The Theresa May General Election thread (edited)

Drew_TNBD

Sporky said:

Drew_TNBD said:

Sporky said:

I'd vote for that if you add engineering to the no-tuition-fees list.

+1 !

I thought that might not take much convincing.

We could call it the Socially Just Worker's Party.

Can we call it something sensible? What about the 'Crowdfunded Opinions Party' ??

Fretwired

What's wrong with the City of London, the Tories backward economic policies that ignore tech and Labour's lack of business awareness can be summed up in what has just happened to a British company called Improbable, which was founded five years ago by two Cambridge graduates.

Improbable is developing a platform called SpatialOS that would enable third-party developers to create simulated and virtual worlds for use in games and massive-scale simulations of the real world. Mr Narula told The Times that the technology had already been used in video games, such as Worlds Adrift, which is set in a vast universe that is permanently changed by players’ actions. Government bodies in the UK had also expressed an interest in using it to manage and develop transport and power grid infrastructure by creating vast, realistic simulations of cities.

Improbable has received $502 million in a funding round led by the Japanese conglomerate Softbank. Existing investors in the company, Andreessen Horowitz, a Silicon Valley venture firm that backed Facebook, Twitter and Airbnb , and Horizons Ventures, from Hong Kong, are also putting up cash in a deal that puts an estimated value on the company of at least $1 billion.

Not a British investor in sight as they are risk averse. No interest from the City of London and no protection of innovative British companies by the government. The main UK office is in London, but there's also an office San Francisco. The money will be used to get more developers to develop the tech. I bet this heads to the US.

The deal comes less than a year after Softbank paid £24.3 billion for Arm, Britain’s largest technology company and a maker of chips that are used in almost every smartphone, tablet and wireless consumer device in the world. That deal was welcomed by the British government as a sign that Britain had lost “none of its allure” as a place to do business as a result of Brexit. The Tories don't get that selling your crown jewels to foreign investors over whom you have no control is no way to build an industrial strategy.

Rant over.

Sporky

Drew_TNBD said:

Sporky said:

Drew_TNBD said:

Sporky said:

I'd vote for that if you add engineering to the no-tuition-fees list.

+1 !

I thought that might not take much convincing.

We could call it the Socially Just Worker's Party.

Can we call it something sensible? What about the 'Crowdfunded Opinions Party' ??

I thought we'd get the comedy vote, but your idea is fine. Though "Cloudsourced" sounds more zeitgigm...

Drew_TNBD

Sporky said:

Drew_TNBD said:

Sporky said:

Drew_TNBD said:

Sporky said:

I'd vote for that if you add engineering to the no-tuition-fees list.

+1 !

I thought that might not take much convincing.

We could call it the Socially Just Worker's Party.

Can we call it something sensible? What about the 'Crowdfunded Opinions Party' ??

I thought we'd get the comedy vote, but your idea is fine. Though "Cloudsourced" sounds more zeitgigm...

Brits don't like comedy. That's the entire basis of our comedy! lol.

Jalapeno

Fretwired said:

Everyone should read this about the Tories ...

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2017/03/tories-used-budget-deficit-attack-labour-so-why-havent-they-fixed-it-yet

Yep - barn door target that is missed regularly

ChuckManual

Drew_TNBD said:

Gassage said:

I am totally politically homeless.

Join the club!

I want a party who is going to stuff like this (and no, I haven't thought out all the details!):

- Make qualitative decisions on immigration
- Bring corporations and banks to account and make them pay their way
- Give small and medium sized businesses support in order to get industry back on track in this country
- Whip our train services into shape so that they are consumer centric
- Abolish or expand the scope of the Women and Equalities Committee to include men and non-binary people
- Equalise domestic violence and rape laws and make them gender-neutral
- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university
- Ban circumcision and enforce our laws on FGM severely
- Invest in scientific advancements to cure our environment woes, rather than heavy taxation and demonisation of people
- Make trade deals with non-European countries like Japan, India, Russia, and the USA, and truly lean into our globalised economy
- Introduction of no-fault divorce laws and strengthen the requirements for restraining orders to prevent frivolous claims
- Jail parents who withhold access to their children when there is no proven record of harm
- Abolish tuition fees for core academic subjects like languages, mathematics, and science
- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools
- Reform our NHS so that it remains a public service with less waste and less middle management
- Destroy ISIS and other terror cells

Seriously.. if the Green party were gonna do even half of this, I'd vote for them.

