Nigel Farage wants you to think he's on the side of working people. He isn't. See what insurance based healthcare costs American workers per month

Nigel Farage wants you to think he's on the side of working people. He isn't. Don't forget to use your vote this Thursday

Hat tip CNBC 

.....Currently, Americans pay $3.4 trillion a year for medical care (and, unfortunately, don’t get impressive results).

Here’s how much the average American spends on health care

"According to eHealthInsurance, for unsubsidized customers in 2016, “premiums for individual coverage averaged $321 per month while premiums for family plans averaged $833 per month. The average annual deductible for individual plans was $4,358 and the average deductible for family plans was $7,983.”

That means that, last year, the average family paid $9,996 for coverage alone, and, if they met their deductible, a total of just under $18,000. Meanwhile, an average individual spent $3,852 on coverage and, if she spent another $4,358 to meet her deductible, a total of $8,210.

These figures do not take into account any additional co-insuranceresponsibility she might have. In addition to co-pays and deductibles, an increasing number of plans now require co-insurance payments, which require that, even once you meet your deductible, you continue paying some percentage of all costs until you hit your out-of-pocket maximum.

"On the Knocker" for Labour in EU elections 2019 - sunshine and showers

Picture collage is from a canvass last Saturday in West Ham ward (with local MP Lyn Brown) and from yesterday in Forest Gate North.

Local Newham Councillor (and my Cabinet colleague) James Beckles, is a Labour Candidate for London, while another Newham Councillor, Rohit Das Gupta, is a Labour Candidate in South East England standing against Nigel Farage!

We got pretty wet last week and retreated to our tower blocks to continue to canvass while yesterday it poured down with rain before and after our canvass.

Elsewhere in the borough there has been a number of other Labour canvass sessions and street stalls. Both days we had big turn outs of activists. Personally, I am not aware of any opposition parties campaigning inside Newham.

So far, the results have been pretty solid for Labour but there has been some negative reactions from residents who are pro Brexit and also those who are pro Remain. I suspect that like the local Council elections last week, that the Tories will do very badly on May 23rd and that Labour will not "cover itself with glory" either.

I had a couple of interesting separate conversations with middle aged people, who have never voted in their lives. They were not hostile, they didn't have any particular objections to voting, just that they had never got around to doing it. I don't think lecturing people on ....how important voting is, on how people died for the right to vote etc really works, no matter how true this is. Explaining what happens when you walk into a polling station, that you don't need to find your polling card, how it is really secret, and you can ask polling staff questions if you don't understand anything -is more effective.

I did finish by saying that "they" never wanted to give people like us the vote and if we don't use it, they will take it away from us. 

Being a Republican but still enjoying the Newham Royal Wedding Celebrations

Picture collage from two events in Newham yesterday that I attended with Gill on behalf of the Council celebrating the Royal Wedding. While I personally believe that our Head of State should not be a hereditary monarch, I respect the views of the majority in this country, who pretty obviously do.

I must admit to being more than a bit worried in light of the experience "across the pond" of us electing a "President Farage" but still think the democrat principal is absolute.

I have blogged previous on this here. It was great to spend time with local residents at the Community Road Centre and the sheltered tower block in Holden Point (Deputy Mayor Clarlene McLean and her lovely deputy, deputy Esme).  

UKIP...Some Clowns aren't funny.

Hat tip Mr Rayner.

Meet Nigel Farage

Check out the new website Meet Nigel Farage and find out Nigel's plans to privatise the NHS, cut the NHS and charge for the NHS.

All his plans are sourced.

It is about time that Farage and UKIP got held to account for their Ultra Tory Right wing nonsense.

The Guv's common sense message to the UK

Well, I never - Pub Landlord Al Murray standing against UKIP and Farage as Parliamentary candidate for FUKP in South Thanet.

Don't be USED by UKIP

The video of UKIP leader, former stock market trader, Nigel Farage, telling supporters in 2012 that our NHS should be privatised and replaced with an USA insurance scheme is very telling.

Farage was filmed saying “I think we are going to have to move to an insurance-based system of health care. Frankly, I would feel more comfortable that my money would return value if I was able to do that through the marketplace of an insurance company than just us trustingly giving £100bn a year to central government and expecting them to organise the health care service from cradle to grave for us.”

If you value a free at point of need NHS then do not support UKIP and treat their disclaimers that they are not a racist party with the same large handful of salt.

Hat tip Caption to Mark Rayner.

When even "The Sun" thinks UKIP is Racist

I think it is safe to say that I have never posted an editorial of "The Sun" on this blog. Nor have I ever knowingly agreed with anything they had to say in the past.

But on Saturday "The Sun" quite rightly accused the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, of "racism, pure and simple" for his suggestion that all Romanians are "criminals to be feared".

The Sun has a pay wall to see its on-line contents but check out this report on Channel 4 News.

Why I am not surprised in the least at Farage "BNP in Blazers" views. I must admit that I was astonished to read this editorial (see left) that clearly describes UKIP as not only having more than its "fair share of racists and homophobes". 

It also makes it clear that Farage has acted in a racist manner by smearing "Romanians for being Romanian". 

I have hard working UNISON members in my branch who are Romanian by birth, who are carers for vulnerable people, who will be devastated at being libelled by this racist yob as all being "criminals".  What will their residents and clients think?

Now this does not mean that I will be buying the Sun anytime soon but credit where credit due.

Can anyone who is tempted to vote UKIP please realise that it is a deeply ignorant, unpleasant, unBritish, nasty and extreme right wing racist Party.   Nothing more and nothing less.

Don't Let UKIP steal what matters to you.

Check out this poster from Unions Together (TULO).  People just do not appreciate how anti British worker and economically right wing is the ultra Tory UKIP.

"Chairman of TULO and leader of the GMB union, Paul Kenny, warned that “Nigel Farage is just another banker, trying to flog his snake oil while forgetting to tell us about the small print...

He really does not want people knowing that UKIP will take Britain’s working people back to the dark ages, scrapping basic rights we fought hard for and relied upon by the 31 million workers in this country to make life fairer like maternity leave, sick pay, and paid holiday leave".

Millionaire Nigel Farage SSH

Well, I cannot possibly comment on whether Millionaire Investment banker, Nigel Farage is a SSH or not.

But surely he is.... :)

During Christmas dinner, Nigel said a firm "No!" to brussels.

Brilliant. We need more of this stuff to help expose this Tory Front of hate Johnny Foreigners (but happy to employ and exploit them on their farms and factories) Multimillionaire speculators and tax evaders.

Farage is not the sort of bloke you really want to have a beer with because he actually wants to get rid of any employment protection you have at work and then reduce your wages here to those you would find in China.

That's after all, how he made his money.

Father Ted, Hitler and Farage

An age old argument. So does life imitate art or does art imitate life? is it all random nonsense? Or is indeed UKIP a racist far right Party? 

Discuss!