Only when Chinchin lends me his mobility scooter

I can never understand anyone's lament at not being able to use that word any longer. It's the sort of thing one hears from Farage and his cronies. Why on Earth would you want to use that word anyway?

We can still drink alcohol in our own homes.

Last night, Duncan was talking about overseas aid and in relation to the fact the likes of the DM have called for that to be spent in the UK, which he had a issue with. My main problem was that he seems to think that is the best way to developing areas like Central Africa, it is not...

More importantly, he seems to think everything is all right in Great Britain, which is far from the case...

I don't know enough to say whether it's true or not, but the defence given by the Govt is that giving foreign aid ends up with getting more business and more wealth back.

I think it's quite a small amount of money anyway, in the grand scheme of things, isn't it?

Some excellent questions being asked on Iain Dale's Call Balls tonight. Ed re-emphasing his side after apparently losing credibility recently.
They are currently hammering him to explain where the alledged spending cuts he says are needed are going to made. Iain's getting quite irrate at his evasive answers at the moment.

...and you promise to light up a cigarette with Chin balanced on the back of it.

Mr Balls had better be careful. We all know what can happen when Biffa Dale gets angry.

"Evasive" answers.Sounds like you share Dale's renowned impartiality.Ed Balls only mistake is to bother going on that programme/radio station.Wasn't Dale an interviewee,so to speak,during Labour's conference?

I only heard a short part of 'Call Balls'. However, in the bit I hard didn't he say if his party were elected they would remove the Fuel Allowance for pensioners?

I think it was for 'wealthy' pensioners, though strangely enough he didn't say what 'wealthy' means. He also mentioned raising the retirement age and then getting all the young people into work. I can't help wondering if he's spotted the glaring flaw on those policies not quite going together.

I seem to remember that was the Tories' excuse for raising the retirement age as well.

I didn't say it wasn't. You'd think someone who wanted to win power again after their last disaster would come up with something new though, how about some new ideas instead of copying what theTories do?

Name one country which has developed thanks to overseas aid?

It is not a good way to develop a country, Pakistan (I am from India for the record) shows why it does not work, what you really needs is more economic and poltical reform.

All I can say on the other matter is that Osbourne has little choice but to ditch the "surplus" target becuase of the costs of fixing the mess, otherwise expect them to vote UKIP...

So if Ed Balls has suggested it, the Tory party policy must be okay.

OK to whom?

I'd still encourage you not to think purely along those 'binary' (to quote JOB!) party lines, Martin. I'm sure there are plenty of people who disagree with both parties, as HappyTree and I have tried to suggest.

Being anti a current Tory policy does not make me automatically pro-Labour!

My point was that if a policy such as this was introduced by the Tories, some people here would be up in arms and shouting about how mean the Tories are.

However, if the same proposal is introduced by the Labout party then there is silence.

Actually, I don't think that's true, Martin. And that's a perception that's been challenged a few times, but, with respect, you seem to keep saying it anyway.

I don't really see what there is to discuss.

If A says the sky is blue and then B says the sky is blue, then surely they are saying the same thing and agreeing with each other.

Yes, I agree. My point was about the (I think) false idea that people here are up in arms when the Tories do something, but silent were it a Labour policy.

I have often criticised Blair, but he was more of a Tory. He certainly didn't look out for the les advantaged in society.

This is not a politics thread, it's an LBC politics thread. As such, it is necessarily driven by the politics discussed on LBC. Which are predominantly pro-Tory.

I'm sure on another forum somewhere there's a thread about a mainly socialist-leaning radio station that has a lot of criticism of what the content is about there. But here, we chew over what we're given.

Regarding strikes, the entire point of a strike is to withhold labour in order to bring attention to a perceived injustice. If it doesn't inconvenience anybody then it can be easily ignored and thus is entirely pointless.

This is why the government (of any flavour) harps on about the public being "allowed" to protest, but in "the right way" - the right way being in as quiet and inoffensive a way as possible so the protest can be completely ignored. Protest is supposed to be inconvenient to the power structure. That way they have to actually take notice of it. But instead of doing that they prefer to try to demonise anyone who dares inconvenience them or anyone else.

Totally barmy. I say, if the power structure is complaining about what I'm doing then I'm doing it right. These corrupt ne'er-do-wells have no interest in improving anything beyond their own coffers and have at all times to be forced kicking and screaming to do what they claimed they would do when pleading for a vote.

As a simple analogy, if I ask to be elected within your group to take all your money and go down the shops on your behalf to buy what you tell me to buy, will you protest when I come back with stuff all bought for myself with the money given to me? How dare you protest! There are "proper channels" for that, i.e., outside my back garden on a Monday evening when I'm away at wine-tasting class.

Let me have the address, so I may feel the need to drop by and see if there is anything worth, err 'borrowing'

Humph! Champagne socialist! *Rolleyes*

PS How is your riverside mansion Martin Towers faring in this awful weather?. Have you had the endless funding from the Eton toffs to help you out with the flooding?

I am in a Galliard Home. Built to withstand a breeze !!