General Election Predictions

First time voting in an election for me, hope UKIP get nothing, think it'll be a labour-lib dem coalition but to be honest i really dont care, they are all the bloody same ( thats how it appears to people my age group)

Well, they very most certainly aren't all the bloody same. The Conservative plans are going to continue the increasing rate of austerity which will mostly be loaded on the younger population (as has most of the austerity enacted so far). On the other hand, Osborne has extended his Pensioner bonds scheme which is nothing more than a bribe to older voters with a bit of cash put to one side. Just a transfer of money from the state to wealthy pensioners which is going to cost the country more than 9 times as much as borrowing the same amount on the bonds market would do and it will also mean that the banks have less money invested from the pensioners as well meaning they will have less money to lend.

Yet another economically inane yet politically cynical policy by probably the worst Chancellor this country has ever seen.

I see the Forest Green Rovers man Vince is backing Labour.

Quoted from Ecotricity website | 10th February 2015

Ecotricity backs 'Green Labour'

Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity, is donating £250,000 to the Labour Party’s election campaign.

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “We’re putting our money where our hearts are – and that’s the care of the environment. We’ve watched the coalition government systematically undermine not just the renewable energy industry in Britain but the whole green economy and by de facto – efforts to combat climate change. We feel compelled to act and to speak out.

“In 2012, Britain’s green economy generated £128 billion, that was 8% of all GDP and a third of all growth in GDP that year - while the country was struggling to get out of recession.

Full read here >> >> [url=http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/news/news-archive/2015/ecotricity-backs-green-labour]http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/news/news-archive/2015/ecotricity-backs-green-labour[/url]

Meh. Using lots of 'Green' energy isn't workable with current technology (energy storage is still much too expensive to make a large move to renewables feasible), so Vince has got rich on large subsidies from the British government. Good business sense from him though and he obviously believes in what he's doing.

If he thinks that Labour are more likely to keep these subsidies going, you can understand why he is backing them. That said, I'm not really sure that the policies as announced of the LibDems/Conservatives are all that much different? Obviously, the Tories are more pro-fracking, so perhaps that's one major difference, but it is only gas backup which makes any use of renewables feasible so you wouldn't think that would necessarily be the reason.

Personally, I'd rather we embarked on a sensible Nuclear build programme which didn't have us relying on the French to build and maintain power stations for us at preposterously inflated rates. A much better idea to get the Chinese to build them (they are using US designs) and then operate them ourselves, but I think we're locked in with the French now.

Of course, the fact that EDF, who we are paying to build and operate these new Nuclear power stations for us are entirely owned by the French state might be an indication that having your utilities in state hands isn't quite the disaster that Thatcherites would have you believe.  

Here's a little thought for anyone who thinks austerity is a good idea when the economy is still in the doldrums.

If the amount you still have left on your mortgage is roughly 80% of your income but you can easily afford to meet your payments, would your children thank you for leaving them the house paid off, but them having gone to a crappy school and got poor grades. Or would they rather you invested the money in the best education you could afford, or some critical treatment not available on the NHS, and leave them with the house and the debt when you die?

With a healthy dose of inflation the debt will become less and less of a burden, but they'll be better off having had a better education and even better able to afford the debt. And still have the house as an asset.

Osborne's plans are the economics of the mad-house.

Some papers are reporting than inflation will fall below zero,

I am not the brightest of people,

BUT

Isn't that DEFLATION ?

For those who are interested, here's good article which explains the whole 'Austerity Con' which the media and many politicians have bought into:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n04/simon-wren-lewis/the-austerity-con

Pretty long but interesting for those who are bothered. Future generations will look back with incredulity at the wrong-headed and foolish policies enacted following this most recent recession.

I predict we will get lied to and sold down the river!

Quoted from cmackenzie4

I predict we will get lied to and sold down the river!

How is that any different from previous elections Chris  

Quoted from Maringer

For those who are interested, here's good article which explains the whole 'Austerity Con' which the media and many politicians have bought into:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n04/simon-wren-lewis/the-austerity-con

Pretty long but interesting for those who are bothered. Future generations will look back with incredulity at the wrong-headed and foolish policies enacted following this most recent recession.

Good article. That chart showing the size of the current deficit is revealing. Why the intercourse haven't the Eds drawn attention to this God only knows. The deficit only ballooned when the recession struck and the recession happened because of the banking crisis. And the banking crisis was so bad because the banks had been allowed to do what they wanted, with little or no regulation. Which is just what the Conservatives wanted.