A serious question too. Not trolling

What’s your opinion on the way the labour party is handling (or utterly refusing to handle) this? They seem to be doing absolutely bugger all.

When asked yesterday about it, the only comment the utterly vapid and pointless Ed Milliband replied

“The Government’s has a responsibility to stop strikes happening. I don’t think they have exercised that responsibility”

What? That’s it, is it? I think the bloke is a pointless waste of space, personally. An embarrassment! I imagine most public sector workers are natural labour voters, do you have an opinion on the labour parties ‘stance, such as it is. If you could call it that without giggling

The Labour Party has been bought and paid for.

It is in serious financial trouble, and is almost solely funded by the unions. It doesn’t have permission to say anything against the strikes.

Naturally hes doing what any labour government would do….

bend over- give the unions everything then spend! spend! spend! their way out of the recession.

Worked for Brown until £1,000,000,000 (trillion) of debt was built up.

I don’t think its the Labour party you need to be worried about being bought and paid for:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/party-finance-analysis/party-funding

This might explain the current pro big-business, anti worker policies going through parliament.

He cannot win – Cameron has tried to manouver him into backing the strikes publicly so the tory press can go after him, he knows the strikers have a goo d case but cannot say it as ( at leat in his mind) he cannot afford to be pillories in the tory press

he is also a weak and stupid which does not help

…..and he looks like Mr Bean….. 😛

I think the bloke is a pointless waste of space, personally

Bloody hell; I have to agree with Hora! 😯

Jeeze, a decent Labour leader (of a decent Labour party, not this current shower of self-serving shite) would be savaging CallMeDave and leaving the Tories in tatters. That Labour can’t find anyone who can take on such a pathetic Tory party and leader is a joke, and a disgrace to British politics.

i feel sorry for poor ed.. 1st he got elected by mistake as union voters didnt know which bro was which.. 2nd he inheireted a party in a mess.. they could nt blame todays woes on anyone else and frankly the previous leader chancellor had basked in the glow of free money that came home to roost whilst he was PM

the labour party should make a robust statement.. frankly this is the truth.. we re all going to live a lot longer so we ll have a pension for longer and that ll cost money so to reduce the overall costs and yet all enjoy a decent std of living the max publiuc sector pension will be 25k and you can have it from 65. you cant have it earlier you cant have a lump sum you get 25k at 65 and then till you drop dead..

all PS workers would pay 6% toward it regardless of income..

let the lkabour party reflect thier core voters not the accountancts managers that have jumped on the PS easy street.. and claim 50k pensions whilst still in 120k jobs at 55..

He’s utterly unelectable, but it doesn’t matter as there’s no chance that Labour would get in at the next election anyway. There’s still too much bad post-Blair/Brown feeling in the country at large.

They’ll lose the next election, he’ll go as leader (if he hasn’t already by then) and then, hopefully, they have someone credible coming up through the ranks who can take over.

Let’s just hope they don’t pick a succession of no-hopers like the Tories – IDS, Michael Howard…

Or, of course, they could just boot him out and make his brother leader, like they should have done in the first place.

binners, you may be surprised at who public sector workers vote for, union membership doesn’t automatically equal labour support. The world is not that black and white (although that will be news to some).

Hes struggling Ed isn’t he? You can hear it in his voice can’t you? The strain. A sort of strangled throat noise.

This aren’t even going to be the John Smith Labour years are they?

More like the Ian Duncan Smith wilderness years.

Ian Duncan Smith? He makes IDS look like a towering political giant

…..and he looks like Mr Bean…..

And talks like a kazoo.

His one redeeming feature seems to be that he’s not David Cameron. :/

I think the bloke is a pointless waste of space, personally

Bloody hell; I have to agree with Hora![/quote]

And I agree with both Elf and Hora.

It should be a great time to be a Labour leader in opposition but no, he is making the party look like mugs.

IHN – Member

He’s utterly unelectable, but it doesn’t matter as there’s no chance that Labour would get in at the next election anyway. There’s still too much bad post-Blair/Brown feeling in the country at large.

Have you seen the Polls? Cameron and Clegg are so hated that the lib dems will not split the leftish vote again and teh tory vote will drop. Given where we are int ehelectoral cycle with the polls so bad for Cameron and Clegg trhere is no chance of a tory reelection I only hope the coalition collapses – the sooner this shower are out the better. laboutr would get a in now no matter who was leader

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/

Don’t forget though TJ, that Tory Voters don’t admit to being Tory Voters when questioned? Obvious really, as what the question really means is “do you have a soul?”

