Forum menu
And to follow that
That whole guardian report is hilarious. I pariticularly liked this bit:
Staffers are also concerned at the policy ideas presented to the focus groups, including 5,000 new police officers, a fund to invest in barren high streets and protecting local bus services. A staffer who sat through another presentation said: “I couldn’t remember any of those ideas half an hour later. They were that dull.” Labour said those policies had been chosen by an agency and as examples used to test voters’ priorities.
Bus services and pound shops! Ahaha! Where's binners? Honestly, the world is disappearing down a pit of enironmental destruction and monopolist kleptocracy and that's the best they can come up with? They're f****! Starmer needs to go now if this is his 'strategy'.
Bus services and pound shops!
I'll defer judgement until we get something more concrete than some leaked report of a presentation from a random staffer, but yeah... It's going to need to be substantially more visionary than that to keep even many current Labour voters let alone get more!
In WhatsApp messages, sent within hours of one briefing, senior officials ordered: “Please prioritise the union jack header images, not the plain red ones.”
😆/😕
People are stupid but they're not that stupid. At least Boris actually believes in this jingoistic BS.
The report points out that nobody knows what the Labour Party stands for any more, and they are trying to change that by..... erm..... more Union Jacks? Dressing smartly? Have they seen Boris? It's tragic.
The red rose replacing the red flag as the logo worked.
Labour has to do all this crap to appeal to the “back Britain” little englander vote. That is the country we live in, if you’re here in England. Suck it up. You can just say things like, “of course I’m proud to be British”, you have to wrap yourself in the flag. It stinks, but there you are. You have to accept the electorate for what they are, and nudge them towards you. Asking them to think differently and to focus on the bigger picture turns them away from you.
I’ll defer judgement until we get something more concrete
A senior Labour official said that although the phrasing had been written by an external agency, senior figures agreed on the fundamentals and said it was intended to demonstrate internally the challenges facing the party.
and then..
The strategy also suggests the party fears Boris Johnson’s lasting “relatability” could maintain his popularity with the country. Attacks will focus on “incompetence” in tackling the Covid crisis and plan to focus next on the Tories’ “waste” and the sense they are “cavalier and self-interested”.
Are they taking the piss? Pointing out the tories are self-interested! Honestly never in my life have I seen such a pathetic, cowardly and defeatist set of 'ideas' as listed in that artticle. They should disband, get it over and done with and make way for some people who actually give a shit and have some backbone. I'm off to put a substantial bet on the result of the next election.
...and with great timing the secretary of the Calderdale CLP emailed me today to tell me I was in arrears with my membership fees. As well as telling him that's because they haven't yet given Corbyn the whip back, I'm going to send him a link to this article as well. What a pointless waste of everyone's time.
Pointing out the tories are self-interested!
Yes, this really does need pointing out, repeatedly. Why do you think that it does not?
Attacks will focus on “incompetence” in tackling the Covid crisis and plan to focus next on the Tories’ “waste” and the sense they are “cavalier and self-interested”.
This sounds spot on to me. It sounds childish, but, “Britain deserves a better government” will be the push over the next few years. The causes close to the hearts of those of us on the left have to take a supporting role, as Labour tries to win over people who in recent years did not vote for them. The big test is whether the more progressive polices are kept, rather than just not central to the messaging. Time will tell…
Why do you think that it does not?
Oh come on everyone knows the tories are self-interested. Pointing that out is the absolute minimum that they need to do, yet it seems to be their primary line of attack. Whichever way you look at any of the stuff in that article it's pathetic. I'm actually beginning to think they don't want to win an election, and even if for some bizarre reason they think they can win with that hollow mealy-mouthed bollocks, it confirms that they don't plan on doing much when they are in power.
Oh come on everyone knows the tories are self-interested.
No, “everyone” does not. There are negative traits to the party that we see written through them like rock, but a huge slice of the voting public are unaware of them. They think the party governs for them… and that it is the Labour Party who want power for themselves, and their own special interest groups, rather than to improve the lives of voters. Really, they do.
Oh come on everyone knows the tories are self-interested.
if that were the case then we’d never have a problem as people wouldn’t vote for them.
Sometimes you do seem to inhabit an alternative universe.
We’ve already covered the fact that when a lot of voters look at, for example, the PPE Supply crisis/scandal of last year they don’t see a bunch of morality-free opportunists using a pandemic as a cover to cynically funnell billions of pounds of taxpayers money into their mates pockets (like we correctly do), they see a government ‘doing their best in difficult circumstances’
That’s the reality of the situation
Maybe it’d be worth taking a bit of time to correct that incorrect assumption and many more. Seems like a good idea to me.
