General Discussion
In no order of merit. Free market deregulation has give us the highest Utility bills compared to Europe.
The lowest wages compared to Western Europe.
The lowest State pensions
And an unfair tax system compared to western Europe.
Dawlish is a largely Tory/lLib-Dem region, so on behalf of the rest of Britain, thanks to all Tory's and Lib-Dems in this region for helping to turm Britain into a decadent nation.
Foxy, I see that Flybe have just a few seats left on their flight tomorrow morning from Exeter to Munich (via Paris - so you have options!). Here's the link, as I thought you would be interested:
http://en.flybe.com/cam/initialisePassengerDetails.action
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
However! Beware Foxy! Before you book your flight to Western Europe, perhaps you might want to read this story about where the highest utility bills in Europe really are:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25200808
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
In fact Foxy, seeing as we don't have the lowest wages in Western Europe, you might be better off saving the cost of the air fare after all. Maybe you should donate it to the Conservative Party? You'd probably even get a peerage out of it - Lord Foxy of Tooting has a nice ring to it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_European_countries_by_average_wage
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Judith Chalmers, since Tory privatisation under Thatcher, UK energy prices rtemain the highest in Western Europe, with our pensioners and the low waged and/or unemployed having to use foodbanks and /or having to choose between eating or heating their homes to live.
Britain's State pensionedrs do receive a lower State pension than their EU neighbours.
Judith Chalmers, the following was copied and pasted from the site of Age/UK and Age Concern.
Cold kills 200 British pensioners a day during winter. Britain has 12 million elderly people.
“”Nine elderly people died every hour from cold-related illnesses last winter against a background of soaring energy bills.
Official figures show the number of deaths linked to cold over the four-month period reached
25,400 in England and Wales, plus 2,760 in Scotland.
Charities and energy company critics claim the UK has the highest winter death rate in northern Europe, even worse than much colder countries such as Finland and Sweden.
Winter worries: More than 300,000 UK pensioners have died of cold related illnesses since 1997
There are fears the toll could rise this year following a recent barrage of price rises that may frighten elderly people into not turning on their heating.
Heated issue: Pensioners see rising fuel bills and worry about whether they can afford to warm the house
While the UK death rate is high, the total was down by around 30 per cent compared with 2008/9 because there were fewer flu outbreaks, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The Coalition government has cut the last administration’s Winter Fuel Allowance payments of £250 for pensioners and £400 for those over 80, by £50.
ENERGY BILL RISES
Energy providers have announced big rises in prices this winter.
• Scottish Power is increasing electricity bills by 8.9 per cent.
• Scottish & Southern Electricity is putting up gas by almost 10 per cent.
• British Gas announced a 7 per cent rise on gas and electricity
Michelle Mitchell, director of the charity Age UK, said:'It’s still unacceptable that in this day and age tens of thousands more older people die in this country every winter from the effects of the cold weather.
'As another winter sets in, plummeting temperatures will once again spell misery, ill-health and, in some cases, even death for too many people in later life across the country.
'The simple fact that the UK has one of the highest winter mortality rates in Europe – higher than even Sweden or Finland – makes it clear this is very much a home-grown problem.
The fact is the UK’s elderly have seen their living standards plummet since the 80’s, and as a result millions of pensioners have and are living in poverty, after paying taxes and N.I. Contributions into the system all their working lives, ie for 30, 40, and 50 years. and the same thing is going to happen to young people also, if things don’t change for the betters, soon.
Warrior, I think we've got your message loud and clear now, so in the spirit of balance, is there anything the Tories or Blair's lot have done that you approve of?
This is becoming annoying, repetitive and a big yawn.
If you dont like good old UK.....then move out.
How about Russia, thats a lovely Socialist country for you.. Interesting that so many want to make their way to our shores, so it cant be that bad ...you dont see many people smuggled in trucks going towards the East do you.
But Foxy, there aren't 12 million UK pensioners. So, again, please define "elderly", in your own words please.
And why "particularly WW2 veterans"? Do you think that conscientious objectors or, for example, Korean War veterans are less worthy of their pensions?
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
You people should be on facebook with your diatribe, particularly about Russia, talk about complacent!, you wouldnt last 5 minutes, anti Tory lead coalition comments all over the place.
And as for you, "wondering". To yawn over such a terrible topic is beneath contempt.
Lack of posts prove apathy rules in dawlish. As stated, go on facebook, and check out the anti Tory's on there, it is nice to read postings from people who care about our society, because you clearly dont.
Perhaps this isn't the type of forum you are looking for warrior, perhaps a political one would suit better? Just because people don't want to engage with your topics doesn't mean they aren't interested but prefer to discuss other things on here.
I wonder if JC is referring to Citizen Smith with Foxy? Or perhaps that's just my age ...
I don't have a facebook account so can anyone who does tell me if there are postings on fb about the single tier pension scheme that I've been going on about on another thread and if there are postings give me hyperlinks to them please. Thanks.
You just beat me to it Flo with the explanation about Foxy and Citizen Smith. It was Wolfy's girlfriend's mother who kept calling him Foxy instead of Wolfy wasn't it?
@Lynne, glad someone is on the same wavelength!
Facebook is a large entity, you can find anything if you try hard enough. It all depends on what you subscribe to.
I guessed that Foxy was going to be too young to recognise the relevance of my term of endearance lol.
If Facebook is his/her only point of reference, then god help us all. He/she would make a great Westminster politician however, what with their inability to answer questions. Bless.
If you write rubbish on facebook, you get rubbish back. Its that simple. There's a lot of good people on facebook, wanting rid of this coaltion for various reason, ie bedroom tax, foodbanks. Some of you lot should go on there, it might teach those who need it, compassion.
Pete. Facebook is a great site. You only get out of it what you put onto it. Its like life. Have you ever been on facebook. ?
Pete, my posting is not about "winding people up". It is about people across the UK of any age who voted for these ultra right wing Tory's in 1980 starting with Margaret Thatcher, and continuing with David Cameron,
We have not had decent one nation left of centre Conservatism since the days of Ted Heath, and as such I feel very strongly that because the British largely are neither interested in politics, or motivated by politics, that many people, particularly older people vote, or voted for David Cameron believing he is a Conservative, when he is not.
As stated above, Cameron is an ultra right wing Tory who has an idelogical hatred of the role of the State and the welfare State, and since 2010, Mr Cameron has been using the deficit as a cover to whittle down the State, cut welfare to the bone, and privatise the NHS, and I wonder how many people in dawlish particularly, realise this ?