Ex-miner and former party chair gives a demonstration of what it looks like when a Labour MP calls the Tories to account for their behaviour
Former Labour Party chair Ian Lavery is well known for his direct style and his willingness to call things as they are.
Auring an appearance on the BBC’s northern regional politics programme, the ex-miner, who was once told by a fellow MP that in the old days he’d have ‘nutted’ a vile and foolhardy right-winger, gave party leader Keir Starmer a lesson in how to call out Boris Johnson’s nonsense in a way that means something:
Johnson’s scandalous attempts to blame the public for a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic that traces directly back to Johnson’s actions, policies and delays – yet many of the public are barely aware of his guilt because of Starmer’s lack of opposition and terror of offending the right.
So this, Sir Keir, is how it’s done. Mealy-mouthed and evasive just doesn’t resonate with people, especially working-class people – but authenticity and directness do and they make sure that Johnson’s and his cronies’ nonsense can’t quite so easily be covered up by the complicit ‘mainstream’ media.
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Good on Lavery. Starmer has swung behind every poor Tory Covid decision and now he’s whipping the PLP to abstain on time-limiting prosecutions for war crimes AND to abstain on legalising murder and rape by intelligence operatives! These are not my values and I am astonished that they are the values of anyone professing to represent – let alone lead – the Labour Party. This reminds me (in a bad way) of the PLP being whipped to abstain on the Welfare Reform Bill (which did their electoral chances no good at all). I could never vote for Starmer who is as useless as a marzipan dildo. But while there’s an extremely slight chance he could beat Johnson in an election, there’s no way on earth he’ll beat Sunak. The Tories know this and Johnson and Cummings will be replaced before the next election. It thoroughly sickens me that the Labour Right are trying to re-write history to say that Corbyn and his policies were responsible for the Labour defeat in December and not Starmer’s disastrous Brexit policy which was so comprehensively rejected by the traditionally Labour-voting but pro-Brexit ‘red wall’ who switched their votes to the Tories en masse to ‘Get Brexit Done’. Without those ‘red wall’ voters, Labour has no chance of ever forming a government; why would those voters ever trust Starmer?
Sunak signalled the future in his speech yesterday. The future as far as he’s concerned is Osborneism. Already the ‘job coaches’ are forcing the unemployed into inappropriate jobs, it’s going to be the coalition 2.0 and Sunak will be hated by the working class who’ll, as always, be paying for the great giveaway.
More ‘white privilege’.
Already the ‘job coaches’ are forcing the unemployed into inappropriate jobs
That hadn’t gone away; merely postponed by the pandemic. But you’re right…it WILL be back, and how!?
And this time about there’ll be plenty of those that were treating those forced to work for their dole like shite, left holding the shit end of the stick.
And they’ll get no sympathy from me.
Yep. Interesting times ahead.
Now there’s a thought for the day……..a marzipan dildo!
Dan,
Of course Corbyn has to take the blame for the GE result 2019. He was the leader. That is what happens. That is how history works.
He had been leader for 5 years. He lost 2 general elections. 2019 was Labour’s worse defeat ever.
Look, I am not going to waste my time trying to persuade you any longer. If you think December 2019 had nothing to do with JC fine, but trust me you are in the big Egyptian river .
Wrong. Corbyn should shoulder part of the blame for being an odd-bod, for having a funny upper lip,, for having an allotment, for once having a relationship with Diane Abbot, for being a “terrorist supporter”, for supporting the rights of Palestinians, for being a “fucking racist” for not being a careerist clone, failing to wear a suit and tie and most of all, for not singing the national anthem with passion and gusto.
The rest of the blame lies with those who inflicted/spread those slurs and more upon the poor man.
lundiel – Let’s not forget the month after bloody month of ‘constructive ambiguity’ and the utter failure between the 17 and 19 General Elections to sell Labour’s manifesto and vision for the future.
