one fifth Britons want to leave
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One in five Britons — nearly 10m adults — is considering leaving the country amid growing disillusionment over the failure of political parties to deliver tax cuts, according to a new poll
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2330678,00.htmlAugust 27, 2006
2.There is no perfect country in this planet.For those angry Sporeans,
10m want to quit 'over-taxed' UK
David Cracknell, Political Editor
ONE in five Britons — nearly 10m adults — is considering leaving the country amid growing disillusionment over the failure of political parties to deliver tax cuts, according to a new poll.
The extensive survey conducted by ICM, the polling company, shows that — contrary to the current approach of both Labour and the Tories — an overwhelming majority of voters do want to see cuts in income and inheritance tax.
The results will raise alarm in both political camps, but particularly for David Cameron, who has yet to solidify the ConservativesÂ’ lead over Labour in the opinion polls.
The Tory leader, who has ditched his party’s long-standing commitment to tax cuts in favour of “economic stability”, has maintained a solid lead over Labour since May in most of the polls, but is still well short of securing a majority.
TodayÂ’s poll shows that many people are highly disillusioned with the British political system and nearly half the population do not associate themselves with the main parties. It suggests that a majority believe tax cuts would be affordable if public services were genuinely reformed, but they have little faith that any party could achieve this.
The results suggest that Cameron could be missing an “open goal” by failing to capitalise on the desire for tax cuts.
The poll found that a large majority of people — 81% against 9% — supported a “significant” increase in the £32,000 threshold for the 40% tax band, which would take more people on middling incomes out of that bracket.
The detailed market research, carried out by ICM on behalf of the TaxpayersÂ’ Alliance (TPA), an independent political lobbying group, comes as some modernising MPs are beginning to argue for a break with the current taboo over tax.
Labour, under Tony Blair and the chancellor Gordon Brown, has shied away from income tax rises, fearing they would frighten middle-class voters. Cameron, whose party has traditionally supported lower taxes, has sought to change that perception amid Labour accusations that the Tories will cut spending on vital public services.
Last week Stephen Byers, the former Labour minister, argued for the abolition of inheritance tax. He said that the levy of 40% on estates worth more than £285,000 was a “penalty for hard work, thrift and enterprise”. This weekend George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, responded by advocating the abolition of stamp duty on shares to “repair the damage” done by Labour’s raid on pension funds. The Tories say the move would increase the average pension fund by £8,000.
CameronÂ’s Tories have sided with Labour policy on economic stability and investment in public services before tax cuts, but the poll shows that a majority of the public still want governments to take less out of their wage packets.
The key finding of the study, in which 1,000 people were interviewed, is that people hold the political parties and the system in contempt and are strongly attracted to the prospect of real change.
It found that emigration is a possibility for more than one in five people. Asked if they had thought about moving abroad, 16% said they had given it
“serious thought” and a further 6% said they planned to do so.
The poll will be a further blow to Blair, who returned from his three-week Caribbean holiday this weekend to more speculation about his future.
Tessa Jowell, one of his most loyal cabinet ministers, admitted yesterday that his plans to step down as leader were creating “a sense of uncertainty” within the Labour party. Geoff Hoon, the Europe minister, acknowledged that the government had been going through “problems” and people were beginning to see Cameron as a serious alternative.
Downing Street sought to shore up Blair’s position after the defection of 37 Labour members from the Derby constituency of Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, to the Liberal Democrats in protest at his failure to condemn Israeli military action in Lebanon. An unusual statement from No 10 insisted the prime minister was “convinced that his government has the experience and authority to meet these challenges”.
Today’s poll results suggest there is little belief that the current political system can fix people’s problems and show strong support for tax cuts. It shows 76% of people favour lowering the basic rate of income tax. People also agreed by about three to one — 56% to 17% — that reforming public services would allow tax cuts without reducing spending on vital services, although many doubted this would happen.
The Tories’ unwillingness to argue for lower taxes has, according to the TPA, “left an open goal” for other parties.
There were majorities in favour of “significant” increases of personal allowances and for raising the threshold for inheritance tax or abolishing it.
Worryingly for Cameron, 36% of people did not back his stance that cutting taxes could threaten economic stability.
The TPA, which has 15,000 members, believes politicians are failing to recognise a genuine desire for tax cuts among the public. Matthew Elliott, its chief executive, said: “The parties’ conventional wisdom about public opinion is wrong. The parties are all wrongly committed to the status quo of high taxes and massive power for MPs. The public rightly don’t believe them and want change.
“They want large tax cuts and serious reform to get MPs out of managing services and to get non-MPs, who know what they’re doing, into government.”
The poll shows strong disillusionment with the main political parties. Only 24% of people identify with the Labour party, 17% with the Tories and 9% with the Liberal Democrats. Four out of 10 people do not identify with any party.
When asked to choose between Brown, BlairÂ’s likely successor, and Cameron, the public is divided with 38% favouring each man.
ICM interviewed 1,000 people between July 31 and August 2. Full details of the poll are at
www.taxpayersalliance.com
just searching for your heaven and dunt turn back.Bye.Bye.
U will know where is heaven one day. -
Ya, no place is perfect. What we should do is to improve our country instead of just complaining? First thing i want to do is to kill the Lee family. They been holding on to the throne for too long as if they own the country. We need to find better replacement for our leaders and MPs. Our MPs are just lackeys, not really capable of improving our livelihoods.
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do u have brain.i think u say too much.
pl amend it --KILL.
where is mods?
