skipjack

not a bad job eh?

- police force paralysed by bureaucracy and political correctness
- street crime and burglary rampant
- car crime rampant
- gun crime at all time high
- rural policing minimal to non-existent
- persecution of white rural minorities
- persecution of motorists
- inept and excessively liberal judiciary
- prison service and capacity in crisis
- illiteracy levels increasing
- 'A' levels confused and undermined
- higher education devalued by politically correct targets and no longer based on merit/ability
- NHS sliding deeper into crisis through poor management and a lack of coherent political direction
- public transport a total mess with no integration
- stillborn public/private partnership
- armed services cut dangerously to the bone with fundamentally defective weaponry and communications systems left unaddressed
- immigration in crisis
- relentless tax increases with no clear, delivered benefit
- every controversial or difficult issue is met with weasel words, fudge, inaction and incompetence
- millennium dome
- bernie ecclestone
- mittal steel
- hinduja brothers
- peter foster
- steven byers
- peter mandelson
- geoffrey robinson
- election rigging against livingstone for the mayoral candidacy
- election rigging against rhodri morgan in the welsh assembly

all this in just under six years.

blair is a pi55-poor leader: how could he not be when he has a 180+ seat majority but has still failed to deliver any substantial improvements?

he presents well but after five years, is now being regularly betrayed by the inability of his cabinet and parliamentary party to deliver just about anything. except mistruths and out-of-control spin.

they only remain in power by default due to a lack of viable alternative.

now then, who can give us all some successes of note that stand out as a result of strong, visionary government?

carl

I'd just like to add another couple to this list:
- Keith Vaz
- John Prescott (punching members of the public is hardly statesmanlike)

logiclee

Carl,

I hope you never end up in Hospital mate.

Most hospitals are in the middle of a staff crisis. WHY? Because no one wil take the jobs for the low pay.

My local hospital if full to breaking point at the moment, they have all the equipment they need but no staff to operate them. The X Ray/ Scanning department needs to be run 24 hours a day but they can only staff it 10 hours a day 5 days a week.

It would be a waste spending extra public money on more equipment when they don't have enough staff to use the equipment they already have.

Only way to entice people into the proffesion is to offer more money and better terms and conditions.

My wife has been in hospital for 5 weeks and its been a total eye opener for me. I hope you don't have to try it.

Lee

Popeye P1

Skipjack summed it all up. Well done Mr Blair-NOT!

Australia seem to have the right answer. Ok it suffers from crime etc but not on the same scale as here. Its not overcrowded, doesn't accept hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants and you have a better quality of life overall. I'm off.

[Edited by Popeye P1 - 1/14/2003 12:55:10 PM]

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Skip- Jack! Skip- Jack! Skip- Jack! Skip- Jack!
I, for one, can't wait to see the list of what they've got RIGHT!
Anybody?? Is there anybody out there? Anybody at all?
Alcazar:

carl

I did -- my wife also had to spend some time in hospital recently. Unfortunately they were so incompetent we ended up stumping up around £2.5k to have her treated in a private hospital -- a substantial amount but notably less than my NI contributions over the past year (employer's and employee's) [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

[Edited by carl - 1/14/2003 1:12:46 PM]

skipjack

come on, come on, don't be shy ... the gauntlet's on the floor.

(and no google-generated lists of government-approved piffle please).

south-star

Exactly......you've hit the nail on the head mate.The US is a place of great inequality,..for the successful its a great place to live,for the unsuccessful its not so good.IMO the UK is heading down that road and with it comes the good and bad points.
The bad points are the increase in crime,the have nots wanting what the haves have,the good points are the great opportunities for those that are intelligent and/or want to work hard.

You takes your pick etc....thats the way its going if you ask me.

MATTeL

Skipjack:
You missed out:
Spin doctors
Dodgey business deals
Train fare doging wife
Setting up a system to stop drunken loutish behaviour and then forgetting about it when his 16 year old son is found drunk in London.
Crying in front of the WI
Trying to have an "Airforce 1" style jet leased from BA for £250,000 a year.
Dragging us into a war that no one actually wants, becuase the American have clicked their fingers.
Being a weasel.

Labour have managed to screw the economy and the population again.

pslewis

What have they got right???????? I thought THAT was blindingly obvious even to those that cant see, yet STILL post drivel.

THE HAVE KEPT THE COUNTRY TORY FREE!!

And for that I salute them - they will also ensure that we STAY Tory free for the next generation TOO!!

Gets my vote EVERY time!!

Carry On Tony!! Top Man - will go down in the History books as Britains greatest leader of all time.