I thought Smeeth, Watson, the funny tingers, Ellman, Ryan, Hodge, Mann, Woodcock, and all the others who worked so hard to lose the 2017 election and found the result was “the opposite to what I had been working towards for the last couple of years”, along with all the other Israeli embassy cut-outs, Blair/Brown careerists, NATO/EU stooges and leakers did an excellent job.
Starmer has such a low opinion of them, he thinks working the flag-waving patriot angle will win them over. Even more depressingly, they’ll probably oblige!
This was a comment on Dan’s opening remark. Way up the page!
Lavery is merely stating the obvious,a task which is seemingly beyond Starmer and the Missfits,who sing a different tune.
John,
What is Lavery actually saying in the clip? Go back and watch it again. He is incoherent. Apart from Catherine Tait impersonation I don’t know what he is on about.
Indeed. Lavery should be openly critical of stammer’s open support for the government, as should all so-called labour MPs .
Instead they have merely and meekly acquiesced
Stammer is every bit as guilty as the toerags over this catastrophe. Every bit.
Not once have I heard him call to do something for the most (financially) vulnerable; he’s allowed a footballer to do that and then tried to claim the kudos for it, the rodent.
Not once have I heard an idea or proposal from him to prevent care home deaths. Instead he’s offered devpiffke his full support and even demanded schools reopen, thereby promoting the spread of the disease; now he tries to squirm out of it being the abject, clueless, arrogant shithouse he really is.
May every one of his teeth fall out…except one…and may that last remaining one plague him with toothache.
Not that he has a need for teeth as he’s never even as much as bared them, the milksop.
And the same goes for stammer supporters…Never seen or heard anything remotely resembling opposition from you shower of shite, neither. Alls you do is extol the slimy bastard and say he’s better than what we had previously…. At the time when you all claimed you were socialist.
Burn in hell you shithouses. Burn.
I really sympathize with the members. The people who are presenting themselves as the hammers of the right don’t really come up to scratch, or do they? I’m probably wrong but I have been right. Not as right as most on offer. Regards
Lavery is saying what many of us think.But he might as well be trapped in a cave listening to the echo.Nobody that matters in the Labour party are interested or even bothered by what an old socialist thinks and I am including the majority of the PLP and the heart and soul of the Labour party the membership that let the “DOGS” OUT..I finally believe that its a new socialist working class party or sweet FA..is the future of the UK.
Joseph, the ‘dogs’, so-called, have been ‘out’ for the past five years or so mauling and attacking Jeremy and the left membership. I’m sure you must have noticed, as you’ve often joined in yourself.
And I seem to recall a certain Chuka Umunna ‘pleading’ with Jeremy Corbyn to ‘call off the dogs’, albeit a Goebbels-type falsehood. Needless to say the vast majority of dogs are beautiful and friendly and always faithful.
Perhaps ‘cold-blooded reptiles’ would be nearer the mark!
Yep, Joseph, it’s all very well Lavery blustering away on regional TV to appeal to his local constituents (and not very coherently I have to say), but this Left posturing by Lavery and his small group of PLP co-Lefties, is just a comfortable return to ‘business as usual’ for a now once again safely marginalised Labour PLP Left , and their wider membership Left members. Let’s not ever forget that , apart from Lavery and a few other Northern Labour MPs , that almost the entire PLP ‘Left’ caved in to the tortuously complicated and slippery ‘Remain and Second Referendum’ 2019 Election policy that lost us our old Labour Heartland voters – not just Starmer and the Labour Right. Remember those lifelong old PLP Lefties . like McDonnell and Abbott, who had spent a political lifetime quite correctly attacking the EU for being a neoliberal capitalist exclusive rich westerners club, cynically going on those MandelsonBlair/Campbell organised ‘Peoples Vote’ marches ! And most of the ‘Corbynite’ Left wider membership also fully supported staying in the neoliberal EU, and viewed our working class Heartland Leave-supporting voters with open utter middle class contempt. So it was by no means only woodentop Starmer and the Labour Right to blame for our disastrous EU policy.