NUS is damn unlucky to accept u. -
I believe the goverment in signaproe is having a similar "story" to the fall and rise of venice
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Mr Lionnoisy........haizz. you are different since you have enough logs. We are the poor termites who are looking for a better place to look for more logs.
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Mr Lionnoisy. Are you one of the FT?
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ok do it..Originally posted by NUS_Superst@r:Ya, no place is perfect. What we should do is to improve our country instead of just complaining? First thing i want to do is to kill the Lee family. They been holding on to the throne for too long as if they own the country. We need to find better replacement for our leaders and MPs. Our MPs are just lackeys, not really capable of improving our livelihoods. 
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Lionnoisy, are you one of the pap sakar?
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Originally posted by lionnoisy:
The other 90% of "Britons" already left ... ...
[b]One in five Britons — nearly 10m adults — is considering leaving the country amid growing disillusionment over the failure of political parties to deliver tax cuts, according to a new poll
2.There is no perfect country in this planet.For those angry Sporeans,
just searching for your heaven and dunt turn back.Bye.Bye.
U will know where is heaven one day.[/b]
They have Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, South Africa, Bahamas, Falkland Islands ... .... -
There is a wave of unhappiness everywhere, even in SG...when I was in the UK, they complained about the NHS....like me, best thing to do is find your own patch elsewhere and settle down...the newest trend for the next decade or so is emigration as the world gets smaller and we become more mobile....I believe you do what you want...I live by one motto...to each his own....we leave singapore because we have been used to a certain standard of living...and so we seek out something new....
Its all relative...just like all the china sham marriages and peidu mamas coming here for a better life.....to each his own -
My opinion on welcoming FTs (skilled ones):
Open the door when someone knocks and let em in.
But if you keep the door wide open all the time, roaches, and all sorts of pests will also come in. -
what is one fifth when in Singapore it is more than half (53%) wanting to leave the country?Originally posted by lionnoisy:2.There is no perfect country in this planet.For those angry Sporeans,
just searching for your heaven and dunt turn back.Bye.Bye.
U will know where is heaven one day.
don't you think that the numbers speak for themselves? -
Vote for Absolute MONARCHY!!
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Arrest him under ISA for threatening to assassinate the PM's familyOriginally posted by lionnoisy:do u have brain.i think u say too much.
pl amend it --KILL.
where is mods?
NUS is damn unlucky to accept u. -
More than that leh, he wants to kill the Lee family, and with all the Lees around the world.... Can arrest him for ethnic cleansing liao.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Arrest him under ISA for threatening to assassinate the PM's family
Someone call ICC..
That idiot is shaming NUS with his nickname. -
I hve forwarded yr thread 2 my sis in UK,I will llet u know how truth is the news??
This shd be the way 2 check the fact dont follow blindly!!
But I wonder why my sis will not like 2 come back S'pore with her family leh?
Anyway,she will b in spore next month 2 attend IMF meeting here when I sh ask her more in details!! -
i am the pap supporter and FT!! so what?
sg is highly respected that few of u experience any trouble when
go thro other country airport counter or make it easier
to migrate!!
any one here not the x generation off spring of FT?
pl tell me why u as a gen x of FT can suggest to bar FT?
u assess one's ideas on its own or its speakers' background,
color of skin,or fren of PAP etc.
2.0.5 % of
Britons move out every year?
sg average 1,000 pa renounce citizenship,about 0.03%Out-migration increased more quickly than inflows but to a lesser extent, from 238,000 in 1994 to 360,000 in 2004.
International migration into and out of the UK, 1995 to 2004 -
why dont they come to singapore?
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Originally posted by lionnoisy:
does that mean that singapore should nt try to persue perfection and remain the way it is?
2.There is no perfect country in this planet.For those angry Sporeans,
just searching for your heaven and dunt turn back.Bye.Bye.
U will know where is heaven one day.[/b] -
I'd rather LTK's family held the throne. I believe we'd be in better hands.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Arrest him under ISA for threatening to assassinate the PM's family -
after awhile he'll just become another lkyOriginally posted by iveco:I'd rather LTK's family held the throne. I believe we'd be in better hands. -
I'd rather have more Euros than PRCs. Unfortunately the former have grown up in a culture of civil liberty and may have a harder time adapting.Originally posted by dragg:why dont they come to singapore? -
Want to leave, come here lor, we need FT what, then somemore ppl here like ang moh, then somemore tax low..
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where u gt the 53% frm?Originally posted by pearlie27:what is one fifth when in Singapore it is more than half (53%) wanting to leave the country?
don't you think that the numbers speak for themselves? -
Originally posted by lionnoisy:
All men on this planet are FT from space.....and we were developed into ape like creatures. Subsequently, spreaded all over the world.
i am the pap supporter and FT!! so what?
sg is highly respected that few of u experience any trouble when
go thro other country airport counter or make it easier
to migrate!!
any one here not the x generation off spring of FT?
pl tell me why u as a gen x of FT can suggest to bar FT?
u assess one's ideas on its own or its speakers' background,
color of skin,or fren of PAP etc.
2.[b]0.5 % of
Britons move out every year?
sg average 1,000 pa renounce citizenship,about 0.03%
International migration into and out of the UK, 1995 to 2004[/b]
The problem here is....the pap had not provide enough or relevant training to its people thus they are always pushing responsibilties that singaporeans are unwillingly or be flexible enough to accept any jobs.
If you (lionnoisy) is willing to take on a job of S$1000 or slightly more and you will have to support a family of two kids.....tell me how are you going to manage financial needs of your family, beside, your wife may have to stay at home to look after the children.