[tehFrance]

(Original post by Morgsie)
The Free Trade Treaty (advocating free trade) and various protectionist moves including repatriating Transport powers etc.

What happens to Cross Border rail services: Eurostar, Thalys, Enterprise etc?

I am a Lib Dem through and through, you must know this by now

How is that protectionist?

I support whichever makes my personal investment interests grow, if protectionism gives my interests a better chance then I am all for it.

So this bull**** that is being said about you thinking of joining us is exactly that, bull****. Thank you for confirming my doubts.

[Rakas21]

(Original post by Morgsie)
Interoperability

Not really needed in my opinion.

[Morgsie]

(Original post by Rakas21)
Not really needed in my opinion.

Yes it is needed because the Railways in the EU are being liberalized, a process that started ages ago.

Summary of EU Rail Legislation: http://europa.eu/legislation_summari...t/index_en.htm

[toronto353]

(Original post by Morgsie)
The Free Trade Treaty (advocating free trade) and various protectionist moves including repatriating Transport powers etc.

What happens to Cross Border rail services: Eurostar, Thalys, Enterprise etc?

I am a Lib Dem through and through, you must know this by now

With regards to your question about the EU, all powers should be repatriated back in my opinion. The EU has no place to interfere in the issues of sovereign states. The MHoC and the UK are perfectly capable of governing ourselves. We have done so for many, many years and we don't need EU telling us what to do. When the EU threatens our ability to make our own choices as seen through the Channel Tunnel, then we must stand up against the EU and say no and that is what I am doing. I have no problem with Europe working together, but European governance of any kind must be stopped.

[Endless Blue]

I have a few questions I'd like to ask the coalition regarding healthcare and education:

Firstly (I don't know what the current systems are on TSR), how would the voucher system work? My understanding is, that the systems would be totally privatised, so to speak, and then the govt would give people vouchers which would contribute to their healthcare and education. If this is a correct analysis of the system, I'd be quite intrigued by it.

How would the vouchers be funded, though? I assume through means of taxation. Would this (significantly) lower income tax?

Also, considering the NHS have targets and schools compete for funding via the league tables, would there be extra competition in schools?

[Rakas21]

(Original post by benpearson1)
I have a few questions I'd like to ask the coalition regarding healthcare and education:

Firstly (I don't know what the current systems are on TSR), how would the voucher system work? My understanding is, that the systems would be totally privatised, so to speak, and then the govt would give people vouchers which would contribute to their healthcare and education. If this is a correct analysis of the system, I'd be quite intrigued by it.

How would the vouchers be funded, though? I assume through means of taxation. Would this (significantly) lower income tax?

Also, considering the NHS have targets and schools compete for funding via the league tables, would there be extra competition in schools?

Your assertion would essentially be correct were it privatized completely and included everybody however last term the Tories (us) in opposition enacted B417 which essentially only provides vouchers to the best and brightest whilst requiring private schools to adopt entry tests.

The result of this is that the education budget has only increased by £0.9bn and the government covers the cost up to £7500 for primary school children and £10000 for secondary school children.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show....php?t=1949050

It would indeed encourage competition amongst schools and lower prices to attract more of these children, additionally it slows the rise in the cost of education in the future as there is an incentive for private schools to expand to take more students.

[Endless Blue]

(Original post by Rakas21)
Your assertion would essentially be correct were it privatized completely and included everybody however last term the Tories (us) in opposition enacted B417 which essentially only provides vouchers to the best and brightest whilst requiring private schools to adopt entry tests.

The result of this is that the education budget has only increased by £0.9bn and the government covers the cost up to £7500 for primary school children and £10000 for secondary school children.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show....php?t=1949050

It would indeed encourage competition amongst schools and lower prices to attract more of these children, additionally it slows the rise in the cost of education in the future as there is an incentive for private schools to expand to take more students.

Interesting. How would the system work for healthcare?

[Rakas21]

(Original post by benpearson1)
Interesting. How would the system work for healthcare?

Essentially you would take the average cost of healthcare for somebody and the state would provide that much in a voucher.