Would you seriously vote for Ed? And expect him to actually improve matters. He clearly couldn’t run a bath! Let alone the country

He is my MP and if you think he is pro union you are mistaken he is a joke.
Its time the unions had a rethink of who they support as new labour is almost a tory party , the unions will start to lose members if it keeps going on supporting new labour .

Ian Duncan Smith? He makes IDS look like a towering political giant

True – but I hope he doesn’t end up like IDS who has in time become a politician who perhaps deserves more time and credit.

Watching the broadcast from Westminster live – hasn’t Balls-up ever being told that ranting tends to erode one’s credibility? He can make valid points in a calm and measured manner and then perhaps people may listen.

I imagine most public sector workers are natural labour voters

Why?

A realistic alternative view is; I imagine most public sector workers are as interested in politics as the rest of the UK voters

he is also a weak and stupid which does not help

Well you have to say something for him – he’s managed to unite people of all political persuasions – that’s something we can all agree on.

I just wish we had a politician who really cared about our country/patriotic and fought our corner tooth and nail in Brussels.

Not being a secret Europhile, soundbites thrown out and seemingly backdoor deals with big business.

Yes that was Bliar as well.

hasn’t Balls-up ever being told that ranting tends to erode one’s credibility?

Probably – I doubt he listened. He does seem to have been practising making the same point (the only one he appears to have) a hundred different ways though.

Just another politician. Regardless of the colour tie he wears – all lying, thieving scum.

So, if Labour are now a centerist/centre-right party, with the Tories further to the right (but not much), how come the unions and old-skool Labour don’t split from the Blairites and set up another party?

Surely that would get the support of the traditional Labour vote and the unions, and reflect better the concerns of the “working man”?

how come the unions and old-skool Labour don’t split from the Blairites and set up another party?

Because they know they would be unelectable?

how come the unions and old-skool Labour don’t split from the Blairites and set up another party?

Money, basically. New Labour spent a lot of time and effort courting all sorts of wealthy people to back their cause, including large elements of the British Media, and although a fair bit of that support has evaporated, they’re still essentially beholden to corporate interests (like anything’s ever bin different really).

Promoting a political party takes a tremendous amount of resources, and I doubt very much that an ‘Old Labour’ could ever muster much financial and media support and influence in order to be able to compete with the Tories, New Labour or even the Limp Dems. They’d be down struggling with yer Green Party and yer UKIP etc. Sadly, Britain as a nation has moved too far to the Right, politically, and it will be a long time before it can be dragged back over towards the Left again, if ever.

Small steps. What New Labour shooduv done, is once they captured the Middle Class vote, is gently steer things back towards the Left, but Bliar and his chums were too busy feathering their own nests and appeasing their corporate puppet-masters, to do such a thing. Gordon Brown was hung out as the Sacrificial Lamb of Socialism, and was slaughtered.

And now we have the Millibastards.

For shame. 😥

I’ve just found myself agreeing with Elfin and Hora…. it’s a dark day indeed 🙁

Binnrs – I think they correct for that now in the polls

willard – Member

So, if Labour are now a centerist/centre-right party, with the Tories further to the right (but not much), how come the unions and old-skool Labour don’t split from the Blairites and set up another party?

Surely that would get the support of the traditional Labour vote and the unions, and reflect better the concerns of the “working man”?

this is why the SNP got a majority in Scotland in part.

When I were a lad the SNP were to the right of the labour party – now they are to the left – both have moved ( all to simplistic but you get the gist)

Wasn’t there a thing on the news the other night about limiting the amount an individual can contribute to a party to £10k – in an attempt to level the playing field, and curb the excessive spending, and back handers.

Obviously, the government said it was outrageous and that “now was not the time to be doing such a thing”.

Have you seen the Polls? Cameron and Clegg are so hated that the lib dems will not split the leftish vote again and teh tory vote will drop. Given where we are int ehelectoral cycle with the polls so bad for Cameron and Clegg trhere is no chance of a tory reelection I only hope the coalition collapses – the sooner this shower are out the better. laboutr would get a in now no matter who was leader

Remember why Labour were out of power for so long in the 80’s and 90’s? It wasn’t because everyone loved the Tories, far from it, but everyone did know that they were not having Foot/Kinnock as prime minister. Unfortunately, the Tories now, as then, are seen as the best worst option.

Surely that would get the support of the traditional Labour vote and the unions, and reflect better the concerns of the “working man”?

