General Election 2017: Tories Vow To End 'rip-Off' Energy Bills

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39852119

When Ed Milliband announced a similar policy, the Tory PM at the time howled him down across the Dispatch Box. But now Mrs May is stealing this policy and calling it her own.

I congratulate her on this u-turn !

[Old_Geezer]

Pension age *doesn't* have to go up no matter how long folk live. It does not create more job positions nor more wealth. It merely puts the burden of working onto the older folk whilst given the despondency of not getting a job nor a salary to the younger folk. It is a total con.

[mikey4444]

At this rate, voting for Mrs May will be like voting for the Labour Party....all she has to do is build more Council houses, fund the NHS properly and recruit 20,000 more Police Officers and she has it in the bag !

The pension age issue is a complete red herring in this debate.
We have a rapidly ageing population, and the pension age needs to increase....it isn't a party-political issue.

[youngmafbog]

OG, the only other alternative would be to make the State Pension means tested. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened though.

[Baldric]

Mikey, one of your fellow Labour supporters introduced Pension Age into the thread.

[youngmafbog]

Mickey, as I have been pointing out to you many times on here Conservative councils have been building council homes and forming partnership. As for the20,000 extra police I think Mrs May might struggle to find the 300K Ms Abbott says is required.

But never mind that, if you think the Tories are the New Labour we will happily accept your vote on the 8th June.

[TWR]

Mikey, do you not think a person has given their whack at 65? do you not think the idea being, with a bit of luck the older the Retirement age goes, the quicker they drop dead & save the Gov Money.

[naomi24]

Mikey, if you want more Council houses built don't vote Labour. They're deceiving you about that too. Their record is utterly abysmal when compared to the Conservatives - but you've been told that before.

https://fullfact.org/economy/who-built-more-council-houses-margaret-thatcher-or-new-labour/

[Old_Geezer]

The other alternative would be to make a pension a right of being a citizen. No means test required. One has to provide the welfare safety net anyway. And if you think you don't need it you would not be obliged to arrange transfers you could leave it in the public purse for use on other things.

Let us see, which created more council properties, the PM that bribed folk with cheap council houses claiming there was some kind of right to have the ratepayer see their investment given away cut price thus reducing the stock (and I understand forbade use of the money received from the sale to build more: but maybe someone else can look that up) or their right wing opposition when "New Labour" tried (and succeeded for ages) to steal the Tory support by emulating them. Does it really matter ? We want to stop pushing the population problem into the future by only easing the housing issue for the present with urban sprawl, and concentrate on encouraging a reduction of net population so the cause is sorted and the problem no longer exists.

[mikey4444]

TWR....I am not happy with the raising of the age that people can receive their OAPs any more than you. I am merely pointing out the inevitability of the situation, given that most people are living much longer.

At the moment, just under half the adult population of Britain is claiming some kind of benefit, most of that number being OAPs claiming the State Pension. Within a very short period of time, there will be more people claiming, then are actually paying onto the system. Something has got to give.

[naomi24]

OG, Labour didn't emulate the Tories - the proposal to sell council houses was initially part of a Labour manifesto. They lost that particular election. As you rightly say, the money raised from sales was never ploughed back into building more – by any government whatever the hue. Nevertheless, the Tories record on building council houses far outstrips that of Labour.

[Kromovaracun]

Margaret Thatcher and New Labour are both dead, though, Naomi. Neither one if them is a candidate in this election.

What's record of the present Conservative govt on housebuilding?

[naomi24]

Krom, indeed they are but what are we to go on if not the past? I have no idea of the present government's record on house building, but they have only been in office a short while. Having said that, I see hundreds of houses being built wherever I go, so I can't imagine it's bad.

[Old_Geezer]

Under Blair, New Labour were Tories Mark II, which is why it kept getting in. It split traditional Tory votes. Labour votes had nowhere reasonable to move to.

[mikey4444]

Kromo....much more importantly, what is the present governments record in building Council houses and/or private houses, to rent.

The Tories have been in power since 2010, and yet the housing crisis appears to be more acute than ever.

[naomi24]

Mikey, that's what Krom asked.

OG, perhaps that was a sign of the times. Even though Labour isn't exactly awash with supporters, they don't seem to understand that they're past their sell-buy date.

[Baldric]

///The Tories have been in power since 2010, and yet the housing crisis appears to be more acute than ever.///

Could be due to unlimited Immigration positively encouraged by the last Labour Government.

[mikey4444]

BOOOONG !...that is the xenophobia Klaxon sounding !

[Old_Geezer]

They just need to stop the pendulum swinging between the extremes and unite with common cause as the official alternative party of government. Give it time.

[naomi24]

mikey, don't be silly. More people lead to a requirement for more housing. Even you should understand that.

[Baldric]

Usual defence, shout Racist or xenophobe at top of voice, sad and not thought out.