Comments | captainlucy: So, this Lib Dem/Tory Coalition malarkey, then?

captainlucy

So, this Lib Dem/Tory Coalition malarkey, then?

May 13, 2010 14:07

Maybe a bit behind the times with this, but just wanted to get my own thoughts down onto my LJ about The Deal. The Lib Dems have had their say here, and the Blogosphere has been going into orbit with discussion, counter-discussion, propaganda, conjecture and spin. So, I'm going to have a little look at the meat & bones of the policies as reported ( Read more... )

Comments 11

ianmcdonald May 13 2010, 13:34:22 UTC

Every time I see that shot of Cam and Clegg outside No 10, I hear The Jam singing 'Hello, hooray, what a nice day... for the Eton rifles... Eton rifles...'

captainlucy May 13 2010, 16:10:41 UTC

Personally, I hear Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl", with "kissed" replaced by "Formed a Coalition Government", and "Girl" replaced by "smug upper-class Conservative Git".

Either that, or the Mighty Boosh singing "Future Sailors". :D

ianmcdonald May 13 2010, 16:19:23 UTC

...and I liked it?

captainlucy May 13 2010, 16:37:32 UTC

That remains to be seen...

eefster May 13 2010, 14:40:45 UTC

This is old, so I'm not sure how much has changed along the way. Basically it's a market-driven, no-central-standards-authority, voucher-using school system.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/swede-dreams-the-tories-controversial-plans-for-school-reform-955014.html

Note the source, but this has some details in it too : http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000725.shtml

captainlucy May 13 2010, 16:05:23 UTC

Cheers for that! Will give them a read through. :)

lanulove May 13 2010, 19:31:53 UTC

Do you think the welfare changes will affect N.Ireland? I thought that Scotland/N.Ireland had their own sort of system..

captainlucy May 14 2010, 08:18:20 UTC

Unfortunately I think that's very likely. Might take longer for the legislation to go through, but from past experience, whatever Westminster does we do 3-6 months down the line. :(

lanulove May 15 2010, 01:38:10 UTC

u_u; let's hope it's not too severe. Benefits are abysmal as it is, and just cover very basic living.. I don't see how they could justify cuts to it. What I do agree to however, is more stringent processes to see who's lying about their illness or not.. and a more stable process where mentally ill people aren't thrown off benefits, because they just can't see the illness.

jamiegargoyle May 18 2010, 11:40:55 UTC

"Tory Welfare reform programme to be implemented in full."
Seems they're talking to Frank Field about him taking the lead on this. Back in '97 Bliar asked him to "think the unthinkable" on welfare. He did, NuLab had a fit when they saw the plans, condemned them as unworkable, and sent him to the back benches. Having missed out on being Speaker after Michael Martin was removed, he may want to find another way of making himself useful.
I would dearly hope that with him involved, the plans will be less like a return to the workhouses, and more like "you will not be penalised if you want to get back to work - we will make sure you aren't worse off working than you were on benefits".

captainlucy May 18 2010, 16:44:48 UTC

...we will make sure you aren't worse off working than you were on benefits

There are two ways of doing this*. One is by maintaining a minimum wage level that is both realistic and worthwhile, and ensuring that taxation does not begin to bite until people are earning at the very least a living wage. Sadly, I can foresee the Conservatives wanting to operate the other. Hopefully the Lib Dems won't let them, but...

* - Probably more than two, but let's keep things simple, eh? ;)