| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 10/04/2013 : 16:26:31
Not too much sadness in Britain over Thatcher's passing...I'm hearing more of a victory celebration from my UK friends it seems...dancing on her grave kind of stuff...a rather sad legacy written in history's pages by the Iron Lady.
Well. I guess I started it, so let's have a laugh to ease our...well, whatever you feel.
A classic...
Fry & Laurie on Ms thatcher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5eufYYpHwE
...so share some humor, satire or music like Stew did--good stuff.
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Old hippies never die, they just ramble on.
-lk |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| stewart |
Posted - 15/04/2013 : 01:01:23
[/quote]
Wasn't the additional revenue from the 2.5% used to give a 25% reduction to people living alone? I suppose that this moved us a little towards the American system where local services are paid for, at least in part, through indirect taxation.
[/quote]
It was to pay for a £140 reduction in the poll tax until the council tax was introduced http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/21/newsid_4278000/4278401.stm
It was never removed so the consequences of the poll tax will be with us forever |
| John9 |
Posted - 14/04/2013 : 20:59:19
quote:
Originally posted by stewart
[quote]Originally posted by John9
Her Conservative successor, John Major reversed the measure and introduced the fairer Council Tax to replace it.
and we'll be paying for Thatcher's folly for the rest of our lives - 2.5% was added to VAT to pay for the scrapping of the poll tax
Wasn't the additional revenue from the 2.5% used to give a 25% reduction to people living alone? I suppose that this moved us a little towards the American system where local services are paid for, at least in part, through indirect taxation. |
| stewart |
Posted - 14/04/2013 : 02:30:40
[quote]Originally posted by John9
Her Conservative successor, John Major reversed the measure and introduced the fairer Council Tax to replace it.
and we'll be paying for Thatcher's folly for the rest of our lives - 2.5% was added to VAT to pay for the scrapping of the poll tax |
| stewart |
Posted - 14/04/2013 : 02:08:45
[i]Sorry John, pathetic effort by Milliband - but there again, he is leader of New Labour, a party that could be said to have been basically created by Margaret Thatcher.[/
When asked what did she consider her greatest achievement Thatcher replied 'New Labour'. There's only a cigarette paper between the parties these days |
| John9 |
Posted - 13/04/2013 : 22:07:11
Hi Rocker - it is a little complicated but my understanding is this. The Poll Tax was seen by the then Conservative government as a way of addressing the inherent unfairness of the old system of rates - where basically you paid for local services according to the value of your property - irrespective of how many people were living in it. It was due to be introduced into England and Wales in 1990 but for some reason, it was decided that it would be brought into Scotland the year before. The policy was one of Thatcher's greatest mistakes and without doubt contributed to her fall from power during late 1990. Her Conservative successor, John Major reversed the measure and introduced the fairer Council Tax to replace it.
The devolved Scottish Parliament was not set up until 1999 and as far as I know, it has quite a lot of autonomy over taxation. Next year, there is of course going to be a referendum, north of the border, on outright independence. In the event of a Yes vote then Scotland will then have complete control over its own laws, taxes, foreign policy and defence. But which currency to adopt is still a sticking point - keeping to the £Sterling seems to be the favoured option just at present - but that would have implications for interest rates....they would continue to be set by the UK central bank (which somewhat anachronistically still known as the 'Bank of England') |
| rocker |
Posted - 13/04/2013 : 20:40:45
Soemthing about Mr. Robertson's comemnts puzzled me. Why, if the tax (or 'charge') was rejected at the ballot box, did the Scots still have to deal with it? I take it the tax then was railroaded through. Not nice. So from the looks of it what's the use of a Scottish National Assembly?
Jaysus, and I have to put some history in here, the colonies too were 'marginalized' with those great taxes we had to deal with and made people go crazy. And we know what happened then, eh?? Cameron et al should be reading old King George's bio.... |
| John9 |
Posted - 11/04/2013 : 00:57:44
Thanks, DaveyTee - I just thought that it might be allowed as a way of balancing things out. And to illustrate the point that not everyone over here necessarily thinks or reacts in the same way.
Someone who impressed me in the House of Commons this afternoon was Angus Robertson. He was of course speaking on behalf of the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru. He got his points over forcefully, succinctly and yet with true dignity. And I found myself agreeing with a great deal of what he said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6cEl3TNj_o
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| DaveyTee |
Posted - 11/04/2013 : 00:29:24
Sorry John, pathetic effort by Milliband - but there again, he is leader of New Labour, a party that could be said to have been basically created by Margaret Thatcher.
DT
But I Can't Understand
Why We Let Someone Else
Rule Our Land
Cap in Hand. |
| John9 |
Posted - 10/04/2013 : 23:40:22
Ed Milliband - the Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition ....and to my mind one of many voices of sanity during this highly charged time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePS9VS9bVlg |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 10/04/2013 : 17:26:10
Mock The Week 2008-Thatcher's Funeral
...and in other news a shipment of 5.2 million shovels have just been sent to Scotland..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFzNhLRAgEU
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Old hippies never die, they just ramble on.
-lk |
