Under Labour
People claiming sicknesss benefit has reached incredible levels.
The prisons are filled to the rafters.
Council tax has reached obscene levels.
House prices reached silly levels hence pricing many out of the market.
Backdoor taxes aplenty.
The average person can now easily become a criminal through motoring offences ect.
Social services are buckling under the strain and as reported recently the managers appear to turn a blind eye.
The police are now nothing more than paperwork pushers.
Most crimes have risen to crazy levels.
Immigration is totally out of control with even Labour bods saying it must be curbed.
The national debt will be the highest of all time.
Teachers are quitting in droves simply because unruly pupils run the classrooms.
Family breakdown has reached record levels.
Blimey the list is probably endless.
I am not an apologist for the Labour Party, but I do realise the horrors that the alternative would bring....
So, a counter argument to GB's point...
1. It's dropped. Sickness Benefits were brought in by Thatcher to reduce the number of unemployed. Their introduction was simply a measure to statistically demonstrate less people were out of work. You'll find higher sickness benefits claimants in the former mining areas. Co-incidence. I think not! To claim sickness benefit today is extremely difficult and lengthy process.
2. And have been for years. However, that you make the point is interesting because you further state police are pen pushers. So just how come are the prisons full? They must be doing something. The answer of course is to
a, employ more police (which has happened)
b. build more prisons
c. give lighter, shorter or non custodial sentences (which you will oppose)
3. Council Tax rates are set by your local council. Nothing to do with the Government. I remember my dear old Gran moaning about the cost of the rates back in her day. You don't mention soaring fuel bills. Is this because these are set by private companies and the privatisations and deregulation was a Tory policy?
4. In a free market (Tory policy that), goods will reach their price through purchase and sale. If people are prepared to pay "silly prices" then the costs will rise. If people aren't, then costs will fall. You may have read that house prices have fallen dramatically in the last few months.
5. You believe the Tory hype. What backdoor taxes do you refer to? I hear this all the time, yet am blissfully unaware of what these hidden things are. Enlighten me please.
6. Today is my anniversary. I passed my driving test 20 years ago. I've never been banned from driving nor been a criminal. I have had speeding points. You do not have a criminal record for speeding etc, you only get that far if you have done something really bad, like driving without a valid licence, insurance, MOT, excessive speeding, dangerous driving etc. All were criminal offences back when I were a lad. What we do have a problem is the misuse of speed cameras for revenue purposes, I do support fully, these new cameras with Registration recognition techniques. I fully support the massive clamp down on drink dirving.
7. The entire public service is buckling under strain. It needs re-investment and proper resourcing. I've explained elsewhere how this can be done.
8 & 9. See the points on prison. Most crimes haven't risen, crime is falling.
10. Immigration isn't out of control, just see the figures I produced in another thread. what is out of control is illegal immigration and that does need dealing with. It is one of the reasons Labour set up the UK Border Force. But again, if this service isn't properly funded then it wont work.
11. True. Can't argue that. I remember learning in history that the last time the national debt fell was just after the Wars of the Roses. But I probably wasn't paying attention.
12. Pupil behaviour is a massive problem, but teachers are also quitting because the pay is so poor. I know you will be an advocate of birching unruly kids, but violent begets violence. So the answer is? Possibly educating the parents a bit more. I see too many kids running around doing what they like and the parents just can't be arsed. That need sorting.
13. The fact the families break down has absolutely nothing to do with the Governemnt of the day. It's just become a fact of life in the last quarter of a century or so. I blame Henry VIII personally.
Have fun with that lot....