The posturing old long comfortable career, ‘Corbyn Circle’, PLP Lefties will now happily spend the next 10 years or so until their very comfortable pensioned retirements, posturing Left again on the margins of UK politics, as the now restored neo Blairite Tory-lite Labour Party becomes again the totally loyal , but electorally dead, joke ‘opposition, to an ever rightward moving Tory Party . Or , at best (for the Labour careerists) Labour might become a permanent coalition partner of the Tories as in Germany with the SPD and Christian Democrats – ensuring the continuing destruction of our entire civil society, and the NHS in particular.
As you correctly say, Joseph, any socialist worth their salt in the PLP needs to split from Labour NOW, and form the core of a new radical socialist Party – which would have hundreds of thousands of members overnight with the high profile PLP Left (particularly Jeremy) as founders.
But they wont ever leave the salaried comfort zone of Labour will they, let’s be honest ? The PLP Left have always been a bottleless joke throughout the entire disgraceful pro imperialist, pro capitalist, history of the Labour Party when confronting the Right. Any new radical Left Party will have to be formed without their help, I’m afraid – adding years to such a task . And if such a new Left Party was formed , the middle class Left Liberal pseudo socialists that sadly compose most of the supposed UK ‘Left’ would immediately bring on board all their old toxic and/or politically irrelevant policy obsessions, from Unlimited Freedom of Movement, to a continuing love of the EU, to that irrelevant obsession with Israel, an over-egged environmental catastrophism (that demands PERMANENT austerity , and rationing) , to the frankly bonkers hyper-individualised identity and gender politics obsessions (that are currently ripping the Green Party asunder !) – none of which have any appeal at all to the vital working class voters a new radical Left Party needs to attract in the millions.
And yep, I know I will now be accused of utter negativity and pessimism – but that IS where we are today comrades. Imagining a brave new dawn in the near future – led by Jeremy Corbyn and his PLP left pals splitting from Labour to form a new radical party , is just political masturbation, not the hard political realism the socialist Left needs if we are to move forward.
jpenney,
Yes you are accused of negativity and pessimism, because without doubt, that is what you are. May I add long winded to the charge sheet.
But you are coherent and there is a thread to the logic of your argument. Unlike others your comments are understandable where as most of the usual suspects on Sqwawky just sound deranged.
So maybe you can help me. All the commentators including yourself seem be stuck in the past. Consumed by dirty tricks. I never read anything about , how did you put it? “Imagining a brave new dawn……” Is it possible jpenney for you , or anyone, to explain The Brave New Dawn and what it would look like. . What is the Lefty dream? Is there an example on our planet that I can study? What would it be like in your Utopia?
Richard MacKinnon, the actually astonishingly historically ignorant, troll, I think most socialists currently aren’t actually thinking of the establishment of socialist ‘utopias’ to use your sneery young Tory 5th former, term. We would settle for the saving of our NHS as a well-funded and staffed, free at the point of use, universal public service, the re-creation of a humane Welfare and Benefits system, the re-establishment of a truly, local authority-controlled , publicly run education system. the development and implementation of a state-led national economic plan to re-balance our heavily skewed financial services and candy floss service industry, economy, with a Green Deal overarching strategy to work towards sustainability and well-paid jobs for most people – and the proper proportionate taxation of the rich and Big Corporations to help fund it – with the closing of tax havens and tax loopholes.
It’s not very ‘utopian’ tory boy, just basic old social democracy , as practiced for most of the post war period across Europe. But we can’t even get to such a modest , sustainable, social democratic society, when the major electoral party opposing the Far Right neoliberal Tories is now back under the control of a bunch of opportunist careerist crooks – under the Trilateral Commission’s creature , Keir, ex-DPP, Starmer.
So fuck off MacKinnon, with your ignorant , Tory fifth former, sneering about ‘utopias’, What you and your Tory and Right Wing corrupt Labour co-thinkers are heading us towards is a globalised neoliberal hellhole dystopia – in which only the superrich thrive, whilst most people get ever-poorer, and the environment tanks.
Stick to the Assange reports Allan,not your failing memory of who I am are what I said.And what have I told you before about protecting your health and sanity….and everyone else.Get some sleep its the middle of the night 🌙 for you comrade!