The main problem with healthcare is that the cost of operations vary wildly and so whilst you could do it for a lot of things i think that surgery would probably have to remain done via the tax system.

It is something that i would like to see happen however with the research required it may be something that i will push for next term.

[obi_adorno_kenobi]

Average, average, average! Mean, median or mode?

[Endless Blue]

What does the coalition make of today's worrying fall of 0.7% in GDP?

[tehFrance]

(Original post by benpearson1)
What does the coalition make of today's worrying fall of 0.7% in GDP?

Well this country is in a recession... that said, I don't think the Coalitions growth plans are right and then again Labour have not even got a plan so really until someone gets their head out of their arse, it will not improve.

[Endless Blue]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Well this country is in a recession... that said, I don't think the Coalitions growth plans are right and then again Labour have not even got a plan so really until someone gets their head out of their arse, it will not improve.

What (vaguely) would you like to see done?

[Rakas21]

(Original post by benpearson1)
What does the coalition make of today's worrying fall of 0.7% in GDP?

It's bad but to be expected given the massive deficit and some of the tax rises which have taken place in addition to continued Eurozone recession.

I agree with the principal of the cuts but i do not think they have taken some of the right individual policies and should have got rid of the deficit in a much more 'Tory like' way not involving raising taxes on consumption (VAT and income tax for £40k+) and potentially going for privatization.

TSR is in better shape.

[Endless Blue]

(Original post by Rakas21)
It's bad but to be expected given the massive deficit and some of the tax rises which have taken place in addition to continued Eurozone recession.

I agree with the principal of the cuts but i do not think they have taken some of the right individual policies and should have got rid of the deficit in a much more 'Tory like' way not involving raising taxes on consumption (VAT and income tax for £40k+) and potentially going for privatization.

TSR is in better shape.

I saw the budget earlier and have to say that the work on taxes looked excellent . About time VAT was abolished

[Rakas21]

(Original post by benpearson1)
I saw the budget earlier and have to say that the work on taxes looked excellent . About time VAT was abolished

Indeed, i think in RL a first step could be to effectively give it a threshold like income tax so that products would only have VAT applied if they cost more than £100 for example though the admin costs may well render than useless. The eventual goal should however be to abolish VAT and income completely along with many of the smaller taxes.

[Rakas21]

I can confirm that Moleman1996 is the new Secretary Of State For Foreign Affairs.

A wider reshuffle is taking place and details will be announced in the next few days.

[Moleman1996]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Well this country is in a recession... that said, I don't think the Coalitions growth plans are right and then again Labour have not even got a plan so really until someone gets their head out of their arse, it will not improve.

yea, i'm more than willing to listen to labour if they have anything to say, but all they've done in RL is criticise the coalition's policies, without providing any alternatives.

[Rakas21]

(Original post by Moleman1996)
yea, i'm more than willing to listen to labour if they have anything to say, but all they've done in RL is criticise the coalition's policies, without providing any alternatives.

Indeed, with that said i think RL needs to adopt much more TSR like economic policies (radical tax overhaul for one).

[JPKC]

(Original post by Moleman1996)
yea, i'm more than willing to listen to labour if they have anything to say, but all they've done in RL is criticise the coalition's policies, without providing any alternatives.

Better than providing "alternatives" that then turns out to be complet and utter bull. Tories said they wouldn't cut the NHS. NHS cuts. Tories said they wouldn't raise VAT. VAT raised. Tories said they wouldn't scrap the 50p rate. 50p rate scrapped. I could go on (even without mentioning the Lib Dems!).

Labour doesn't have a civil service behind it, and it's a democratic party. So coming up with a manifesto for government takes time.

[Moleman1996]

(Original post by Rakas21)
Indeed, with that said i think RL needs to adopt much more TSR like economic policies (radical tax overhaul for one).

yup, we need a balance between right and left I suppose. Public funding to help businesses in difficult times can be beneficial, but not in the labourite way of funding even the most helpless of cases indefinately. They need to make sure they do everything to encourage difficult, but I suppose without a majority and with a large part of the lib dem party being rather unhappy with what they see as an uneasy alliance, it must be a difficult job to pass some of the more right wing measures.