Universal suffrage

[cbe]

I see that - but how to get around the plain fact that certain
politicians can just promise more and more stuff - which will
appeal to many - but there is only one group going to pay for it.

No-one died for the right that one section of the populace should
automatically subsidise the lifestyle of others.

[ColinL]

You continue to avoid giving us the detail and statistics of the millions more you claim who take out of the system than pay in. You have used the same claims in previous threads but never follow up with anything credible that your claims are even vaguely truthful

How about those thousands of people you say who never work and have no intention of working? Let readers have your evidence; better still perhaps you can be public spirited and use your knowledge and report them to the DWP. You are like the Express and the Mail who run stories about a couple of cases and then re-run the same story a few weeks later with a bit more detail that gives people an impression of a multiple problem. They did that about a Kent family 3yrs ago and ran the same thing three or four times in 6 months making people think it was a big problem.

Give us the evidence or we will put it down to your prejudice.

[cbe]

Colin you have used this line before about facts facts facts
You know full well that I cannot give such figures and if I could
you would not trust them. No Government department would
ever say this is the number of people who are cheating the
system (with our knowledge).

But everyone, EVERYONE knows such people Colin and you
prove yourself a liar by suggesting otherwise. But then again
you are a Corbyn supporter so we do not expect the standards
to be too high.

[ColinL]

You remind me of some 4 decades ago when working at the then DHSS in St Leonard's that we would receive anonymous letters about people that contained no evidence whatsoever about a person, stating categorically that they were scamming the system. We had to record and review the files and the evidence and FACTS that we had about a person's circumstances and balance that against bile fact free claims.

If you know of all these people who are definitely scamming the system you will have evidence. The current DWP does indeed investigate and prosecute cases but it is necessary to have proof not just the uninformed prejudicial hate that you display.

You have no grounds whatsoever for calling me a liar, just your own deep seated prejudice.

[ColinL]

You should be able to find on the Min of Justice website the number of prosecutions and with simple maths you will be able to give us the figures. Whilst you are at it you might look at the figures for tax fraud cases and compare the number. However I expect you will not find many as the tax office usually accept offers of payments thus the person avoids a criminal conviction, unlike the claimant of social security

Look forward to your figures, they are there if you want them

[cbe]

I never knew you had worked in the public sector Colin.
By the way - I don't like to intrude on private grief - but how are you
feeling this morning?

[seahermit]

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually feeling a bit sorry for Colin! Maybe the ribbing has had its moment and should be allowed to die a compassionate death ...

Colin unfortunately is one of those people who has got very much stuck in a tramline with his political opinions, knee-jerking with the same old responses when criticised and unable to admit any mistakes or to compromise. It's a painful way of working out one's political beliefs.

I am obviously glad of Boris's triumph and hope that he will not prove to be yet another disappointment. But political and economic situations change constantly and politicians change with them - everyone really should try to be more "fluid" and ready to change their political allegiances when the situation demands it (some of that of course is happening at the moment and has resulted in the extraordinary shifts in traditional Labour strongholds). Diehard allegiance to a party ("cos I have always voted for them and so did my father") is very hackneyed and shortsighted - in a fast-moving, complicated modern world it is bound to result in some very nasty reality checks. As now!

[Richard]

I don't think that all prisoners are still denied the right to vote, as they once were, it depends on the legal sentence.
British citizens (apart from some prisoners) and certainly not all immigrants, can vote, depending on EU rules that we have a reciprocate arrangement with.
Scotland may have different rules, not sure about that.
Everyone pays taxes if they buy goods that incur V.A.T. charges and if you are entitled to benefits then you must be entitled to vote, otherwise you are being penalised for being unemployed.

[ColinL]

seahermit seems very stuck in her tramlines of political view so much so that they refuse to actually debate issues but rely just on asserting things and hope that no one challenges the veracity of their claims.

I have worked in the public sector and the private sector. What has that to do with anything?

Still waiting for any stats on social security fraud. They are there if you WANT to find them, but I doubt that you do

[cbe]

Richard - if I may play Devil's advocate - if you are on benefits and buying stuff ( therefore paying tax =VAT) taxpayers are paying that tax for you?

I am NOT having a go at genuine unemployed people BUT if you do not pay tax you do not mind how much FREE STUFF (Capitals for Colin's benefit) you vote for.