Hi, I am Major Sinic, and a major cynic and new to this board

[Major Sinic]

I am 57 years old, largely retired but still on the boards of a couple of private companies, and involved in one or two other projects. My career in business was on the sales/marketing side, and I recently retired as executive chairman and CEO of a tiny plc.

Politically I am a Conservative with a social conscience, although substantially disillusioned with all three major political parties, and indeed with most aspects of current national political and economic leadership.

Main interests are politics, investing, classic cars, skiing, reading and family.

[Syph]

Welcome to the board!

I'm sure Midas our resident millionaire will be able to relate to your position in big business.

Oh joy!

I guess you're a right winger.

[DougieG]

Hi major!

You can find the forum rules here. Knowing what’s appropriate and what isn’t can save everybody a whole load of trouble! You might also find the Guide to Good Posting useful. Also please respect other people’s views; though they may not be the same as yours it does not mean they are necessarily wrong, just different.

If you need help with anything at all, feel free to contact me, or one of the other moderators, via a personal message; details can be found here.

I'm quite left wing, so we'll probably disagree on several issues. Luckily, we can agree on at least one, which is that the political offerings of today from the UK political parties are rubbish!

DG

[Major Sinic]

Welcome to the board!

I'm sure Midas our resident millionaire will be able to relate to your position in big business.

Oh joy!

I guess you're a right winger.

Thank you for your welcome. Business yes, 'Big Business' and especially its connotations no! Certainly right of centre, but certainly not right wing.

My biggest gripe concerns the greed, corruption, incompetence and hypocrisy of so many of our political, public service and business leaders irrespective of their political persuasions, and the the associated lack of accountability.

[Major Sinic]

Hi major!

You can find the forum rules here. Knowing what’s appropriate and what isn’t can save everybody a whole load of trouble! You might also find the Guide to Good Posting useful. Also please respect other people’s views; though they may not be the same as yours it does not mean they are necessarily wrong, just different.

If you need help with anything at all, feel free to contact me, or one of the other moderators, via a personal message; details can be found here.

I'm quite left wing, so we'll probably disagree on several issues. Luckily, we can agree on at least one, which is that the political offerings of today from the UK political parties are rubbish!

DG

Thank you for your acknowledgment. It would be a boring old world if we all agreed. I have respect for a number of political figures whose views I fundamentally disagree with. These tend to be among the few who have consistently shown sincerity and integrity in their public life.

[Midas]

I am 57 years old, largely retired but still on the boards of a couple of private companies, and involved in one or two other projects. My career in business was on the sales/marketing side, and I recently retired as executive chairman and CEO of a tiny plc.

Politically I am a Conservative with a social conscience, although substantially disillusioned with all three major political parties, and indeed with most aspects of current national political and economic leadership.

Main interests are politics, investing, classic cars, skiing, reading and family.

Good evening Major Sinic - nice name by the way - and welcome to the Politics Forum! I see that young Dougie has done the official welcome bit, but I'm sure you won't mind my adding my own too.

On the face of it there would seem to be quite a degree of similarity between our positions, something which will I'm sure emerge more, or perhaps not as the case may be, over the course of a number of posts. But I have to say that it's good have someone else on the right of centre here to help pick up the reigns of the capitalist point of view; there are just too may lefties, full of idealistic theory but lacking any practical experience of the real world (sorry guys, you know I love you really!), here for my liking

I'll look forward to debating and exchanging views with you in due course.

[Major Sinic]

Good evening Major Sinic - nice name by the way - and welcome to the Politics Forum! I see that young Dougie has done the official welcome bit, but I'm sure you won't mind my adding my own too.

On the face of it there would seem to be quite a degree of similarity between our positions, something which will I'm sure emerge more, or perhaps not as the case may be, over the course of a number of posts. But I have to say that it's good have someone else on the right of centre here to help pick up the reigns of the capitalist point of view; there are just too may lefties, full of idealistic theory but lacking any practical experience of the real world (sorry guys, you know I love you really!), here for my liking

I'll look forward to debating and exchanging views with you in due course.

Many thanks for your welcome. Whilst my views are very much in line with a capitalist economic model, such a model can only benefit society as a whole if it forms part of a mixed economy and fulfills the social and economic obligations that come with such a system.

[LA]

Hello Major Sinic,

As the resident insaniservative [insane conservative] I bring you welcome
It is interesting to meet a socially responsible businessman. As you do investing, it means I now have two sources of investing information come March.

