SJ_Skyline

Calling our imperious leader Mr. Bliar a Liar!! The shock of it!!

what next?? "Mr Home Secretary, are you blind to the issues?"

Senior_AP

I like the look of Mr Howard. Another educated man. However, as the Hague "thing" proved, people in this country don't want an educated leader - they want someone that looks nice.

tiggers

Well he should know what one looks like being in the Tory Party. Hypocrisy sits pretty high on his personal attribute list as well.

Back in 1998 Howard criticised Robin Cook and Tony Blair for not acting fast enough to launch air strikes against Iraq and on a BBC interview said that Blair/Clinton should attack Iraq without warning in order to remove Saddam Hussein from office.

No doubt though you'll all still think he's the answer to your prayers. Good luck!!

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Poll tax and fuel tax escallator anyone?

Labour does not have my next vote, neither can I vote for Howard.

oh well

Senior_AP

Se below. My internet feed went very wrong.

Senior_AP

lol. Mr. Presented with facts.

Like any man, Howard changed his opinion and admitted too much faith in the facts presented. Which in myopinion makes him human, not an idiot.

Shame not everyone can't be so honest eh.

Kyl3cook

I like Michael Howard, but then again I like William Hague too...something needs to be done with Labour, and if it was up to me, they'd be out like a shot...unfortunately they seem to be the chavs preferred government. Perhaps because the chavs like the way they get paid benefits for being lazy bastids

Adam M

I like howard, and I am not sure he can get things much mroe wrong than Blair has done.

i used to like blair, but I can't help but notice how much worse off I am financially with no visible improvement in anything.

fuel tax is an unfair joke, I appreciate that the money has to come from somewhere but I would rather see it go on corporation tax or even income tax, since it is totally unrelated to the roads.

I am most distubed by the proposed changes to stamp duty and then there is the doubling of council tax to contend it. Given the mass increase in revenue, where is it all going?

Senior_AP

Howard = educated.

Hence why the halfwits that inhabit this island won't vote for him.

MJW

'honest' and 'tory politician' could be in the OED under 'oxymoron'.

Senior_AP

Yeah, cos liberal and socialist politicians are totally open aren't they.

All governments retain some info, reason.....??? Most halfwits can't handle the truth. I think people that have no idea about politics (mention no names) should allow the educated to get on with it.

Iain Young

And what makes you think the "educated" are going to do any better?

From what I've seen, Howard comes across as a smug slimy person with little or no concept of what goes on in the real world. Much like Blair and 90% of all the other politicians both in government and in opposition (blinkered). If he's so educated, why does he have to resort to "yah boo" politics every time there is a serious debate? Not saying Blair is any better, but I think it's wrong to suggest that Howard is going to do a better job...

If the conservatives or lib dems got into power would we really notice any difference. I suspect not. One or two policies would change (in the short term), but at the end of the day, whoever is in power has to get the money from somewhere.

To be honest, I can't see anyone I'd like to vote for at the moment....

gsm1

Does anyone really believe the Tory 'we're all caring and sharing now' message?

As much as I think Blair is full of it I would never vote for the present Tory Party. Was it not the Tories that introduced taxes on utility bills and insurance when they were in government and now accuse Labour of 'stealth' taxes. Plus New Labour spin is an art learned from the Tories who were the masters of it.

Chrisgr31

Firstly what was wrong with the poll tax? Every adult paying the same amount seems fair to me. Yes its not progrssive but nor is the council tax as live in a cheap house, irrespective of what you are worth/earn then your pay cheap council tax.

Secondly New Labour has in my opinion ruined politics for ever. They are so keen to say yes to everyone no one knows what they truly believe in. They spin stories, they leak stories and everything is announced several times over. I wee today that there has been a big mole hunt in the civil service as some unflattering information was leaked. Seem to recall that when in opposition they delighted in the leaks they got hold off!

Thirdly Iraq well at least Michael Howard had the guts to say go in bomb them kill Saddam, unlike Tony Blair who produces alledged evidence of wealons of mass destruction to justify going in, and only now is justififying the war as it got rid of Saddam. He should have been brave enough to say it at the time.

Fourthly government should change at every election, that way they don;t get their trotters deep enough in the through to do any real damage!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Can't vote for Howard, as he was the author of the Poll Tax, a staunch supporter of Thatcher who I loathe, and had much to do with the fuel tax escalator.

Labour will, quite rightly, be rememebered as the government who couldn't afford to send it's young people to University, but COULD afford to send them to Iraq to die:, and as such, I can't vote for them either.

So who's left? Serious answers on a postcard to.....................:

Alcazar

Adrian F

I liked Hague he was intelligent and honest.

Blair is only still in power because he employs good spin doctors and the Tories spent to much effort fighting themselves to actually fight Labour but how can any one actually Vote for Labour again when they have had seven years and still stand up and make pledges as if they have no responsibility for the mess the country is in.

If after 7 years they can’t improve education except by fiddling the exam results why do they think we believe they can now do it in 4 more years? Do they really believe that people are that stupid? We now pay more tax be it Stealth or income than when they came to power but yet what has improved? The roads NO the education system NO defence NO health NO crime NO immigration NO.

