Who do you believe when it comes to public spending?
There's a huge row going on between Labour and the Tories about who's going to spend what and who's going to cut what after the next election. And it really is going to dominate the coming months.
The decisions that are made are going to affect schools, hospitals, the police, the defence budget etc.
At ten we're going to crunch the figures for you - and then we want to know from you - which party do you believe?
I've got no real sense of where you the 5 live listeners are, when it comes to this debate. The Lib Dems say ALL parties need to have an open debate about what government can and can't afford to do in the future.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~37~RS~)
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Blimey - who typed this?
Pubilc? Sschools? Hopsitals?
Is there anyone who believes Gordon Brown's repeated claims that NuLabour will increase spending?
Is there anyone who would want spending increased anyway?
There's a lot of dross that can be cut without schools and hospitals (or should that be sschools and hopsitals?) being affected.
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How do you increase spending when you've nothing in the kitty TO spend?
I noticed that the BBC interrupted the tennis to allow us to hear Browns nauseating fibs but when it came to the crucial Opposition response we were straight back to Wimbledon.
Anyone would think the BBC were keen for us not to hear a counter-argument. Why - just in case we decide not to vote Labour?
Newsflash - most of the country already saw the light and won't.
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Are you playing Devil's Advocate Victoria or are you really so desperate for Gordon Brown to be seen to be honest and good?
You ask why he comes to the Despatch box saying things that aren't stictly true? Why does he do that? Because he wants to remain in power and win the next election and will stoop to anything (including lying) to achieve his aim.
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How can there possibly NOT be any cuts - we have no money, we are in huge amounts of debt. I agree that we need a sensible and rational debate about this matter to be had in an adult manner. We aren't children, don't treat us like we are.
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Funnily enough, they announced the prospect of defence CUTS today.
Also, a couple of weeks ago it was reported that there was an immediate £500m CUT to the NHS funding.
Look closely enough and they're already CUTting away.
However, according to Brown, this is called "increasing spending."
Who do I believe? Well, they're all as duplicitous as each other but Gordon is either lying through his teeth and knows it, or he's so deluded, out of touch and off his trolley that he seriously believes he's a pot of gold he can keep splashing around. Obviously, he forgot he sold it off at rock-bottom prices.
I certainly don't believe Brown and I'll take Cameron with a pinch of salt - but at least Cameron is admitting to the truth of reality, which is there are going to have to be cuts, end of.
The country has no money,it's up to its big, bushy eyebrows in debt, the people are taxed out of existence and many, many people owe thousands in personal loan and credit card debt, not to mention 110% mortgages and so on.
Brown is a latter day Nero - fiddling madly whilst Rome incinerates.
Meanwhile, the country sinks further into the mire and it becomes a longer, harder job to recover from his incompetence.
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"I agree that we need a sensible and rational debate about this matter to be had in an adult manner."
Don't hold your breath, Zelly! Remember what happens when the level-headed and reasonable amongst us try to engage in a rational and sensible debate on immigration or islamic extremism within our borders?
Rational, sensible debate on something that would expose the sham? - dream on!
Still, one must admire your optimism, I s'pose.
;-)
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Hopefully John Mann will be on.
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Did I hear someone say that overseas aid is being increased next year?
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Hi..sorry for typos, I wrote the post in a slight rush.
Victoria
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No need to apologise - I thought it quite amusing!
Zelda - I read the following comment (somewhere) about overseas aid:
Money given by poor people in rich countries to give to rich people in poor countries.
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That sounds about right Sarnia.
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Gordon Brown is a sad, forlorn, lovesick figure who will say anything to try and keep the love of his life, ie, power. I wouldn't believe him if he told me it was Tuesday today. His performance at PMQ's last week suggested to me that his grip on reality is somewhat tenuous.
I am more inclined to believe David Cameron, but i suspect that he is deliberately understating the scale if the cuts needed. I hope when he gets elected, he has the bravery to do what is necessary to get us back on an even keel as soon as possible.
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I'm foreign and I do not think Brits are sophisticated when it comes to politics. You guys seem to be hung up in this Labour and Tory pass the parcel. The Lib Dems have been right on big policy issues. They were right about Iraq, they were right about the Gurkhas, they were right about nationalising the banks, they have been spot on most of the time. Can anyone put a finger on what Tory politics is all about? So cuts or no cuts, I think you need to be more intelligent in your analysis.
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Hand of Drog - the Lib Dems may well have good economic ideas, it's the rest of their policies that we don't like!
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Plus they'll never be the Govt so will never be challenged or taken to account on any policy or pronouncement they make.
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I was talking to a hard-core LibDem supporter in the pub on Friday. My God - it was like listening to Brown, only with a different stuck record!
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You cannot expect the computers to know all the details of their plans for the economy!
No one except Brown has access to the real figures and the state of the economy.
It is good that the conservatives are not giving promises to spend money before they know the state of the economy.
It is the only intelligent approach!
michael
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It isn't the Conservative spokesman you currently have on, Victoria that you should be giving such a hard time to but the policies and lies of Gordon Brown.
