ELECTION SPECIAL: The big issues politicians haven't spoken about

[@francisravenscroft-dw6gi]

Innovation is the child of economic growth. Innovation is not even an area of focus in education in the UK. I was Uk teacher, then I worked in China. I would nt consider teaching in the UK- it is stuck in the 1970s

[@user-ck3uu8rj3x]

I feel the depressing reality is that Labour are so convinced that the voting public feels there no choice other than to vote for them, so they're really not committing themselves to anything because they believe they don't need to.

[@advocate1563]

Paul, you and the team are the winners of fhe GE. With one exception, you've run a terrifically apolitical campaign and you've cut through. Congratulations - you win most effective communicator award in this household.

[@ster2600]

Which exception?

[@RobinHarding-ep1ud]

Vote Reform , Nigel gets through to the truth ,others are afraid of .

[@Nova2Yung]

thank you team!, very educational for me !!, i appreciate you all for being clear, honest thinkers!

[@stephfoxwell4620]

Brexit and Covid.
Never mentioned

[@adamthemyth]

Historically, parties have moved the goalposts beyond what was offered in their manifestos. I would be very sceptical of their claims and err on the side of caution.

[@stuartporteous7762]

Could you explain why governments never fail to be able to borrow, also is the limit to borrowing for governments something clearly measurable and known by economists? Thank you

[@mikedudley4062]

Taxation is the problem. IR35 stopped me running one business. Then upping my tax to effective rate of 62% stopped me working and 80 hrs week. I used to provide £50k of tax a year, and save clients about £7-10m a year in their businessess, so another £2m at 20% tax. Now I work 10 hrs, earn below the 40% tax threshold like everyone else, and HMRC get over £2m less Tax....
Do they not understand the Laffer curve, ideological idiots

[@user-wj7cv9hb5j]

Same, I was hit by ir35 and will be closing my company. I paid 100k in tax last year. Never again, I'm selling up and leaving. Don't want my skills and don't value my contribution I'll take it to a country that isn't as greedy.

[@leeeeee286]

Same with me.

[@jamiewalkerdine3705]

If your business can’t pay its taxes it doesn’t deserve to exist.

[@leeeeee286]

​@@jamiewalkerdine3705 It's not that we can't pay, it's that it doesn't make sense given the effort we put in. I know people who make £35,000 (tax free) a year on benefits. So why work 5 day a week making £100,000 a year through your business when the government will take 20% of your business earnings, then 20-40% of anything you pay yourself? You end up taking home marginally more than someone on welfare. It's not worth it.

[@Matt-ou7tu]

​@leeeeee286 who the hell makes £35k in benefits a year, tax free?! Lol. That literally sounds like something Reform would say.

[@jeffreymarks5439]

I wish to congratulate you on the analysis you have provided through your podcasts on the party manifestosThe parties themselves are very quick to claim that their plans are fully costed and thereby have financial credibility, but as your input has shown nothing could be further from the truth.The public deserve so much better.

[@colinmacdonald2871]

This is great

[@Matt-ou7tu]

It's genuinely shocking the state of the countries finances. How are pretty much all of the countries public services in dire straights and the the countries finances are in such a bad state?! Where the hell has all the money gone?

[@kerrynewnham8946]

State schools, most way behind in their offerings vs private schools are not going to transformed by a scattering of extra maths teachers. The NHS needs 6% investment to compare to New Labour days, & even under Tony Blair was badly performing in chronic conditions (I know I have one and have been left with serious disability by both Tory and Labour spending) will not be quickly transformed by 1% extra investment and some reform. Taxing wealth could boost public services on their knees.

[@georgethompson453]

From what you are saying I conclude at some point there needs to be a rise in government borrowing. If the public finances deteriorate and there’s a bit of a run on sterling interest rates will start to rise. Someone actually predicted the IMF may need to step in. I see many similarities between today and the mid seventies, the number 10 beer and sandwiches era.

[@Hiram8866]

Very interesting stuff.
I'm still sceptical about growth. I believe the economy is an energy system and not a financial one.

[@user-wj7cv9hb5j]

No more of red green yellow anf blue. Time for reform.

[@anthonychambers4399]

The answer to your questions all come down to accountability to the public. In 1839 the Chartists presented parliament with their demands:
* All men to have the vote (universal manhood suffrage)
* Voting should take place by secret ballot
* Parliamentary elections every year, not once every five years
* Constituencies should be of equal size
* Members of Parliament should be paid
*The property qualification for becoming a Member of Parliament should be abolished
The one that is missing is annual parliamentary elections. If we had that the parties would be forced to put their spending plans for that parliament forward. The exact budget, spending and queens speech would need to be known when we elect a party. No more vague mission statements.

[@kerrynewnham8946]

Really telling & sad that this important group doesn’t have more subscribers. Your intervention on the election was needed because MSM has not done enough scrutiny. I disagree with saying the Green Party and reform input poisoned the discourse though. Given that my lay response to your analysis is more money has to be found and given that we do have a tax take less than much of Europe, I think that it was improper to essentially discount & discard those at least asking for honesty and offering bigger thinking & tax in scale with need.

[@STEWART.HR1]

Lots of interesting stuff which is not being widely discussed. Media generally seems more interested in the betting scandal and what Farage had for breakfast. I'd rather hear about how parties will deal with the collapse of the judicial system (which is catastrophic for our democracy), 40bn black-hole in NHS finances, long-term strategic planning, tax reform and economic growth. All good subjects. I wish there was more coverage like this.

[@snowyowel7961]

🌟🌟🌟🎉REFORM 🎉🌟🌟🌟

[@matthewleitch1]

No, growth is not a generally good thing for a developed economy like ours, and that's one of the biggest things that politicians haven't spoken about. A great deal of our consumption is already wasteful and we are not getting the happiness we imagine we will get from it. Growth per se is not the answer, except if your are the government with a huge debt and want to raise more tax without raising tax rates.

[@jeffreymarks5439]

In terms of the quality of each of the parties manifestos what score out of ten would the FIS give each party?

[@pastyman001]

"Boo". says Sunak. "Labour will destroy Britain forever in 100 days". The Tories already broke it in 14 years with austerity that cut the economy, real wages and public services to desperation. They rushed and bungled a hard brexit to avoid one day of EU scrutiny and money transparency laws to apply to the UK and caused a permanent loss of 4%-5.5% of GDP including £40-£50bn in lost tax revenue p.a., according to 4 studies, including by the government. They mishandled Covid with late lockdowns and letting in an extra week of flights from India with a worse new variant, a total lack of preparation, treating PCP supplies as an opportunity to give hundreds of millions to their mates and putting patients with the disease into care homes with no protection ( 225,000 dead ). The cuts would deepen if they return and people on benefits, many of them working or sick ( 8 million and rising on NHS waiting lists) are already in debt and unable to pay bills and feed themselves. Food banks and pot holes alike, expanding and at record levels.

[@tomrusack3266]

Is the government spending too much money? Productivity figures strongly suggest Englands’ standard of living is too high and a lower more realistic standard of living is economically desirable.

[@user-mx1gh3mn3w]

But my Labour Council and Labour London Mayor has Doubled my Council tax! Taken my Free travel 4.30 am - 9.00 am Mon - Fri from me and others. Which we need ! Is this a loony
leftie organization?

[@stevenwilliamson6236]

Have the NI border poll and save £10bn a year. Talk about serious issues rather than placating fascists.

[@user-wj7cv9hb5j]

I assume you talking about the leftwing extremists who want to silence everyone who isn't further left than them.