Yes, I must admit my memory isn’t quite what it used to be, so can you remind me what this lie was that you have accused me of telling about you at some point or other. Cheers
PS And you’ve still not explained why you didn’t just tell me where you were a councillor the first time I enquired. And Joseph, how could you possibly know what time of day it is where I am? Not that THAT matters one jot of course, and is just a totally pathetic way of you trying to undermine whatever I say to you AND about you in the minds of readers of skwawkbox. And the old ‘sanity’ chestnut number has ALWAYS been a favourite of black propaganda fascists like yourself to try and discredit people, and needless to say, your fellow paid shills chime in with the same fascist rhetoric usually so as to have readers believe there’s some sort of consensus.
It’s ALL so glaringly and blatantly transparent it’s not even a joke!
Oh, and please give my regards to your good friend signpost!
Moron on GMB interviewing the sell out Rayner..
What has stammer done to OPPOSE this government’s line over Covid?
Rayner: ‘He’s asked them to read the reports’
Strange that stammer’s ask others to read reports, because stammers always been loath to release the reports into his funding and how his shithouses conspired to lose the election and defraud and betray the public (again) in the process.
Other tha. That, moron bailed it again … NO OPPOSITION.
*nailed it not bailed it.
Oh, and asked on whether labour’d be voting against the curfew Rayner’s answer was
‘Well that’ll be down to the whips’
Dear God…
Sorry I must have been dozing. What vote for curfew? Is this the 10pm curfew currently in operation or a new one? Thanks
The 10pm one, going on what they were saying this morning.
Starmer’s feebleness at opposition together with the state broadcaster’s failure to report Conservative excess are exactly what the trilateral billionaires want. Suddenly, third-way neoliberalism Looks “left wing” again like it did before a previous Labour Party leader and PM took us to war in Iraq.
Sir Keir Rodney Starmer is destroying the Labour Party, collapsing the membership and violating any claim to decency and relevance the Labour Party possessed.
Ian Lavery and at least 20 other PLP MPs should at least be announcing their extreme dissatisfaction with Sir Keir’s leadership.
Qwertboi…just love the “Rodney” label you’ve given the knight is just great .I immediately think of fools and horses and its only the fact that the laughs on us that sobers me up.Arise Sir Rodney Knight and take a bow,rather than the money from the foreign backers.
Ian Lavery and at least 20 other PLP MPs should at least be announcing their extreme dissatisfaction with Sir Keir’s leadership.
Yes. Make life as difficult for stammer as they possibly can. Exacerbate every shortcoming stammer has, in the exact same manner as he and stammer exaggerated every minor problem they manufactured for Corbyn. Give NO quarter. Scrutinise, criticise and, if need be…LEAK.
Let’s not forget stammer himself is the reason labour is eighty-plus seats down on the toerags. There’s no way stamner’s remedying that…not even if de piffle’s still the PM by the next election.
You all want him out.. So start manouevering to make it happen, instead of moaning about him; or, just as good…Leave the party and starve him of funding AND a vote.
Otherwise you’re lumbered with the slimy reptile for a loooooing time to come.
One would have thought a human rights lawyer would vote against attacks on human rights. Another Orwellian job description.. for the so called leader of the opposition.
Human rights lawyer my arse.
He’s dined out on that mclibel case for the best part of his (legal) career…. But he’ll be the first to let you know he did it ‘pro bono’ (when he could be arsed with the case)
Just Ike he likes to boast of prosecuting terrorists…while refusing to prosecute murdering plod, known pederasts,and despite the Met saying shapps had commited fraud – toerag MPs
Human rights lawyer? Wide open for debate.
Establishment stooge? Most definitely.
Lundial..Lawyers are like the bottom feeders in the oceans that frequent the depths….entirely necessary and usually blind and have a slimey coating.Thats why they dominate the Labour establishment party.
BloJob’s already, predictably, trying to steal Labour’s clothes with his “green revolution” wind generation plan.