I look forward to seeing you defend capitalism against the hoards of socialism that is present on this forum.

[Midas]

Many thanks for your welcome. Whilst my views are very much in line with a capitalist economic model, such a model can only benefit society as a whole if it forms part of a mixed economy and fulfills the social and economic obligations that come with such a system.

I don't disagree with you, my opposition to socialism as a system notwithstanding; in fact I'm on record somewhere as saying words to the effect that we need more social responsibility accompanying the capitalist approach. But that does not mean simply handing out welfare; both people and the government need to realise that all that does is to inexorably increase dependence on the state and to destroy individual responsibility to the ultimate detriment of everyone.

[LA]

I don't disagree with you, my opposition to socialism as a system notwithstanding; in fact I'm on record somewhere as saying words to the effect that we need more social responsibility accompanying the capitalist approach. But that does not mean simply handing out welfare; both people and the government need to realise that all that does is to inexorably increase dependence on the state and to destroy individual responsibility to the ultimate detriment of everyone.

I fully support a welfare state...

Assuming they work for their welfare

[DougieG]

I fully support a welfare state...

Assuming they work for their welfare

Well you stop getting benefits if you stop looking for work and attending interviews. Alternatively, there are a range of jobs that you can do as far as I am aware, such as volunteering etc where you receive benefits. They're not handed out to people who watch TV 24/7.

I agree with you though, in principle. I just think its counter-productive to force people to do community work while on benefits because the genuine people looking for jobs won't succeed since they won't have the time available to look for them.

[LA]

Well you stop getting benefits if you stop looking for work and attending interviews. Alternatively, there are a range of jobs that you can do as far as I am aware, such as volunteering etc where you receive benefits. They're not handed out to people who watch TV 24/7.

I agree with you though, in principle. I just think its counter-productive to force people to do community work while on benefits because the genuine people looking for jobs won't succeed since they won't have the time available to look for them.

I have explained this in many threads.
Those who are on long term benefits should be forced to work [assuming they are not child allowances]
So those on short term benefits, i.e. they hurt themselves and are just recovering then return to work, or pregnancy, or redundancy etc they claim for a little while. They should focus on getting back into work.

Those who have not had work for no long, should be forced to work.

[Major Sinic]

I don't disagree with you, my opposition to socialism as a system notwithstanding; in fact I'm on record somewhere as saying words to the effect that we need more social responsibility accompanying the capitalist approach. But that does not mean simply handing out welfare; both people and the government need to realise that all that does is to inexorably increase dependence on the state and to destroy individual responsibility to the ultimate detriment of everyone.

You say nothing that I disagree with. My own view is that Society has a moral obligation to contribute to the support of those members who are unable to support themselves, not to those who are not prepared to try to help themselves. Unfortunately over the last ten years an underclass has developed which uses benefit reliance as a lifestyle. I strongly resent the taxes I pay being spent in this manner, much preferring to see it (effectively) spent on the health and education of our nation, on crime prevention and detection and competently equipping our armed forces.

[Major Sinic]

Well you stop getting benefits if you stop looking for work and attending interviews. Alternatively, there are a range of jobs that you can do as far as I am aware, such as volunteering etc where you receive benefits. They're not handed out to people who watch TV 24/7.

I agree with you though, in principle. I just think its counter-productive to force people to do community work while on benefits because the genuine people looking for jobs won't succeed since they won't have the time available to look for them.

It would surely not be beyond the ability of even the most mediocre of administrations to create a system to grant a leave of absence for a job seeker, doing community work, on those occasions that they are able to provide evidence of a job interview.

[flash]

You say nothing that I disagree with. My own view is that Society has a moral obligation to contribute to the support of those members who are unable to support themselves, not to those who are not prepared to try to help themselves. Unfortunately over the last ten years an underclass has developed which uses benefit reliance as a lifestyle. I strongly resent the taxes I pay being spent in this manner, much preferring to see it (effectively) spent on the health and education of our nation, on crime prevention and detection and competently equipping our armed forces.

There is a thread going on now having to do with Socialism.

http://www.politicspoliticalforum.com/government-general-discussion/13760-socialism-evil.html#post80599


Why don't you join in so I can question what you mean by "a moral obligation"? Does that mean voluntary charity or state sponsored confiscation of wealth and income and redistribution?