It's not the Tories fault that the Govt have cancelled their comprehensive spending review - that decision is outrageous and you should be getting worked up about that!
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I don't put much stock in Dan's (Glasgow) view - he seems to think the current mess is Thatcher's fault, even though she's been out of government for nineteen years and had nothing to do with banking deregulation and setting up the farcical FSA.
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I get the feeling that we are being governed by characters out of the tv series Black Adder.
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Quangos, regional assemblies . . .! Do the members of these things get expenses? And if so how deep are their snouts in the trough?
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I'd like to know more about the second jobs gravy train before I make any voting decisions.
The tory Oliver Letwin earning 60,000 pound a year for 8 hours work a week posing as a consultant to some firm or other
Whats that all about ?
And they want to be the next government ??????
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It seems, according to the analyst contributing to the programme this morning that Browns figures are not factoring in inflation. Whilst Brown ignores inflation so as to suggest there is no cut in spending, in the real world inflation rolls on so it is indeed entirely disingenuous and misleading of Brown to keep on about there being no reduction. Still, maybe he believes what he spouts? He's clearly off in cloud cuckoo land and I imagine up there inflation doesn't exist, so...
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The Tories were sleazy before NuLabour, NuLabour are now sleazy, why not try the Whigs, I mean Lib Dems and kick them out when they are sleazy. You might be pleasantly surprised. When you listen to Vince Cable, you get the impression of someone who has been there and knows what he is talking about. Contrast that with Georgey Osbourne who is still wet behind the ears.
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The question posed; 'who do you trust over cuts' exemplifies the general kindergarten style of political presentation today in the media.
The reason why both NuLabour and the Tories don't deny cuts have to be made is because the capitalist economic system (not any economic system) Because they and that opportunist shower the Lib Dems are all idelogical capitalist parties, all they can do, rather than admit the system is wrong is just compete on how to manipulate the tax and monetary system to revive a failed system which will always plummet into recession as it has historically proved.
Any question your erudite editors set relating to the economy at large for phone in's etc should have at its apex 'which is the best economic system that can be trusted. Far better than reducing everything to trusting personalities or parties as if they all have a magic wand to make a failed system work!
Hand of Drog (Comment 24)...so you get the impression that Vince Cable, this capitalist former oil analyst for Shell knows what he's talking about?
As he offers no solutions and is just presented as an innocent Lib-Dem go-between the dross presented by the Tories and New Labour please elaborate and tell all what is he talking about!
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Correction to first sentence, second paragaph:'the reason why both Nuabour and the Tories don't deny cuts have to be made is because the capitalist system is bankrupt'
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Brown is like a compulsive gambler.
He thought he had the perfect system, "no more boom and bust"and to start with had a few wins and all was rosy. Then things started to go wrong-the losses started and he had to borrow to plug the gap but didnt tell his family(pfi). But the losses kept coming and the bills were piling up- his family had grown used to living high on the hog... what could he do? Well to cut a long story short he is now standing shirtless in front of the house with no roof begging for the childrens piggy banks saying "trust me i cant lose this time- just one more bet is all we need to escape!!!!"
Well Gambler Gordon its divorce for you and hard times for us.
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@ Nick, I think we are stuck with this capitalist system for some time to come and don't envisage any change in the near future. What best then to use the "Arch-capitalist" in the form of Vince Cable than a trainee who at the worst of times is indiscreet and at the best of times always seems to have a know it all smirk on his face.
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You want a measure of New Labours contempt for our forces? Help For Heros seems to sum it up well!
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I would trust Richard Branson or Donald Trump with Public Spending as they would do things to benefit the Nation unlike the Political System we have suffered from since it was imposed on the Peoples of England by William of Normandy.
Gordon Brown has steered the country into a mess by continuing with Thatcher's policy of thinking that an economy based on a temporary gain of a few must be good for the nation regardless of the cost, pollution - despite the evidence. Two World Wars, Rising National Debt, 95% unable to live in retirement, a Credit Crunch, Rising fear of crime, falling health And The Climate Changes are all the result of the defects of the economic system that make MP's think it is alright to fiddle their expenses or to squander our future on protecting their pals in the banks & auto industry from their Self Inflicted harm.
We are truly living the "Age of Stupid"
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"His performance at PMQ's last week suggested to me that his grip on reality is somewhat tenuous."
That reminds of the comedy movie, "Whoops Apocalypse," in which Peter Cook plays the PM, popular but completely deluded; "The problems with our manufacturing sector are due to pixies, elfs and assorted hob-gobblinry. Now, have a look at this (produces Union Flag umbrella). British engineering at it's best; guarenteed to shield you from a nuclear explosion. I'm having them stock-piled as we speak."
Hilarious - but, then, THAT'S fiction!
"Oliver Letwin earning 60,000 pound a year for 8 hours work a week "
Which Premiership squad is he in, then...?
;-)
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Victoria:
I have to come down on the side, when it comes to believing anyone in the issue of Public Spending is NO ONE....
Since, each side is circling the story to its own side view.....
=Dennis Junior=
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