I think the LibDems suggested this a few years ago, for subjects where we currently have a skills gap in the jobs market.

...or it could have been Ed Miliband...

...or David Miliband...

...or David Cassidy for all I know.

I clearly spend too many hours in the pub... 

Jalapeno

"- Reform our NHS so that it remains a public service with less waste and less middle management"

Flippant gag material for sure, but that's the root cause of the problem, not money.  Whoever solves this gets my vote !

scrumhalf

ChuckManual said:

Drew_TNBD said:

Gassage said:

I am totally politically homeless.

Join the club!

I want a party who is going to stuff like this (and no, I haven't thought out all the details!):

- Make qualitative decisions on immigration
- Bring corporations and banks to account and make them pay their way
- Give small and medium sized businesses support in order to get industry back on track in this country
- Whip our train services into shape so that they are consumer centric
- Abolish or expand the scope of the Women and Equalities Committee to include men and non-binary people
- Equalise domestic violence and rape laws and make them gender-neutral
- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university
- Ban circumcision and enforce our laws on FGM severely
- Invest in scientific advancements to cure our environment woes, rather than heavy taxation and demonisation of people
- Make trade deals with non-European countries like Japan, India, Russia, and the USA, and truly lean into our globalised economy
- Introduction of no-fault divorce laws and strengthen the requirements for restraining orders to prevent frivolous claims
- Jail parents who withhold access to their children when there is no proven record of harm
- Abolish tuition fees for core academic subjects like languages, mathematics, and science
- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools
- Reform our NHS so that it remains a public service with less waste and less middle management
- Destroy ISIS and other terror cells

Seriously.. if the Green party were gonna do even half of this, I'd vote for them.

I think the LibDems suggested this a few years ago, for subjects where we currently have a skills gap in the jobs market.

...or it could have been Ed Miliband...

...or David Miliband...

...or David Cassidy for all I know.

I clearly spend too many hours in the pub... 

How can you be sure?

Fretwired

:-)

Drew_TNBD

Did I kill the thread by writing up my manifesto desires? lol. Shiiiiittt... guess I'll just drink this Doom Bar instead!

Evilmags

Engineering to no fees. It is already vastly subsidised. I'm paying 9 grand a year for daughter's sojourn at Bristol uni. For about 10 hours a week face time, 6 of those in rooms with 200 students so she can teach herself politics and French.  About 80% of that cash is not teaching daughter. If the UK was creating vast amounts of jobs in that field students would study it. An engineering degree looks much better value than liberal arts. 

ToneControl

	All	Lower (1) or starting (2)	"Savers" (3)	Basic (4)	Higher (5)	Additional (6)
Year	taxpayers	rate	rate	rate	rate	rate
1990-91	26,100	.	.	24,400	1,700	.
1991-92	25,700	.	.	24,100	1,620	.
1992-93	25,400	4,240	.	19,400	1,720	.
1993-94	25,000	5,390	.	17,900	1,740	.
1994-95	25,300	5,180	.	18,200	2,000	.
1995-96	25,800	5,770	.	18,000	2,130	.
1996-97	25,700	7,350	.	16,200	2,080	.
1997-98	26,200	7,690	.	16,400	2,120	.
1998-99	26,900	8,090	.	16,500	2,350	.
1999-00	27,200	2,280	954	21,400	2,510	.
2000-01	29,300	2,820	1,010	22,600	2,880	.
2001-02	28,600	3,030	857	21,700	3,000	.
2002-03	28,900	3,100	730	22,000	3,040	.
2003-04	28,500	3,220	734	21,600	2,960	.
2004-05	30,300	3,570	833	22,500	3,330	.
2005-06	31,100	3,490	866	23,100	3,590	.
2006-07	31,800	3,450	927	23,700	3,770	.
2007-08	32,500	3,440	1,070	24,100	3,870	.
2008-09 (a)	*	*	*	*	*	*
2009-10	30,600	163	602	26,600	3,190	.
2010-11	31,300	276	623	27,100	3,020	236
2011-12	30,800	318	621	26,000	3,570	262
2012-13	30,600	270	630	25,700	3,720	273
2013-14	30,400	289	686	24,900	4,200	311
2014-15 (8)	30,500	236	616	24,900	4,430	329
2015-16 (8)	30,200	.	649	24,600	4,610	347
2016-17 (8)	30,100	.	609	24,700	4,410	333