I haven’t heard if turbines will be UK built or imported but I’m willing to bet they’ll be foreign-built, foreign-owned and foreign-operated with some limited UK employment – and much of the profit going abroad.
I only heard a brief reference to expanded port facilities and nothing about manufacturing.
Blojob’s now comparing himself to Drake and Raleigh FFS.
They won’t be allowed by the Tory faithful who stopped a large offshore turbine plan somewhere off the south coast because it would spoil the view.
The wind farms will be in the North anyway because winds are stronger and more reliable at higher latitudes. Too much shipping in the Channel.
The South will get the jobs disproportionately though if Tories are running the show.
MHI Vestas, one of the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturers, would likely expand operations on the Isle of Wight.
Liverpool, Clydeside, the North of Scotland, the North East and Barrow should be the major centres for wind turbine manufacture and building and operating support vessels – closest to the best wind farm locations and where the jobs are most needed.
There’s the Siemens factory in Hull. They’ve recently announced their next generation 108m blade direct drive wind turbine that is capable of generating 14MW.
Unfortunately, the great British public seem to prefer Keir Starmer to Ian Lavery – and to Boris Johnson too. I give below a copy and paste article from today’s Times “Voters most commonly think of Boris Johnson as “incompetent” and “out of his depth” while they consider Sir Keir Starmer “principled” and “sensible”, polling has suggested.
A survey by Lord Ashcroft, the pollster and Tory peer, suggested that the prime minister was most frequently associated with negative traits while the Labour leader was generally well thought of.
Asked to choose three traits from a long list to apply to Mr Johnson, respondents most often opted for “incompetent” and “out of his depth”, although about one in five said he “stands up for Britain”. Other adjectives frequently associated with the prime minister were “dishonest,” “indecisive” and “out of touch”.
Sir Keir led Mr Johnson by seven points on the question of who would make the better prime minister, according to the findings. Of those polled, 37 per cent chose Sir Keir and 30 per cent chose Mr Johnson.
Focus groups suggested, however, that there was still “a good deal of sympathy for Boris Johnson” in light of the pandemic, Lord Ashcroft wrote in a blogpost detailing the findings. The words most frequently associated with Sir Keir were “competent,” “principled” and “sensible”, though more than a third of respondents said they did not know. The negative traits most commonly chosen for the Labour leader were “smug” and “out of touch”.
Nearly 60 per cent said Sir Keir was very different from his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn. The respondents favoured a Starmer-led government to a Johnson-led one by 53 per cent to 47 per cent. But voters who switched to the Tories at the last election still backed the party by 69 per cent to 31 per cent.
“Starmer had made a good first impression on most in our focus groups, who said he seemed strong, professional and articulate,” Lord Ashcroft wrote. “They also noted that he did a better job than his predecessor of holding the prime minister to account.”
However, only one third of voters said they thought that a Starmer government would have done a better job of handling the coronavirus crisis. The proportion rose to three quarters for those who voted Labour in December.
When it came to views of the parties as a whole, the Conservatives led on only one measure — being willing to take tough decisions for the long term. Labour led on measures including being competent and capable, standing for fairness and wanting to help ordinary people get on in life.”
The fact that Ashcroft released the findings of that poll shows its purpose….to undermine Johnson. Ashcroft is less inclined to a Starmer government than I am.
Boris’s polling has been consistently negative for some time, right across multiple polling companies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_approval_opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#2020. Compare Johnson’s approval ratings with those of Keir (further down the same page).
I remember pre-stammer shitting on democracy, that Corbyn had a healthy polling lead over the toerags.
Back then, the toerags at least had an air of competency, and there was no covid for the government to make a colossal fuck-up of…And that was with an openly hostile mainstream media
The electorate expected the next government to ‘Get brexit done’ and were prepared to elect whichever party’d commit to actually doing it.
stammer was well aware of that; he made six unachievable conditions, and when they were discovered to be as such, he then manoeuvred and connived to shit on what was then an extremely sensible labour policy to respect the referendum result, knowing full well it’d bollocks labour’s election chances.
