The Political Thread

[Modern Panther]

In the shop, for the checkout operator to tot up your bill and ask, "would you like to pay tax on that?" What would you say? "Actually, no, not today - this bombing of Syria has to stop," or maybe, "yeah, I'll pay 5% because I don't agree with government plan y but the hospitals still need the funds," or "yes, I'll pay the recommended x% because I'm broadly happy"

Hmmm...I'm happy with the policy of free health care and benefits for the vulnerable...but I don't like all the war.  I'll give them half.  I'm sure they'll spend it appropriately

[The Legendary Shark]

That's the point, Panth - performance related pay.

Starve a government of funding, couple that with all the negative publicity and how long before the parties themselves react to force out the politicians costing them their credibility? You'll never stop them plotting against one another, backbiting and manoeuvring - so we might as well encourage them to do all that on the country's behalf rather than their own.

[Modern Panther]

Do I have to fill in a form with every purchase, so the government know what it is I'm approving of?

Okay.  After the initial economic shock of hugely reduced tax income, you're then left with the issue that government can't rely on future income, which greatly reduces the country's ability to borrow or plan for the future.  To negate this, you would have to stockpile savings, which with reduced income and no one willing to lend to you, could only be done by slashing spending. 

You're then left with the problem of ensuring future income.  Government can either try to appeal to several million working class people, who are more likely by now to have lost their jobs and are cutting their own spending so won't be volunteering to pay taxes they do have to, at least in any great numbers, or by appealing to a much lower number of the very wealth, who are largely insulated from economic downturns.  Provide the elite with what they want, you can prevent total meltdown. 

[Steve Green]

So, that second referendum petition was set up by an Outer who thought Leave was going to lose...

http://news.sky.com/story/1717815/second-referendum-petition-was-set-up-by-outer

[Hawkmumbler]

So, that second referendum petition was set up by an Outer who thought Leave was going to lose...

http://news.sky.com/story/1717815/second-referendum-petition-was-set-up-by-outer

Whose a smart little boy then!

God save us I swear.

[Steve Green]

It's a gift to post on those 'sore loser, move on' threads certainly.

[GordonR]

It's a gift to post on those 'sore loser, move on' threads certainly.

And it emphasises yet again what a pointless farce online petitions are in general.

"I've set up this petition in advance, to complain about something that hasn't happened yet!"

[ZenArcade]

I see the Blair rats have moved on Corbyn.  Shower of shite! Z

[Modern Panther]

First results weren't even in before Farage was declaring the whole thing a fix.

[Steve Green]

Huh.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nigel-farage-wants-second-referendum-7985017

[The Legendary Shark]

Panth, I had not envisaged having to fill a form in at the checkout or deciding for yourself exactly how every penny of your contribution must be spent but you raise a good point. It would be fairly simple to get around this.

The first idea that springs to mind is a simple three or four digit code system, worked out and utilised by HMRC. For example, code 001 might mean "government decides," 002 might mean Health Service takes priority, 003 for policing taking priority and so on. If you don't want to pay out of protest, a similar code could be used, maybe comprising 2 or 3 letters instead. AA, war in Syria, AB, MPs expenses and so on. Punch these numbers into the till as you pay.

If that's too much trouble, there will be a shed load of out of work tax inspectors who could be re-tasked to find out who's contributing what and why.

I don't agree that would be a catastrophic drop in revenue. Maybe at first, as the people exercise their rights just for the hell of it, but I think it would even out in the long run as the system comes to be better understood.

Financial planning is never accurate anyway. The government always seems to end up with a deficit. Borrowing would be less of a problem with money creation shifting from private to public hands - which needs to happen anyway whether taxation is made voluntary or not.

In fact, instead of borrowing, or in tandem with it, HMRC could issue monthly reports calling for increased contributions to cover urgent shortfalls in whichever areas require it. This would save money for the country as such contributions would be just that and not interest bearing loans.

Certain areas of contribution would be more popular than others, possibly even leading to surpluses which could be kept in reserve, used for above and beyond improvements or call for decreased contributions.

This voluntary system could be made to work very easily through media, education and social programming. If you can convince people that the only way to stop terrorism is by terrorising terrorist countries and the only way to get a decent job is by getting a degree, convincing them to contribute to the upkeep of their own society should be child's play.

[The Legendary Shark]

Tordels, thank you for your kind praise of my writing style (and also to Jim, if, indeed, by re-posting Tordel's words you were echoing them), I really appreciate it.

I meant to post this thank you in my immediate reply but, shamefully, it slipped my mind.

[Professor Bear]

Brexit is an engineered catastrophe meant to enable continuing austerity measures which have been revealed post-crash to be ludicrously profitable for the world's richest people, the poor can go fuck themselves.  Discuss.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Brexit is an engineered catastrophe meant to enable continuing austerity measures which have been revealed post-crash to be ludicrously profitable for the world's richest people, the poor can go fuck themselves.  Discuss.

That makes it sound like some kind of long-term plan was in place.  I see it more as a privileged fool gambling away his career and his own country's welfare for election points.  It's a fuck-up that's spiralled out of control, not a clever conspiracy.

[Modern Panther]

Conspiracy theories are often attractive because they feed our deep seated hope that someone, somewhere, actually knows what's going on and is in control.

Brexit is little more than a series of fuck ups which started with a small group of people trying to entice the protest voters who grew in number when Labour stopped caring about the working class, and ended with a power grab from within the Tory party. 

Austerity will continue not because of a planned strategy, but simply because it's easy, and will continue to be easy unless the Labour party can appeal again to the disenfranchised.