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FAO Students who voted Liberal Democrat

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Dude, THE COUNTRY IS IN SERIOUS DEBT
Cuts now, or cuts later (where we will also have to compensate for interest rates).
Did you mistake George Osborne (Tory) for Nick Clegg?

Reply 61

gordoxo

The Lib Dems getting into the coalition government allowed them to hamstring a lot of the Tory policies. The strongest argument I can see for electoral reform to proportional representation is the decline of parties campaigning on the motto "voting for x is a waste of time" - and it seems the OP of this thread is a Labour fan doing bemoaning just that.

Reply 62

Student2806

Teveth

I hope you're happy with yourselves. The party that you so stupidly voted for has allowed a 2.5% increase in VAT meaning that we, students, will be hit harder than anyone else in the country as a result of this afternoon's budget.

The cost of food will go up, clothes will go up, electrical items will go up, services will go up, heating bills will go up, alcohol prices will go up, pretty much EVERYTHING will go up, whilst our incomes will not. After everything the Lib Dems said about helping students, it was all a big con. Clegg and co have sold out for higher salaries, chauffeur driven cars and a suck at the teats of power. Labour told you all along that we are the only party you can trust. Labour would not have ****** you over like this.

Bravo. Bra-*******-vo.

Food is exempt from VAT.

Reply 63

Teaddict

Labour would have increased it as well.

neg repped/

Everyone is going to suffer, not just students. You didn't HAVE to be a student. There are cheaper ways of getting a degree. Everyone has to make sacrifices in life... which means cutting your luxuries and focusing on the essentials.

Reply 66

mfaxford

Teveth

As others have mentioned some of what you mentioned is VAT exempt or at a low rate. Then do some sums, a 2.5% rise isn't that much. If you spend £1000 it's an extra £25 of VAT. On a lot of electronics the exchange rates will make a much bigger difference (looking at buying some bits of computer equipment some things cost £25 more now for a £100 part compared to a couple of years ago because the exchange rates have plummeted).

Plus the only change to beer/fags/petrol is to cut the proposed 10p added to cider. I suspect if you work out a percentage increase for the usual 1p per ... increase on those things it's much higher than 2.5%

Reply 67

username224850

The top 10% income-earners pay £1 out of every £25 as VAT, the bottom 10% pay £1 out of every £7. Same old story with this government, the rich have to make very few sacrifices while the poor have to make massive ones.

Kolya

that is why it has been combined with an increase in the personal tax allowance...

yeah but not everyone's in full time employment - what about pensioners, students, people on benefits?

Reply 68

Phobia27

Teveth

Food is exempt from VAT, baby clothes as well, the planned increase in Cider alcohol tax that Labour were introducing is being cancelled.

I seriously doubt students will be the hardest hit in the country.

I voted to Lib Dems, and yes, I do feel a little sold out when only 2 months ago they were campaigning against Tories planned raise in VAT. However, my vote was in a constituency where Labour won extremely comfortably, so it matters very little who I voted for.

Reply 69

Kolya

lotsofsnails

yeah but not everyone's in full time employment - what about pensioners, students, people on benefits?

sure, perhaps more could have been done to help them. the graph they put up on the c4 news suggested that the budget was generally progressive, with the only outlier being those on benefits. although, despite my earlier comment, it might be fair to admit that something was going to have to help reduce the social welfare spending, and the personal tax allowance + VAT rise indirectly achieves that.

Reply 70

andy5788

Labour expressly ruled out tuition fee increases before promptly pushing them through.

No party, meanwhile, said clearly and without qualification that they wouldn't increase VAT.

\thread

Reply 71

Celtic_Anthony

The amount of Labour voters that think they can criticise any other voter's choice is hilarious. Yeah, I'll endorse a couple of dodgy wars, massive restrictions on civil liberties, doubling the starting band of tax and the numerous other abhorrent policies that had been pushed through.

Saying "hey, yeah, they're bloody atrocious, but the alternative will be worse" is not a legitimate way of deciding who to vote for.

Sorry if we've already laughed the OP to death.

Reply 72

Left Hand Drive

Teveth

I will plus rep you, tomorrow

Reply 73

WhatTheFunk

i dunno whats worst people feeding this or the view of some people
the view of people saying tough like your less well off get on with your poor life, you want new stuff, forget it repair it yourself you can't have new things your poor, a nice view in this country where every is and should be treated the same

VAT was going up no matter who was in power, so all 3 parties where trying to hide the whole we are not going to did by they are, school yard stuff, the lib dems did a good job coming out against it, and the tories never said anything on the matter

the axe has fallen, the welfare cost and saving most people should be happy with, no matter how they spin it everyone is worst off

Reply 74

Marlene Dietrich

robinson999

I agree.

Also you have the best sig I have seen thus far this year. :o:

Reply 75

qgujxj39

Teveth

Labour would not have ****** you over like this.

Of course they wouldn't do it like that. They'd **** you over (and, indeed, they already have) in a way that you're probably too thick to understand.

Reply 76

Carl

adamrules247

Firstly, 20% is the European average. I thought your stupid party loved Europe :rolleyes:

Food doesn't have VAT on it, so stop scaremongering and lying. If you are small you can buy kiddy clothes which don't have VAT. If not then just repair clothes. The VAT level on electricity is cheaper anyway. Simple, don't buy booze, you don't need it.

Labour themselves considered raising VAT and most likely would have done if they had hung onto power

Also, if your crappy party hadn't got the party so royally into debt then this wouldn't be needed.

I agree with adamrules247? What is happening to me?

In all seriousness he's right, Labour screwed up pretty badly with the finances and the Conservatives have had to step in to repair the damage. The 20% VAT rate does suck and will make life more expensive (I use a lot of petrol, the price of that will go up) but the Coalition has tempered this with a higher tax threshold which will help me out no end. It's a good, realistic budget, bravo George Osbourne and the team (I think this is pro-Tory fever, get me a doctor!)

Reply 77

King_Blumpkins

It was pretty much inevitable that there would be a rise in VAT no matter which party got in; the country is in serious debt afterall. And it will be the benefit frauds who are the unnatural lump on the testical that is society who will get well and truly screwed.

Reply 78

OhNO!

my lib dem MP is still the best choice for my constituency. george osborne's budget is not a result of my vote anyway, but I don't regret it. I voted for an MP.