Tony Blair Resignation

Originally posted by stumason

Originally posted by Britguy
So what choice do we, the tax paying public, REALLY have?

Vaseline or KY, it would appear, is our choice...

or if your really hard up half a pound of lard

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
Okay, admittedly I don't know much about UK politics, but is it just a two party system like in the states? I know that there are other smaller parties stateside, but they are never in any real contension for office. Is that the way it is in the UK, because if so, I think this cold be all part of that same Dem v. Rep thing we've got, where we get so pissed at one party, that we retaliate by voting in another party that is all in the same pocket, and has the same agenda.

thanks in advance

Here is a wee list of the parties in the UK

Labour Party
Conservative Party
Liberal Democrats
British National Party
Central Alliance Party
Communist Party of Britain
Green Party of England and Wales
Legalise Cannabis Alliance
Liberal Party
National Democrats
Natural Law Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Pensioners Party
ProLife Party
Revolutionary Communist Party of Great Britain
Socialist Equality Party
Socialist Labour Party
Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Great Britain
Socialist Workers Party
Third Way
UK Independence Party

Plaid Cymru
Welsh Liberal Democrats

Highlands and Islands Alliance
Scottish Green Party
Scottish National Party
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Scottish Socialist Party

Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
Green Party of Northern Ireland
Irish Republican Socialist Party
Northern Ireland Unionist Party
Progressive Unionist Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
Sinn Fein
Socialist Workers Party Ireland
Socialist Workers Party in Northern Ireland
Ulster Democratic Unionist Party
Ulster Third Way
Ulster Unionist Party

All speculation, the so called Headline in todays newpapers Blair will resign crap. Whil I wish he would hurry up and remove himself from office. I want to be entertained by his so called Blair Legacy Tour

While he has if I may add helped this country to prosper and such. His failed leadership over Iraq has left a bad taste in alot of peoples mouths.

And heaven forbid do not let the tories back into Power.

the country would have prospered more and wouldn't have half as many social problems if he hadn't spent so much time galvanting around the world trying to make himself look the great statesman though

the country would have prospered more and wouldn't have half as many social problems if he hadn't spent so much time galvanting around the world trying to make himself look the great statesman though

He wont be bothered anyways, after he leaves he will be set up for life. See how some had to suffer so he would get to where he wants to be nowadays.

Although I vote SNP, I actually like Blair, apart for the Iraq thing, I think he has been quite a good leader.

Originally posted by spencerjohnstone

He wont be bothered anyways, after he leaves he will be set up for life.

probably why he brought in the european human rights act, his wife has made a mint from this since it was brought in

Originally posted by D4rk Kn1ght
lets have a tax cutting goverment from the tories for a good clean out of the corridors of sleeze.

Huh?! Remember the reason the Tories lost the 97 election?

The Tories (thank god) are still unelectable, at least north of Watford. HOwever since its the South East that swings elections it may get close.

Tony was on the news last night, and for all his faults (many) he still comes across as a world statesman, which David Cameron definitely does not.

Watch how many votes head towards Green parties next election. You heard it here first!

Here is a link to the map of how the seats broke down in 2005:

BBC Election 2005 Map

Not electable North of Watford? Lol....give over. Not sure why I am defending them, as I don't support them, but obvious BS like that needs correcting. Besides, all this voting malarchy is all for show, anyway.

The Tories WILL win the next "election".

Not because they are great, not because people will vote for them. It has been decided. They will "win". It has been deemed that a change of management is required in UK Plc and Cameron has been selected to do it.

Originally posted by D4rk Kn1ght
No way -this goverment under tony blair has raised taxes 150 % since they cam to power.

Were f##### over now by those b####### in number 10 and 11 - lets have a tax cutting goverment from the tories for a good clean out of the corridors of sleeze.

surely by now you must have realised that cutting taxes means poorer services - the NHS will collapse.
We actually need higher taxes - but not stealth taxes.
Lower the low rate of income tax and stick a higher rate on.

I think if Tony Blair had resigned earlier - maybe 2 years ago - he would have been seen as a good leader.
As much as I dislike him now he has done a lot of good and I'm sure he played a massive part in making sure Bush dosnt do anything Rash straight after 9/11.
Cameron is a disaster.
I have always voted but would struggle to find someone to vote for in the next election.

Originally posted by NeoSocialist
surely by now you must have realised that cutting taxes means poorer services - the NHS will collapse.

It already is, due to the lousy management from this goverment, yes they have increased the funding to the nhs but hardly any of it has reached the front line, most of it has been spent on extra layers of management and lousy PFI programmes amongst other things

What is such a clearly poilitcal thread doing in ATS?

This should be in the UK politics section of PTS.

As for the 'substance' of this?

TB has not resigned, nor is he going to anytime soon.

....... and two unknown and very very junior members of the government who had to resign (because they had breached their responsibilities signing a ridiculous letter of complaint about the PM) does not change that one jot.

.......and I must remember to dismiss the new hospitals and schools in my area as figments of my imagination.
According to some here the (several) new factilities are not really there at all cos all the extra funding was wasted.

and could you tell me how someone who clearly only suports one political party and is a blatent fan boi is a so called UK politics "subject matter expert" shouldn't this only be granted to someone who is clearly open minded and not politically biased?

He's making noises now about a resignation NEXT summer? Is that an effort to save himself from getting thrown out sooner?

