French/Greek elections (2 Viewers)

[Selador]

RIP Europe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17975660

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17975370

 

[soloooooo]

Viva la Revolution.

 

[funkshen]

The Socialist candidate has promised to raise taxes on big corporations and people earning more than 1m euros a year.

He wants to raise the minimum wage, hire 60,000 more teachers and lower the retirement age from 62 to 60 for some workers.


fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

 

[soloooooo]

Lets put politics aside and look at this rationally:

- raise taxes on the rich - this makes sense and most would think it is good
- hire 60000 more teachers - again makes sense, few would argue against it
- lower retirement age - this doesn't make sense given the current global financial woes and an aging populating.

 

[funkshen]

literally none of those ideas are any good

 

[freddie_mercury]

how upsetting

 

[freddie_mercury]

is it the mid 1930s again or what

 

[soloooooo]

Funkshen, why is it your opinion that more teachers bad?

 

[funkshen]

because france doesn't need more teachers and the only reason he's doing it is because teachers are socialists (appeasing the base). sarkozy's proposals were far better

 

[Lentern]

Lets put politics aside and look at this rationally:

- raise taxes on the rich - this makes sense and most would think it is good
- hire 60000 more teachers - again makes sense, few would argue against it
- lower retirement age - this doesn't make sense given the current global financial woes and an aging populating.

Even though soloo is nuts I agree in this respect. Sarkozy bailed out those fat cats and wanker bankers despite this the upper echelons of these companies have been voting themselves massive bonuses whilst forcing austerity on their underlings. With their creative accounting these wankers got us into this mess, finally a politician with the guts to make them shoulder some of the burden. As for teachers, Funkshen don't be a dickhead, after twenty years of conservative governments the teachers have been stretched further and further, asked to do more and more and given fewer and fewer since Mitterand. The lowering of the retirement age is obviously a bit of feting the electorate despite being bad economics.

 

[SylviaB]

Whether or not taxing people more makes you moist, even you have to admit that the proposed changes are entirely unsustainable and will drive france into the ground.

 

[SylviaB]

No money left, retirement age has to be lifted, general strike, "the rich" are blamed.

 

[funkshen]

simply increasing the amount of teachers solves nothing, and you are simply wrong about teachers being stretched further and further. public expenditure on education has barely changed over the past 20 years (oscillating around 5% of GDP) and has barely changed in the past 10. i take the poor, poor teachers story with a grain of salt. the UMP had some pretty good education policies (whether they would deliver on them is another question) coming in to this election.

the class warfare story is hackneyed and unless you clarify who the "fat cats and wanker bankers" are and how they were "bailed out" i have no idea what you're talking about.


the socialists want to increase the minimum wage
introduce a new tax bracket of 75% on earnings over 1.3m euros
raise taxes on big corporations, introduce something approximating a tobin tax
reduce the retirement age

france is now the zimbabwe of europe

 

[Lentern]

simply increasing the amount of teachers solves nothing, and you are simply wrong about teachers being stretched further and further. public expenditure on education has barely changed over the past 20 years (oscillating around 5% of GDP) and has barely changed in the past 10. i take the poor, poor teachers story with a grain of salt. the UMP had some pretty good education policies (whether they would deliver on them is another question) coming in to this election.

the class warfare story is hackneyed and unless you clarify who the "fat cats and wanker bankers" are and how they were "bailed out" i have no idea what you're talking about.


the socialists want to increase the minimum wage
introduce a new tax bracket of 75% on earnings over 1.3m euros
raise taxes on big corporations, introduce something approximating a tobin tax
reduce the retirement age

france is now the zimbabwe of europe

How does increasing teacher numbers solve nothing? Do you think there is no relation between school class sizes and student performance?

What is your qualm with raising taxes on the rich?

 

[Lentern]

Whether or not taxing people more makes you moist, even you have to admit that the proposed changes are entirely unsustainable and will drive france into the ground.

No, undertaxation is one of the underlying causes of the present financial situation.

 

[SylviaB]

Do you think there is no relation between school class sizes and student performance?

Claims about performance being dependant on class size are grossly overstated, with plently of research saying that such a relationship barely exists and teacher quality being of far greater importance.

 

[Lentern]

Claims about performance being dependant on class size are grossly overstated, with plently of research saying that such a relationship barely exists and teacher quality being of far greater importance.

Yeah I'm sure you've got some little op ed from the IPA or Stormfront or whatever that goes into it in great depth.

 

[SylviaB]

IPA or stormfront .

whats the difference

 

[funkshen]

No, undertaxation is one of the underlying causes of the present financial situation.

no it isnt

How does increasing teacher numbers solve nothing? Do you think there is no relation between school class sizes and student performance?

if you think that is the aim of this policy you are a fool. if you think this policy will alleviate the problem you are also a fool. first of all, they plan to increase teaching staff i.e. teachers and administration/bureaucrats. it smacks of peronism secondly they plan to increase enrollments, so the overall effect of this policy in regards to outcomes for students will probably nil.

What is your qualm with raising taxes on the rich?

its populism, not good policy

 

[na110793]

simply increasing the amount of teachers solves nothing, and you are simply wrong about teachers being stretched further and further. public expenditure on education has barely changed over the past 20 years (oscillating around 5% of GDP) and has barely changed in the past 10. i take the poor, poor teachers story with a grain of salt. the UMP had some pretty good education policies (whether they would deliver on them is another question) coming in to this election.

the class warfare story is hackneyed and unless you clarify who the "fat cats and wanker bankers" are and how they were "bailed out" i have no idea what you're talking about.


the socialists want to increase the minimum wage
introduce a new tax bracket of 75% on earnings over 1.3m euros
raise taxes on big corporations, introduce something approximating a tobin tax
reduce the retirement age

france is now the zimbabwe of europe

I think Greece took that prize br8.