Pete

MATTeL

South-star - If I wanted to live in America I would move there... I used to want to live in the UK... not know with Blair his cronies and media brainwashed supporters.

carl

I forgot about that little gem
Can't imagine the same happening to Churchill or Thatcher, can you?

pslewis -- don't understand how you can be supportive of the current Labour government, working as you do and knowing that most of the cabinet are current or ex- CND members

[Edited by carl - 1/14/2003 1:34:14 PM]

logiclee

Carl,

I have spent over £8000 in the last ten years on private medicine. We discharged Lorraine before Christmas and paid to see the correct consultant privatly and he re-admitted her onto his ward. We couldn't do it trough NHS routes.

Her spinal fusion operation with after care would have cost £29000 private. We tried to get medical insurance in 1992 but her condition meant premiums which were three times the cost of our mortgage.

The majority of NHS staff do try there best but are crippled by red tape and lack of staff. Lorraine still doesn't know when she can have her scan, she is taking up a bed in a full hospital. Her consultant has said they have been advertising for radiologists and nursing staff for two years but the low pay means they can't get staff to do the job. The overall nursing numbers at the hospital have fallen in the last two years.
In contrast Fire Fighters have 40 applicants for each job. Makes you realise which jobs are underpaid.

Lee

carl

This is the problem, not underinvestment IMHO. Surely it's the government's job to sort the system out, not just throw money at it? The Conservatives tried throwing money at the NHS -- and it didn't work.

skipjack

... the deafening silence of new labour apologists ... is there *nothing* you can think of?

... exceptions - natch - to pslewis for more eccentric warblings of a madman ...

Re-Bitten Hero

LOL at Mr ps doing his bit as usual to move the proceedings along in an amusing manner Though you're still waiting for a serious bait-taker to really sink your teeth into, I guess

R

skipjack

oh yes.

however, i think they're scared and are seeking shelter behind their pink training bras.

Popeye P1

The NHS gets sued for around 800 million a year. Thats fact!
County councils have overwhelming payouts for anything from tripping up on a kerb to potholes. We all have to pay for this.

My granny had to wait 3 years for a hip operation. Yet illegal asylum seekers can jump the queue. Is it any wonder people are feeling bitter?

All this politically correct bureaucracy and claiming culture is ruining this country. Thats why you're council tax is set to rise and car insurance is so high.

PSLewis- I have taken the bait LOL. You deserve to be a regular in the muppet forum.

Bajie

Out of interest, how many of the ant-Blair people here remember the last Tory government and what they got up to?
Unfortunately, I do. And the state they're in now ... they don't deserve a vote.
As far as Labour goes. Refused to vote for them when they really were the "Loony Left".
Ideally they have positioned themselves where I feel they should be but they too lose my loyalty minute by minute.
As far as Blairs relationship with Bush goes its on exactly the same lines as that of Thatcher and Reagan.
The party in power may change but the only constant is the MP's getting longer holidays and a big pay rise.

skipjack

- first, gently saute some chopped mandelson in butter and then add a sprinkle of hinduja to add some spice. blanche half a dozen spin doctors in boiling water for 30 seconds (campbells if you can find them), drain and leave to cool. keep the mandelson and hinduja on a gentle heat.

- slice several large prescotts until you have enough to fill a small pan: you'll need at least four as they are mostly made up of water and air. however be careful as overdoing the prescotts can leave your dish a little on the eggy side. add a dash of vaz, then put the pan on a medium heat with water to simmer.

- skin a single byers very carefully, taking care to remove the pips which are inedible and have a bad aftertaste. add the byers to the frying mandelson and hinduja reduction, stirring occasionally until nicely browned.

- i like to use a cook sometimes: although there doesn't seem much to it, peel it, separate it from its husk, and add to the prescotts and vaz - it will infuse the dish with a rewarding ginger hue.

- on the other hand, avoid using any straw: it's a totally useless ingredient and besides, is very hard to find in the UK.

- now you're ready to serve: drain the prescott, vaz and cook in a colander and pour carefully onto the plate. add a little grated morris - it adds no flavour whatsoever but a touch of colour.

- sluice the mandelson, hinduja and byers on top generously and to finish off, a splash of whipped blair. if you're feeling adventurous, pop a cherie on top.

serve with a glass of robinson's barley water.

it's a popular dish but likely to leave you nauseous if eaten.


god i'm bored.

cjones944

At least with the Tory Party they undersdtand that low taxes and light regulation encourages people to start businesses which in turn generates revenue.

Thatcher started a revolution when she put inh place reforms to encourage people to start their own business. Labour is consistently applying more and more read tape to the vary companies that are the life blood of this country.