What are their achievements for the people who work and are not living on Our taxes paid to who ever as state benefits? The Economy they say well they inherited this from the Tories and for the first few years stuck with Tory spending plans. Now Gordon has Taxed like never before and is spending faster than he is getting and we all know that in 2-3 years time he will have to Tax us a lot more to meet these plans but I honestly think when they decided to spend like this they never thought they would get a 3rd term and would just sit back and watch the Tories take the flack. It will be interesting to see who they blame then because of course they will never take responsibility for any thing they do.

tiggers

OK just for those of you who think he is the answer to your prayers here are few more illustrations of Michael Howard's wonderful qualities:

- liar (Derek Lewis, Home Office IT privatisation, ludicrous claims for asylum seeker numbers - later said he got his figures mixed up ))
- simpleton (solution to crime = lock people up)
- homophobe (Clause 28, 'gay' age of consent)
- abuse of power (cover up of power generator pollution levels, criminal injuries compensation cuts)
- hypocrite (claimed would never stand for Tory leadership, urged Blair/Clinton to go and oust Saddam Hussein militarily)

Add to that numerous other wonderful achievements such as his blocking of subsidy schemes that would have kept many coal pits open (and people's livelihoods intact) and I can see why any sane person would definitely want him as leader of the UK.

It makes me laugh the proportion of people on here who think if we vote Blair out that everything will be all right because it won't. Howard will be no better - he was in the last government for nearly all of its 18 years and I don't recall society being exactly wonderful then either.

I think we're all agreed that the UK has some really serious problems with its society and infrastructure. Some of us (wrongly IMHO) believe they are all down to the current government, but no matter what they are there and they are getting worse. The major political parties use them as a political football rather than having any real desire to even recognise the severity of them let alone try to tackle the issues.

Until we get a political party that is prepared to be totally honest, avoid egotistical politics and genuinely want to address the long term problems with our society then I fear things will only ever continue on a downward spiral. If you honestly believe Howard is the answer to your prayers then that's up to you, but I'd prepare to be very disappointed if I were you.

tiggers.

Adrian F

I dont think that many people consider Howard as the answer to our problems but are saying that Labour under Tony and Gordon have done nothing to improve most problems but have raised Taxes by a lot. why give them another 4 years when they have so blatently failed in the seven they have already had. It is obvious that Labour can not solve the problems as yet again their only answer is to Tax and spend with no visible improvements. As to the tories they dont offer a crediable alternative hence no body votes for them.

Cold Turkey

lets hope we get the chance to find out

Cold Turkey

oh well thats my mind made up then. Can't go around locking criminals up

Cold Turkey

bad mouthing politicians is hardly difficult....voting is always about choosing the lesser of two evils.....restoring the balance by making the pendulum swing back the other way.....time for the tories again I'm afraid

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

You don't vote for who you like, but who you despise the least.
Kick in the shin or the ***** ?

D

tiggers

That's not the point being made as well you know. Obviously custodial sentences are part of the answer to crime, but Howard seemed to think that they were the whole solution.

The UK has a record number of prison inmates, but crime is still somewhat of a problem wouldn't you say - living proof that Howard's theory does not work.

SJ_Skyline

Tiggers,

I don't think you can prove that Howards theory works or doesn't work until it has been tried. There may be record numbers of prison inmates but the prisons are also overcrowded. If there was adequate space to lock all wrongdoers up then we may be able to juge more objectively.

Cold Turkey

you can have the most liberal policies or zero tolerance and you will still have criminals. law abiding citizens deserve to be protected from them. that is not happening at present.

yes crimes are still being committed. but not by the people in prison.

Senior_AP

I am a Conservative person. My political leaning is right wing. i tend to ignore manifestos and vote in accordance with the fundamental beliefs of the party.

I willl vote Conservative. Thats it for me I think.

If average Joe off the street were all educated I genuinely believe most people would realise they are quite right wing. I'm not saying this to back up my opinions, I'm saying it because I believe it to be true - people vote and they, on the grand scheme of things haven't a clue what it is they are actually voting for.

Iwan

Gets my vote.

Twigster

I am seriously considering voting for Howard in the next election. I have met the man and not only is he intelligent, but he feels free to speak his mind no matter what the consequence, and as such ranks far and above the spin-machine government that we currently have. Not everyone is always right tiggers, and no matter how many examples of Mr Howard being wrong you can throw at me he never made the mistake of aligning this country as a puppet of the US in the eyes of the world as bliar and co have.
To me that is the most unforgivable thing of all, not only did they lie about the war, but they sent our friends and relatives to die in the name of a war that did not have the country's backing or legal authority from the u.n.

VTEC to Turbo

I can't believe people would seriously think of voting labour in AGAIN!



Labour truly believe that if you throw money at something it will get better and if it doesn't get better raise taxes and throw more at it.



It is not how much you spend! It is how you spend it and that is where the Tories come. They never had 3 managers for every nurse, RED tape is what it is called and people have got used to it under Labour, it will stay for as long as Labour our ruining our country.



The educated people of this country are leaving in droves and the uneducated people of Europe are in fluxing us, under the SPIN name of ‘Asylum Seekers’. They are economic migrants, nothing more, nothing less and the figures we are feed are lies.



Nothing against the Scots, but now that they have devolution should our taxes not now stay in our country ‘England’, why should they be able to vote in our parliament and we can not in theirs (Fact) and as such decide how our taxes are spent.



Gordon Brown is tipped to be the next Labour leader but he is Scottish! Surely this is like having a French man in charge of our country.

As long as I can buy a Subaru abroad, I will be leaving if Labour gets in for another term. These high taxes with no return have gone on long enough.

Thanks Labour for your nanny state!! You have exceeded my expectations, never did I think we could sink so low.

Senior_AP

Politicians are people, they make mistakes. However, as long as they are accountable and admit those mistakes that's fine by me.

I will be voting Conservative, I hope the rest of the country will to though no doubt the Les Batersby mentality will be putting their crosses in the red box in their droves.