You, little steven, nor the buttplug mckinnon got ANY say in that, just like everyone else. It was hijacked by right-wingers who boxed the delegations off amongst themselves. So much for your squealing demands of OMOV that you were making at that time – WHY didn’t it matter when YOU for the result YOU wanted?
Being the shithouse rats you are. you have the gall to insist that steamrollering the 2nd ref through was democratically arrived at.
We heard your ridiculous notions that it’s claim the libtard vote and that 70% of the membership must have papal infallibility and when that was disputed you called us fascists and knuckledraggers…And in the process, handed the election PLUS an EIGHTY seat majority through the abject shithousery of the object of your obsession.
But then, as usurper to the leadership, he made ten promises….It took less than six months for him to break every single one. People like me were only surprised it took him THAT long. Your lot however insist he hasn’t made any promises….We KNOW.
He even refused to promise a safe working environment for teachers, saying he’d ‘have to look at that’,/i> when questioned. And even though his detractors called him out and correctly predicted he’d do no such thing, you shower of wankers said ‘let’s wait and see, first…Well who was right – A-FUCKING-GAIN?
It wasn’t you stammerphiles. Not one of you have been right once, Not fucking once. Ever.
And, at the same time worte a ‘private and confidential’ letter to de piffle supporting whatever measures the toerags were prepared to take, then had the fucking brass neck to openly BRAG about it.
HE BRAGS ABOUT HIS SUPPORT FOR THE TOERAGS, YOU FUCKING RETARDS. WHAT MORE PROOF DO YOU NEED THAT HE’S ONE OF THEM…AND WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU?
Oh, stammer’s popular alright – with careerists, centrists, lapsed toerags, and right-wing press baron billionaires…but obviously not popular enough to increase the membership by 180,000 in the 6 months or so since he’s been leader, like Corbyn did.
And by the time he’s gone (And that can’t come quickly enough for more people than you’ll ever admit to) stammer will NOT have increased the membership numbers by 150% or thereabouts. He won’t have even increased the membership to 600k. He’ll get nowhere fucking near it, and the more he continues to cosy up to the toerags the less the membership will be.
Speaks like tory, acts like tory, looks like tory = tory. Anyone supporting that = tory.
Whenever I see your posts extolling that prick I honestly think that eugenicists like cummings and gove might have a point….And maybe you should be the subject of experimentation.
And your reasoned comments on the Ashcroft poll are ?
Ashcroft? The same ashcroft as got isabel ‘the grass’ oakshite to write frankly libellous tales of necrophiliac bestiality about camoron because ashcroft doesn’t like him?
Nah, lad…When stammer can muster something like this, then – and ONLY then – might I just concede he’s gained some semblance of popularity…
https://youtu.be/UVGFi8balOM
Corbyn gets the devoted attention of the crowd at Glastonbury, at Prenton Park, In Runcorn and at St George’s Hall…stammer’d be lucky to fill a village hall in his own constituency.
Take a look at how Conservative Party Members rank their own Front Bench. Boris is doing brilliantly 😂
https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2020/10/our-cabinet-league-table-the-prime-minister-falls-into-negative-territory.html
I’ve just received a begging email from someone called Keith Starmer….. I’m not even in the party and wouldn’t vote for him under any circumstances. I have to wonder if I’m still on a database as being a member? That would explain the ludecrous membership figures claimed by the party.
Maybe they just want to encourage you to return to the fold.
Email ‘reminders’ that I could remain a member if I paid the arrears came for months after I stopped my direct debit, so many more recent leavers will still be on the database.
I’d try logging in to the website just to see if I’m still counted as a member, but the emails might start up again.
I don’t believe the current membership numbers either.
What would it be like in your Utopia?
jpenney
06/10/2020 at 7:36 pm
Thanks for your reply.
Ive been down the pub. Ive read your response, Thanks again for your contribution. Typing is a challenge at this time of the evening.
I can tell, you are angry and I dont like the idea that we have fallen out. Believe me jpenney you can learn from your transgressors.