I'm afraid it is all doomed to failure. More tax rises will come (this time not so stealthily), the Tories will ditch IDS, reform of the public services will not happen quick enough (before the next general election) and the next election will be there for the taking. Hopefully, we'll see a coalition. That way, parties have to come up with sensible, achieveable policies that have to be sold.

I'm not a member of any political party. I simply want to see the UK become a better place through genuine efforts.

Tony Blair has claimed he is a radical leader. Well, we've seen precious little of it in the 5.5 years he has been in power. I suspect he will be ousted by the end of the year if he sides with the US and strike unillaterally against Irag.

Again, just IMHO.

[Edited by cjones944 - 1/14/2003 3:42:18 PM]

south-star

South-star - If I wanted to live in America I would move there... I used to want to live in the UK... not know with Blair his cronies and media brainwashed supporters.

I'm not sure what you mean Mattel?..if you ask me,whoevers in power inequality will increase,.its just the way its going mate.
Not saying i agree with it.

Bajie

cjones

I agree with a lot of what you said.
But the Tory party encouraged a lot of greed and get rich quick ideology.
Estate Agents and Mobile Phone vendors. Many of these small ventures failed as quickly as they began. It seemed a BMW and a big house was the most important thing at the time.
Yes, I got stung [by the house].

Labour got in due mainly to the fact the people were fed up with the way the Tory govt [due to their large majority] were treating us with contempt.

Not too disimilar to the situation now, is it.

Coalition. Great idea. It'll never work ...

cjones944

Bajie

I think TB has readily admitted that the Labour Party, when in opposition, became expert in dishing sleeze on the tories. Admittedly, there were some sleeze problems (hamilton, Aitken, Archer) but that was nothign compared to what has happened since 1997.

John Major might have been a rather weak leader but that was more of the circumstances he inherited after the 1992 general election (tony majority and having to keep the Unionists sweet) - He had, however, come over as a genuine and honourable. TB is neither.

Makalu

There aint enough space on this Bulletin board to fix the NHS's problems...

My wife is a CPT (She trains district nursing sisters) and has only ever worked as a Nurse. She packed it in three years ago to concentrate on her nervous breakdown.

The top level problem with the NHS is that it is run as a business and not a service. It is run by people who are trained to understand Balance sheets instead of identify Malingitus (sp?).

As for Tony Blair and the original question for this thread...

It is a crying shame that there is no real opposition for TB. The conservatives are a joke and should all be taken out at dawn and laid to rest. The Lib-Dems need more support and a stronger leader. IMHO, the only 'politician' to have made any sense since Thatcher (and No, im not a supporter of all she did) is Paddy Ashdown. That guy talks straight and doesnt hide behind spin.

He would get my vote if he were around.

In the meantime, Tony is slowly ******* the country up a piece at a time.

If only he would divert a little of the passion and attention to sorting out his problems at home before fighting other peoples battles we might stand a chance.

PREDICTION.
"LABOUR win a landslide victory in the next election DESPITE the fact that turnout at the voting booths was less than 20% of the population."

Now where did I put that emmigration form?
M.

carl

(double post)

[Edited by carl - 1/14/2003 6:56:18 PM]

carl

Paddy Ashdown struck me as a pretty genuine bloke. Odd that he resigned when the LibDems were on the up

Also agree that Major was underrated -- he certainly gave out the right signals; he just wasn't very interesting. Mind you, the alternatives during that leadership battle were 'Tarzan' Heseltine and 'Ice Cream Head' Hurd

I said at the time of the original London Mayor elections that had I been eligible to vote, I would have voted for Ken Livingstone. I'm a lifelong Tory, but Red Ken was in with a chance and is a genuine bloke -- he's a socialist, and he doesn't care who knows it.

matty01

1. Any body who thinks government is easy ....is unrealistic.
2. Any layperson who thinks they could step straight in and do better ....is unrealistic.
NOT bieng sarcastic when i say ,could you please list some simple reasons why ANY government one cares to mention cannot perform the simplest of tasks? ("fixing" nhs/transport/politicians private lives/crime etc etc)

pslewis

Paddy Ashdown?? he resigned when he changed his name to 'Haddis Pantsdown'!!

I dont know, you kids on here - average age what? 22?? - no idea whatsoever about what it was like under the Tories!! Let me tell you, this is FAR better!! Thatcherite toughness with a hint of compasion.

Most of you were still walking around in nappies when I was suffering under the Tories, so dont come the old bollox of thinking you know what youre on about - ya all wet be'ind the ears!!

Pete

carl

Nobody's saying that they could do a better job than Blair, they're just saying that he's not the best man for the job. MPs are elected representatives of the people, and I think there are better representatives.

FFS if I got a garage to service my car and they completely f*cked it up, I'd be pretty pissed off if they used "Well, could you do it better?" as an excuse...