EU Referendum

[Hobbit]

Typical UKIP avoidance, my question was nothing to do with the SNP, it was to do with UKIP

The simple question I was asking, and so far have not received an answer is........ 'if UKIP are so popular why do they only have one MP'.

surely you are intelligent enough, and been around long enough, to understand the first past the post electoral system the UK has. In effect, almost half of Scottish voters have no representation in the Scottish Parliament. And conversely, as someone clearly explained earlier. UKIP received more votes than the SNP but didn't win seats because they weren't first past the post.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Typical UKIP avoidance, my question was nothing to do with the SNP, it was to do with UKIP

The simple question I was asking, and so far have not received an answer is........ 'if UKIP are so popular why do they only have one MP'.

The question has been answered

The did receive enough votes in each area to gain MP's -you already know the answer

 

[jp5]

Typical UKIP avoidance, my question was nothing to do with the SNP, it was to do with UKIP

The simple question I was asking, and so far have not received an answer is........ 'if UKIP are so popular why do they only have one MP'.

I would hazard a guess at a "non-representational electoral system".

 

[Doon frae Troon]

The question has been answered

The did receive enough votes in each area to gain MP's -you already know the answer

I assume you missed out an 'not' between did and receive.

So basically what you are saying is that they were not popular enough in 500+ seats to gather enough votes to elect more than one MP.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I would hazard a guess at a "non-representational electoral system".

Cracked it in one....well done.

 

[MegaSteve]

If UKIP have as much support within the UK as they seem to have on this forum why do they only have one MP ?

Wanting out of the EU doesn't necessarily make you a UKIP voter...
It might in your world but certainly not mine...

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I assume you missed out an 'not' between did and receive.

So basically what you are saying is that they were not popular enough in 500+ seats to gather enough votes to elect more than one MP.

Doon you know exactly why UKIP didn't get more than one MP so why ask the question ?

 

[SocketRocket]

Typical UKIP avoidance, my question was nothing to do with the SNP, it was to do with UKIP

The simple question I was asking, and so far have not received an answer is........ 'if UKIP are so popular why do they only have one MP'.

No one answered because it was a silly question.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Yes, but our unemployed and allegedly useless young people in their late teens and early 20's were mainly educated under New Labour. Keeping them off the dole queue for a few years by doing useless degrees in soft subjects doesn't really prepare them for the workplace! I am sure that the Tories are meddling too, but at least they are trying to improve standards.

Quick question on this 'soft degree' stuff. My lad got himself a 2:1 in Journalism and graduated about 2 yrs ago. Is 'journalism' a soft degree? He did not have any difficulty getting himself a job very soon after graduation - the fact that the job had nothing to do with what he studied didn't stop him. He decided he needed a job, decided that he couldn't be fussy - so went out and got one - and he got it in Sheffield - hardly the easiest place in the UK to get a job you might think.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

No one answered because it was a silly question.

.......and you did not know the answer

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Sorry to be a pendant but if it's in the region of, say, £20 million it's hardly noise. £20 mill will pay a lot of nurses wages.

Writing off £20 mill is careless at best.

since originally asking, the cost is £34mill, of which almost £20 mill is recovered but at a cost not calculated. Further, the overall cost to the state of those that avail themselves of health tourism but require care outside of acute care in hospital is closer to £2billion.

A number not calculated but of great concern is the number of claims being made against fraudulently acquired EHIC cards used in foreign hospitals.

As the sum needed to cover the NHS's shortfall is £8billion, and over £2 billion is being lost to health tourism and the fraudulent use of EHIC cards... That's definitely not noise hidden in the overall budget.

£20million is peanuts in context of government spending - for instance it's less than both the funding shortfall and the grant given to the London Garden Bridge project by the Dept for Transport when they kicked off the project last year.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...-to-begin-despite-30m-shortfall-private-money

And it wouldn't fund many that nurses - at best one for each NHS organisation (of which I believe there are about 400 in E&W)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2169697/England-hospitals-money-continues-poured-NHS.html

 

[ColchesterFC]

£20million is peanuts in context of government spending - for instance it's less than both the funding shortfall and the grant given to the London Garden Bridge project by the Dept for Transport when they kicked off the project last year.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...-to-begin-despite-30m-shortfall-private-money

And it wouldn't fund many that nurses - at best one for each NHS organisation (of which I believe there are about 400 in E&W)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2169697/England-hospitals-money-continues-poured-NHS.html

£20 million might in isolation be considered peanuts when compared to total government spending but how many other £20 millions are there across different departments for different reasons? All those soon add up to a sum where maybe if they weren't being wasted then we'd have more money to spend on other things or reduce the cuts being implemented.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

surely you are intelligent enough, and been around long enough, to understand the first past the post electoral system the UK has. In effect, almost half of Scottish voters have no representation in the Scottish Parliament. And conversely, as someone clearly explained earlier. UKIP received more votes than the SNP but didn't win seats because they weren't first past the post.

Except they do. The SNP has 50% of the 128 seats in Holyrood - the rest have 50%.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

£20 million might in isolation be considered peanuts when compared to total government spending but how many other £20 millions are there across different departments for different reasons? All those soon add up to a sum where maybe if they weren't being wasted then we'd have more money to spend on other things or reduce the cuts being implemented.

But the point wasn't about all departments

 

[ColchesterFC]

But the point wasn't about all departments

Ok so what about all the other £20 millions within the NHS that are being wasted? I'm sure that there are plenty of other examples such as paying over the odds for stationary or bandages etc.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Ok so what about all the other £20 millions within the NHS that are being wasted? I'm sure that there are plenty of other examples such as paying over the odds for stationary or bandages etc.

yes - but if I recall correctly the point was in the context of 'health-tourism' not about inefficiencies in the NHS.

 

[MegaSteve]

I am sure someone could find a link if they wanted...

I remember hearing recently[ish] NHS spend £20M+ on translators....
And, the police a whole lot more...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I am sure someone could find a link if they wanted...

I remember hearing recently[ish] NHS spend £20M+ on translators....
And, the police a whole lot more...

yes - and...

there are lots and lots of services that the NHS provide that I don't use or even know about - doesn't make them less valuable .

 

[MegaSteve]

yes - and...

and... I thought the talk was about cost, to the NHS, of health tourism...

 

[Ethan]

Sorry to be a pendant but if it's in the region of, say, £20 million it's hardly noise. £20 mill will pay a lot of nurses wages.

Writing off £20 mill is careless at best.

since originally asking, the cost is £34mill, of which almost £20 mill is recovered but at a cost not calculated. Further, the overall cost to the state of those that avail themselves of health tourism but require care outside of acute care in hospital is closer to £2billion.

A number not calculated but of great concern is the number of claims being made against fraudulently acquired EHIC cards used in foreign hospitals.

As the sum needed to cover the NHS's shortfall is £8billion, and over £2 billion is being lost to health tourism and the fraudulent use of EHIC cards... That's definitely not noise hidden in the overall budget.

Feel free to hang around someone's neck if you want.

Could you cite a (reliable) source for those figures and define what is meant that costs £2bn?