tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post115949286696800763..comments2023-09-13T09:59:36.013+01:00Comments on snowflake5: Leadership Poll Resultssnowflake5http://www.blogger.com/profile/14700425293614182769noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159694716522492432006-10-01T10:25:00.000+01:002006-10-01T10:25:00.000+01:00Of course I've no data on the impact of any indivi...Of course I've no data on the impact of any individual. There's quite a lot of polling evidence about policies out there - but actually (although much of that is quite favourable to McDonnell's programme) that shouldn't be our guide. What's the RIGHT thing to do? In my view it is to follow a programme very close to that set out the LRC recently (and therefore very close to John McDonnell's Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159618340392784682006-09-30T13:12:00.000+01:002006-09-30T13:12:00.000+01:00labourmember, do you have data to show that McDonn...labourmember, do you have data to show that McDonnell will win us more voters than he loses? I agree his decision to ignore personality politics was very positive for him. But I'm not sure about the rest. <BR/><BR/>I think the new Labour government needs to keep the economics the same (because they've worked), alter foreign policy slightly (we <I>can't</I> start attacking the Americans a la snowflake5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14700425293614182769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159606354620783412006-09-30T09:52:00.000+01:002006-09-30T09:52:00.000+01:00Hi. I wouldn't have worked so hard getting this g...Hi. I wouldn't have worked so hard getting this government elected and re-elected if I didn't think they would make - and have made - a valuable contribution to improving society. The minimum wage, peace in Northern Ireland, some improved trade union rights, some impressive work re: development and debt. None of those things stand without some reservations, and in some cases progress in one Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159563560586309842006-09-29T21:59:00.000+01:002006-09-29T21:59:00.000+01:00Snowflake5, you are clearly more than one person (...Snowflake5, you are clearly more than one person (clash of literary styles across posts), probably working for the Goblin King's taxpayer funded PR department (aka Treasury).<BR/><BR/>Most of us actually believe what we say and we do this for fun, whether we are right or wrong is of secondary importance. You (the whole lot of you) don't believe a word you are saying, and you are doing this for Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159554673677182582006-09-29T19:31:00.000+01:002006-09-29T19:31:00.000+01:00Mark corp tax rates in eastern europe are all lowe...Mark corp tax rates in eastern europe are all lower than here. Anyway, cutting employer's NI and putting corp tax up to compensate equals the same thing for labour intensive businesses, and equals a <I>tax rise</I> for those businesses that are not labour intensive but capital intensive instead - like car plants which are highly automated. That should drive Honda, Nissan etc away. <BR/><BR/>Re snowflake5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14700425293614182769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159550506259839322006-09-29T18:21:00.000+01:002006-09-29T18:21:00.000+01:00I'm a Labour Party member who voted for McDonnell ...I'm a Labour Party member who voted for McDonnell and will do so in the real election too. Foreign policy is, of course, a big factor - but so is privatisation, trade union rights and social housing. McDonnell will stand, nominations permitting (and there's some encouraging news on that, apparently) - so I don't think your Reid v. Brown scenario will happen. But I don't think I'd vote if it Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159546455581606822006-09-29T17:14:00.000+01:002006-09-29T17:14:00.000+01:00Yup, Peugeot shut their UK factory and moved it to...Yup, Peugeot shut their UK factory and moved it to E Europe. Why? Lower wage bills in E Europe. <BR/><BR/>This has little to do with corporation tax rate. Companies send stuff to India because of low wages, not lower corporation tax - corporation tax in India is actually 35%, higher than ours.<BR/><BR/>Scrapping Er's NI would cut wage bills by 8%, not a lot, but enough to give us an edge over theAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159537824806073392006-09-29T14:50:00.000+01:002006-09-29T14:50:00.000+01:00I voted Brown, but when I came back a few days lat...I voted Brown, but when I came back a few days later I pressed the 'view results' button, as your defalt setting was on Benn this may acount for some extra Benn votes .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159535836150063302006-09-29T14:17:00.000+01:002006-09-29T14:17:00.000+01:00Hi anonymous and wozza - Thanks for commenting. I ...Hi anonymous and wozza - Thanks for commenting. I too have problems with foreign policy. However I believe that if it was a Brown government, he'd be more cautious about foreign adventures.<BR/><BR/>Is McDonnell definitely going to stand? Alex on Labourhome said there were mutterings at the conference about McDonnell not consulting the rest of the left about his candidature.<BR/><BR/>If the snowflake5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14700425293614182769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159534991099486742006-09-29T14:03:00.000+01:002006-09-29T14:03:00.000+01:00i agree with anonymous.I voted for Mcdonnel in the...i agree with anonymous.<BR/>I voted for Mcdonnel in the poll, and i voted Lib-Dem in the last election - on the basis they had the most Left Wing agenda of the three main parties.<BR/><BR/>WAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159531063954770062006-09-29T12:57:00.000+01:002006-09-29T12:57:00.000+01:00Please read my Bow Group report IN FULL and then w...Please read my Bow Group report IN FULL and then we'll discuss.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159530853832397282006-09-29T12:54:00.000+01:002006-09-29T12:54:00.000+01:00I voted McDonnell and would never support Brown or...I voted McDonnell and would never support Brown or anyone else until they remove PFI from all their plans for the health, education and public transport sectors. Labour Party member and shop steward. Don't even start on the foreign policy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159530325433487862006-09-29T12:45:00.000+01:002006-09-29T12:45:00.000+01:00Mark - you are comparing UK corp tax to the USA. B...Mark - you are comparing UK corp tax to the USA. But you need to compare to the rest of Europe, where the Single Market is in force. The USA can keep corp tax high as there is no tax-competition in NAFTA, as NAFTA still has trade-tariffs in place, though they have been cut - NAFTA is not a proper free-trade zone. <BR/><BR/>Europe is different. Doesn't it strike you that France has a corp tax ratesnowflake5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14700425293614182769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159526112506281872006-09-29T11:35:00.000+01:002006-09-29T11:35:00.000+01:00Headline corporation tax ratesUSA 40%Japan 40%Germ...Headline corporation tax rates<BR/>USA 40%<BR/>Japan 40%<BR/>Germany (incl GewSt) 38%<BR/>Italy 37%<BR/>France 33%<BR/>India 35%<BR/><BR/>I know all about tax evasion - see my report!<BR/><BR/>High Employer's NI = High unemployment. These so called flat tax countries in Eastern Europe have bügger all corporation tax but 40% employer's NI - so they have MASSIVE unemployment. Denmark, Ireland, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159524368593068862006-09-29T11:06:00.000+01:002006-09-29T11:06:00.000+01:00Mark, your first point, scrapping employers N.I. a...Mark, your first point, scrapping employers N.I. and increasing corporation tax is dead wrong. Increasing Corp tax is a no-no, given the Single Market. There arn't any "labour-intensive" industries in Britain anymore. Most manufacturing is highly automated - they usually need a quarter of the staff they needed a decade ago. Same thing in financial services - a combination of very strong use of snowflake5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14700425293614182769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29618513.post-1159521896408771472006-09-29T10:24:00.000+01:002006-09-29T10:24:00.000+01:00IF (big IF) Gordon Brown really wanted to help the...IF (big IF) Gordon Brown really wanted to help the poor he would:<BR/><BR/>- scrap Employer's National Insurance and increase corporation tax to compensate - this would be an enormous boost to labour intensive industries. He has actually adopted the opposite strategy. He has increased Er's NI by a quarter and reduce corporation tax by a tenth). Don't forget that boosting employment is the best Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com