See, there’s no such thing left as ‘the working man’.

There’s the underclass, created by Thatcherite greed, and then those who aspire to become ‘Middle Class’ but who probbly mostly wont ever achieve that, then the traditional Middle Classes. The romantic idea of the ‘Working Classes’ has all but evaporated; no-one really wants to be seen as ‘Working Class’, cos there’s no longer any glory in it. You aren’t salt of the Earth decent hardworking ordinary folk who make up the backbone of Britain, you’re someone on a low wage with few prospects, unless you jump onto the Middle Class Dream Express.

People who were ‘proud’ of their Working Class-ness were merely deluded to the point of accepting their social status. Brainwashed into believing the Establishment mantra. People were never really happy being ‘Working Class’ anyway, they just meekly accepted it as the reason for their own lack of social mobility, and stagnated in complacency.

Sigh.

Same shit, different wrapping. The only difference now, is that the Lumpenproletariat now ‘beleive’ they can climb up the social ladder, seduced by consumer goods and home ownership. You’re all still scrabbling round in the dark, looking for the light switch. And Enlightenment is no closer.

Remember why Labour were out of power for so long in the 80’s and 90’s? It wasn’t because everyone loved the Tories, far from it, but everyone did know that they were not having Foot/Kinnock as prime minister. Unfortunately, the Tories now, as then, are seen as the best worst option.

maggie would have been a 1 term PM, were it not for the Falklands war, spin and deception meant far more than the reality.

Elf, you forgot to put X-Factor in your list of aspirations…

Serious question though, if the unions are subsidising Labour now, what’s to prevent them stopping the funding to that and contributing to a new party that suits their interests better (assuming Ed stops toeing the line, or they get tired of him)?

IHN – look at the polls – without a miracle Cameron will be out at the next election. The majority of the public have seen straight thru him and Clegg. Labours lead in the polls is 5+ % and has been for months in most polls – enough to give a serious majority and the Lib Dems to be wiped out

With a decent leader labour would be out of sight

Elf, you forgot to put X-Factor in your list of aspirations…

Good point actually. This Instant Gratification culture we live in means people want the rewards without the effort. I see less and less people who are truly willing to put the graft in, and more trying to figure out how to do as little as possible, and still get paid. In all sorts of jobs. I’d say conscientiousness amongst people I know is lower amongst those who work in’t private sector; at least some of those in’t public sector jobs have an ounce of wanting to do the ‘right thing’.

This is of course worse amongst the young uns. No sorry it’s true; where’s the examples to show them that you can get somewhere purely through hard work? For many, their parents have slogged away for years without getting very far. I don’t blame the kids for not wanting to work in a dead-end job. They want the sudden rewards offred to an 18-year old fotballer; £40k a week, fast car, nice house, bling bling etc… At least in the old industries and trades you could possibly at least gain respect of others for sticking at it. Who wants to put that much effort into working for Tescos? Such industries don’t want you staying put working your way up the ladder anyway; they prefer to have a high churn and keep wages low. They don’t respect their staff, and consequently their staff don’t respect them. As long as profits are good, that’s all that matters.

(Goes off to practice Rhianna’s ‘RudeBoy’ in front of mirror, dreaming of stardom….)

Same shit, different wrapping. The only difference now, is that the Lumpenproletariat now ‘beleive’ they can climb up the social ladder, seduced by consumer goods and home ownership. You’re all still scrabbling round in the dark, looking for the light switch. And Enlightenment is no closer.

Elfin – when I was young there was an education system that provided “a” ladder. Then Cartland and her cronies destroyed it – misguided ideological nonsense that condemned many to where they are now.

without a miracle Cameron will be out at the next election. The majority of the public have seen straight thru him and Clegg. Labours lead in the polls is 5+ % and has been for months in most polls – enough to give a serious majority and the Lib Dems to be wiped out

Well yes, but a year ago they were well ahead, and it’s 3.5 years to the next election. Traditionally standing governments dip in support mid term. Extrapolating from that to say that’s exactly how people will vote next election is wishful thinking.

I see less and less people

fewer and fewer. Sheesh. 🙄

With a decent leader labour would be out of sight

Now there I’d agree with you.

The problem is, I’ve no idea who I’d vote for next time and I think most people are the same. I’m certainly not a ‘natural’ Tory, I don’t think Labour are capable and my usual LibDem vote would be even less useful than last time as, like you say, no other b*gger is going to vote for them.

Honestly, at the moment, I’d probably vote Tory *shudder*