The results to last week's Fun Online Poll:
If the UK bombs ISIS targets in Syria, this will…
Make us safer from terrorist attacks - 1%
Make us more a more likely target - 17%
Not make any measurable difference - 14%
Be a waste of money better spent controlling our borders and combatting domestic terrorism - 63%
Other, please specify - 5%
A clear majority for common sense from a good turnout of 150 votes. Thank you everybody who took part.
Suggestions for "other" included:
Graeme: Wouldn't it be nice if the people who want to go bombing thought instead about ways of stopping the flow of funds and weaponry to Isil?
Yes, I should have added that to the list of sensible ways of spending money, but Pollcode has a limit on how long the answers can be. And, if we have absolutley fair to Cameron, it appears that the RAF is bombing primarily oil wells, which is one way of doing it.
And slightly more left field:
Enola Gay: The problem is not the bombing. The problem is that the bombs will be sub-atomic.
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This week, as a follow up to point 6 of Ben Jamin's recent post…
Which is the most relevant measure of poverty or inequality:
Total income
Total assets
Total assets excl. value of main residence*
Total income minus tax and housing costs
There's no "other" because we'd just end up with endless permutations.
Vote here or use the widget in the sidebar.
* The third option might sound a bit weird, but is the basis for many means tested benefits. For example, if you have a low income but £16,000 or more cash/investments, you get no Housing or Council Tax benefit or Pensions Credit (or their localised replacements and I know that the rules are slightly different for each and there's a Pension Credit Savings Credit to mitigate this). But if you have a low income, no savings and live in a £1 million home, you can still claim Council Tax Benefit and Pensions Credit.
To sum up: a tenant with a low income and £16,000 savings can fuck off, he is not considered to be poor. A home-owner with a low income and no savings and a £1 million house is a charity case and gets all the goodies.
Debate Magazine