But .
Not tonight, Jpenney. Talk in the morning.
Before I go (for a large night cap.) I take exception to this statement from your comment above
“So fuck off MacKinnon, with your ignorant……………….”.
Please don’t go there. Keep it civil. Its only politics. You will not learn anything with that approach.
Be reassured, I will be back in the morning.
“Please don’t go there. Keep it civil.” pleads the resident stammer-shaped buttplug.
https://skwawkbox.org/2020/10/05/video-bolton-vox-pop-shows-starmers-no-opposition-approach-is-betraying-working-class-people-and-giving-johnson-an-easy-ride/#comment-159554
“Who the fuk do you think your talking to?”
Demanded the resident stammer-shaped buttplug. Mustn’t have been greased properly, I’m guessing.
You got me there Toffee.
By the way that fixation of yours seems to be getting worse.
jpenney
I think you over estimate the power of politicians to actually change things. Over my lifetime I have seen Labour governments come and go and when you look back, there was not much difference between Tory governments and Labour governments.
Take the 70s ; Wilson, Heath, Callaghan? There policies and the economy went in the same direction. South. They seemed powerless. Union leaders thought they were the economic drivers. You might disagree with that but the point is they were little or no differences for the ordinary punter between Tory and Labour governments.
OK the 80s under Thatcher was different. But there was never a Labour government during the 80s to compare.
But the 90s, and 00s, Major/Blair/Brown. Was there any tangible difference to our way of life?
I know what your thinking. Your thinking, a but Blair was really a Tory, and you would be right. But that makes my point, when it comes to changing the direction of the economy, politicians are impotent.
For example; what is the main economic driving factor at this time? Cvid19 is driving the global economy. Politicians are reacting, they are like all of us, they don’t have a clue where we will be next year. That’s why Starmer is saying nothing about it. And that’s not a bad policy when in opposition and when outside factors are in control.
Lets look at what you would do. .
“We would settle for the saving of our NHS ……………..” That old chessnut. The NHS seems to be working. And it can never have enough funding.
“………..the re-creation of a humane Welfare and Benefits system,” I don’t have any expertise in the Benefits system but I understand that the poorest in society, those that go to food banks, are working. So what does that say about the Benefits system? In India and China our benefits system is a thing of ridicule, they cant understand why our poorest are all overweight.
“….the re-establishment of a truly, local authority-controlled , publicly run education system.” Publicly run? How does that work? Whats wrong with the schools?
” the development and implementation of a state-led national economic plan…..” That is just jargon.
….” a Green Deal” Jargon.
“sustainability” Jargon.
” and well-paid jobs for most people” Politician speak. And impossible to achieve.
“and the proper proportionate taxation of the rich and Big Corporations………….” Politician speak. And Impossible to achieve. Politicians say they will do it, but in the reality of the 21st century global economy its impossible for one country to tax the big companies. Everyone knows that, politicians cant admit it.
I am surprised with your lack of vision. All the things you would do differently are no more that tweaking existing systems. There is a far more radical plan that The Left should be articulating and yet I have never heard it approached. ( Im not sure I should tell you, let you work it for yourself).
Income as in taxation is at the limit. You don’t agree. You think you can squeeze the big global companies, I don’t. It doesn’t really matter. My point is how you spend that income. . The big budget ticket numbers are, in no specific order, the NHS, education, infrastructure and what politicians like to call, defence. I believe that ‘military expenditure’ needs to be looked at and a radical shift in focus placed on the table. If properly studied, planned and presented big savings could be made.
The funny thing is, it is being looked at right now, but not by The Left. Its Dominic Cummings pet project and in the near future his plan will be presented. The Left is in good company here. They are not the only ones slow out of the gate with regard to what our navy, army, and air force should look like in the 21st century. The heads of the military seem to be struck dumb on the shape of UK ‘defences’. Not so Dominic.
So there you go. And by the way Im 67 and I’ve never voted Tory in my life.
Tip of the day – skipping comments ^ written as autoerotic relief therapy saves much time which can then be used more productively.