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
Okay, admittedly I don't know much about UK politics, but is it just a two party system like in the states? I know that there are other smaller parties stateside, but they are never in any real contension for office. Is that the way it is in the UK, because if so, I think this cold be all part of that same Dem v. Rep thing we've got, where we get so pissed at one party, that we retaliate by voting in another party that is all in the same pocket, and has the same agenda.

thanks in advance

Here's a UK Politics thread from a couple months ago. Sminky was explaining how it works to us.

Welcome one and all to UK Politics.

What personal bias?

You keep asserting mere personal opinion as if it were fact; things like there has been cuts when the facts are there have not or things like your latest claim here that the additional investment in the NHS or educational system has all been wasted when that again is quite clearly (to anyone interested in the facts) patently and obviously quite false.

Perhaps you have a problem when someone points out that you are merely stating opinion and rebutts it with the truth?

My political 'preference'?
I have always been quite open about it and it has never been a secret, actually.
People that have been around here a while know I used to be an active member of the Labour party and a supporter (as in I voted for it) of the New Labour project.

I can only suppose that my invitation to be UK politics SME was thanks to my reasonably extensive knowledge of British political and economic history.

You might want to just take a few breaths and calm down to consider what the whole idea of the SME is all about.

The whole point is to encourage, sustain and provoke debate, not 'support' either your side......or mine for that matter.

If you (or anyone else) come in to make partisan, highly loaded and political statements based on mere opinion then you can expect a reply pointing out a different POV.

That applies whether the comments come from an outrageously biased right-wing POV or left-wing POV.

It so happens that right at the moment on UK politics @ PTS we see a lot of anti-government and generally right-wing comments, so it makes my position of challenging pretty easy for me.

If you imagine PTS (or ATS for that matter) is all about back-slapping and a long round of self-congratulation over how right you are then think again.
I certainly attempt to encourage robust debate at PTS.

......but nothing too heated.

I'm quite a centrist really.

.....and the fact remains that it is quite obvious that this topic is all about domestic UK politics and not the WOT, it ought to be in PTS.

It already is, due to the lousy management from this goverment, yes they have increased the funding to the nhs but hardly any of it has reached the front line, most of it has been spent on extra layers of management and lousy PFI programmes amongst other things

That's perfectly true the money has been wasted.... but to cut taxes would make it worse.

Originally posted by psyopswatcher
He's making noises now about a resignation NEXT summer? Is that an effort to save himself from getting thrown out sooner?

- You got to bear in mind it's our 'silly-season'.
Parliament is in recess so little serious politics is being done and also it's worth pointing out that these kinds of stories are nothing new
(we had much of this stuff last year too, as we did the year before and the year before etc etc).

All day today the news outlets have spoken and speculated about nothing else (as if there was nothing else of importance happening in the world today.....oh yeah, the delayed European launch of the Sony PS3 was deemed 'important enough to make the national news too ).
Comment and pure speculation as news.
Sign of the times, sadly.

My view is that there is a large part of this that is totally deliberate (with a few small bit-part players encouraged to enter the fray every now and then to keep the pot stirred......like the 7 very very junior people who resigned before being sacked today).
Same with the whole supposed Blair-Brown 'rift'.
Good cop/bad cop headline hogging.

It keeps the Labour party, Blair and Brown in the news (as this and similar stories have done for many years now - it is nothing new at all).
They say 'all publicity is good publicity' and I think this is at the heart of what is happening.
Labout, Blair and Brown and their future strategies and likely differences are all that is being talked about in the news right now.
You can't buy that kind of coverage.

Tony Blair is going to step down this term (he announced it himself in 2004) so as time goes by the imminent resignation merely gets closer.
It's a self-evident and very obvious truth.

All these episodes do is ensure that Gordon Brown is set to recieve a massive poll 'bounce' when the leadership change eventually happens as the 'not Tony Blair' but safe and experienced Labour candidate......and I personally do not believe that is by mere accident.

Labour are exceptionally savvy when it comes to the media and have been written off so many times before (their poliotical opponents have been predicting disaster for them since day 1 in 1997).

My bet is that they are nudging and pushing this agenda as much as anyone in their own interests.......even the latest claims of an anti-Brown 'New labour reappraisal of policy' around or at the time of the change will end up as nothing more than canny soothing noises for those wavering voters worried Brown may not be 'Blair-ite' enough so as to quell the attraction of Cameron's supposedly revitalised tory party (who for all the recent publicity and hype surrounding Cameron are not exactly doing 'well' in our polls).

British politics, huh?


[edit on 6-9-2006 by sminkeypinkey]

Originally posted by NeoSocialist
It already is, due to the lousy management from this goverment, yes they have increased the funding to the nhs but hardly any of it has reached the front line,

- Well in my own area there are (within 15mls of me) 5 new hospital units (1 maternity, 3 A&E and a brand new huge multi-floor ward building) with another huge extension currently under construction.

There is one hugely expanded college, one brand new school and two schools currently under expansion to do away with the old temporary buildings, build brand new science blocks and sports facilities.

Sorry but I can see significant tangable results from the investment, not empty waste.......
.....and I think if people are fair about this they can in their own areas too.

PFI is a different kettle of fish usually used by those who can't claim as they used to that 'nothing had improved'.
The sad facts are that PFI was the only way to proceed and fund some of the new building given a public adament that they would not tollerate (or vote for) tax rises.

Sad but true.

Okay, so Tony Blair is gone, and how long is it going to take for you folks to hate the next PM of Brittan?

Or, is the next person already hated even though he/she is not in office?

My point is quite simple, How are you going to rally around a new PM and make some positive changes in politics and your quality of life?

Or is the Knew person going to be another NWO member, Illumati member or Reptilian alien??????