.

We do not have high taxes.

Exactly. Rich people are not fecking struggling, and the idea that 50% tax (after allowances lets not forget) is some unbearable burden, is frankly laughable.

It's also stupid, because when the poor have more money they spend more money, allowing hard working rich folk to get even wealthier if they can actually be arsed.
 
40% is a good figure really. For every 10 hours you work, you are working 4 hours for the government. They'll pay you back in things like state pension, NHS, roads, defence, etc. Especially when you pay only 2% National Insurance, so you can pay 98% of your earnings into your SIPP.... I have no qualms about higher rate's tax rate.

But higher than 40% I find it harder to justify. The old days of 50% income tax were a bit silly.

Well no because its progressive i dont pay 40% on everything so its less. Your criteria is also one that assumes its my money in the first place, i dont really see it that way.

Anyone complaining about paying 45% on earnings above the threshold (150k is it?) can get fecked. No one earns a living in isolation from the rest of us or society, all money is in circulation you've just absorbed some of it yourself.
 
Well, I read all posts in that exchange and some of sammsky's posts in this thread haven't been glorious. Something I would expect from a GOP supporter for a guy who consistently opposes Trump in US. I'm going to put it down to frustration.

Good luck with your trading. FWIW, I support higher taxes even though it may not be the best outcome for me personally. It creates a safety net for many and of course it is hard to ensure every penny is spent the right way. If we need that type of assurance, we can as well stop giving to all charities
Apologies, I was just lying cause I was confused as to why you asked. I feel bad now you've responded rather politely.

I'm an unemployed scrounger, bleeding the state dry, pretending to be too ill to work. Currently waiting for a letter that can turn up at any time that summons me to lengthy questioning on extremely personal matters followed by a physical examination. After that, I wait for a letter that can turn up at any time that tells me whether I am deemed sufficiently ill to be deserving of financial support, or whether my benefits will be stopped.

Livin' the life, at sammsky's expense, yo!
 
Exactly. Rich people are not fecking struggling, and the idea that 50% tax (after allowances lets not forget) is some unbearable burden, is frankly laughable.

It's also stupid, because when the poor have more money they spend more money, allowing hard working rich folk to get even wealthier if they can actually be arsed.

If everyone is going to lay into Sammsky for being 'selfish', we might as well pull up Ken on this sort of bullshit. Yes, he's not suffering, so let's tax him more sounds the best way to go about it.
 
I pay all that too and not sure I'd describe it as 'historically low', particularly when you factor in loads of indirect taxes we pay, such as VAT etc...Id happily pay a penny more on income tax if the money raised was guaranteed to be used by the NHS, even though I can go private.

I'd pay 2p more in the same scenario, 5p if the extra money was ring-fenced for education. Although I'd want guarantees that it was spent wisely. Which is the real rub here. Paying the government the guts of half your salary gets harder and harder to put up with the more you learn about how incredibly badly run the public sector is. Unfortunately, I don't know what the solution is. I suspect it isn't political.