Interesting:
this Government spreadsheet shows that only 1.7m were on higher rate tax in 1990
Now it's 4.7m

What change in perspective is it that's brought higher rate taxes to people in quite ordinary jobs?

Heartfeltdawn

Drew_TNBD said:

- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university

- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools

So no positive discrimination on one hand but how would you get more men in primary schools without positive discrimination?

Sporky

Drew_TNBD said:

Did I kill the thread by writing up my manifesto desires? lol. Shiiiiittt... guess I'll just drink this Doom Bar instead!

I thought you were more into sludge than doom?

Axe_meister

Heartfeltdawn said:

Drew_TNBD said:

- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university

- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools

So no positive discrimination on one hand but how would you get more men in primary schools without positive discrimination?

We can blame the press for the lack of male applicants to become school teachers. I.E. you must be a pedophile if your male and want to teach young children 

Sporky

Heartfeltdawn said:

Drew_TNBD said:

- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university

- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools

So no positive discrimination on one hand but how would you get more men in primary schools without positive discrimination?

In the bit you've quoted he does say "reverse some", not "remove all".

I'd like to add tax breaks (for employees and employers) for allowing working from home. Not huge ones, but enough to reduce traffic a bit.

Fretwired

Axe_meister said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

Drew_TNBD said:

- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university

- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools

So no positive discrimination on one hand but how would you get more men in primary schools without positive discrimination?

We can blame the press for the lack of male applicants to become school teachers. I.E. you must be a pedophile if your male and want to teach young children 

My local primary school is rated Ofsted outstanding. The previous head was well liked by parents and children and was responsible for the schools performance. She had some odd ideas though - no male teachers. She felt it was not right to have male teachers in a primary school. She has since retired and has been replaced by another female head. I'm not sure about her views but there is now one male teacher.

The power of pupils is putting many men off as if a child accuses a teacher they are suspended and even if no action is taken it remains on your record. It's a problem in the US. There was a US YouTube video on how to get your teacher sacked.

Drew_TNBD

Heartfeltdawn said:

Drew_TNBD said:

- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university

- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools

So no positive discrimination on one hand but how would you get more men in primary schools without positive discrimination?

No idea. Maybe awareness exercises rather than full on 'we are only interested in x' style approaches.

Heartfeltdawn

Sporky said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

Drew_TNBD said:

- Reverse some of the positive discrimination in the education system that has lead to a dearth of British working class boys going to college and university

- Increase the number of male teachers in primary schools

So no positive discrimination on one hand but how would you get more men in primary schools without positive discrimination?

In the bit you've quoted he does say "reverse some", not "remove all".

I'd like to add tax breaks (for employees and employers) for allowing working from home. Not huge ones, but enough to reduce traffic a bit.

True. But Drew and I have debated long enough to know what he's getting at

Heartfeltdawn

Axe_meister said:

We can blame the press for the lack of male applicants to become school teachers. I.E. you must be a pedophile if your male and want to teach young children 

If that were the case, it hasn't translated into a drop in male sports coaches despite numerous scandals. So blaming the press for a lack of male teachers is an assertion with zero backing to my mind.