As for the Union Jack thing, until recently most voters will have assumed that if they saw the Labour leader with a flag, it’d most likely be an ISIS one
https://labourlist.org/2021/01/surge-in-policies-from-starmer-as-january-draws-to-a-close/
Preparing for the fight on austerity (this battle is coming, don’t confuse the desire for Johnson to have big spending projects with a lack of enthusiasm for keeping public sector pay and support for those that need it as low as possible), and a clear commitment for students. Two “little” things I’m pleased to hear him say. But the key focus will not be on anything like this, it will be about offering a better government… as facile as that sounds to “followers of politics”.
and that it is the Labour Party who want power for themselves
They’re correct in that assumption, because they’ll do absolutely anything, and discard all their principles and beliefs to get power. That’s why no one takes them seriously. If they can’t stand up and defend their own principles, how will they ever defend and stand for the people who vote for them?
Strange how you didn’t day this when it came to FoM, work visas, and immigration more generally. Labour is moving towards the voters. Some of that will disappoint you and me, but you yourself have made the case for doing so.
if that were the case then we’d never have a problem as people wouldn’t vote for them
I think most people know the Tories are the party of privilege, but they are also the party of power - the default option unless something quite extraordinary happens. Tony Blair wannabe with zero charisma going to cut it? Nah.
People have historically seen it as Labour = unions, and most people barely know what a union is any more.
If they can’t stand up and defend their own principles, how will they ever defend and stand for the people who vote for them?
We recently had some beardy weirdy bloke who was constantly praised to the heavens by his supporters/cult followers for doing precisely this
He got his arse handed to him in two consecutive general elections, the second time giving the Tory’s the biggest thumping majority and the Labour Party the worst result they’ve had since 1935
Banging on about principles doesn’t work. Boris Johnson doesn’t even have any. What he does have is a whacking great majority to do whatever the **** he likes with.
Labour has to first and foremost be seen to “back British”, in a way that disturbs me… but that is exactly where England is. Joking about it is like mocking people hanging multiple St George Flags out of their windows… plays well with the chattering politics followers… seen as sneering and anti-British by people who have been rejecting Labour when they place their votes.
Joking about it is like mocking people hanging multiple St George Flags out of their windows…
They deserve to be mocked, and they deserve to be called out. If Starmer thinks capturing the white trash 'no surrneder to the IRA' vote is going to win him an election he's an idiot. You can relate to the working class without encouraging their racist tendencies. Part of that is accepting brexit, part of it is focusing on things like jobs, public services and rebalancing the north-south divide, and part of it is liifting them out of poverty so they don't have the excuse of falling back on racist stereotypes. It doesn't require small-minded jingoism and UKIP dog-whistle politics.
As crass as an email saying "get behind the flag" may seem, it's worth thinking about for a second. The Union Jack can represent different things at different times. Think of what it stood for in the 60's, when it became an icon of popular culture. Remember too how Tony Blair managed to rehabilitate the flag after it jad been 'owned' by Thatcher, who had used it to represent Thatcherism, in much the same way as Boris used it as a Brexit symbol.
Given the divisions between the home nations over Brexit it's a shame the remain side didn't take ownership of the Union Jack, leaving St George and the (Welsh) Dragon to the Brexiters. I bet Mandleson and Campbell would have seen that move, unfortunately the left and centre left haven't had personnel with that kind of vision and talent recently.
Campbell and Mandleson did for the Labour party what Saatchi and Saatchi did for the Conservatives a decade earlier and part of that was reclaiming the flag and having a clear idea of what Britishness meant.
dazh, you are making the same arguments I was making a few pages ago when it came to Freedom of Movement.
You seem to have completely changed your mind or am I missing something?
I think it's great that Starmer is taking his inspiration from the best sources.
You seem to have completely changed your mind or am I missing something?
You are absolutely missing something, accepting that brexit and it's many stupid things has happened as a result of a democratic process is an entirely different issue to stoking the racist jingoistic tendencies of the British public. The mistake you've made is assuming that anyone - like me - who thinks the brexit debate is over is a tub-thumping jingoist or racist. I'm the very opposite of that. I come from an entirely internationalist position that the working class here have more in common with the working classes in other countries than we do with the ruling class in our own countries. The job of the labour movement is to promote that position and steer the working classes away from their racist tendencies for their own benefit. Starmer's flag-waving does the opposite of that.
accepting that brexit and it’s many stupid things has happened as a result of a democratic process is an entirely different issue to stoking the racist jingoistic tendencies of the British public.
Isn't capitulating on Freedom of Movement also stoking racist jingoistic tendencies?
First Labour and especially Starmer need to be asking about all these dodgy deals to the friends and families of the Tories.
If for some reason he is scared to do that then he could just go at it from the wasteful angle as mentioned above.
People will vote for the party who they trust with the country's finances. Starmer has a massive opportunity to win here.
**** all this rebranding.
Boris is not to blame for 100,000 deaths. If Germany had 60,000 deaths and France the same then you could argue approx 40,000 deaths. I would not go on about the deaths but target Boris' relaxed attitude at the start of the crisis and wasteful spending.
Isn’t capitulating on Freedom of Movement also stoking racist jingoistic tendencies?
News flash, we've already capitulated on FoM. It's done, gone, we lost. There will be a time to campaign for its return, but not now. If it helps you I absolutely agree it's a good thing. If it was down to me I'd have no borders whatsoever. Christ, I don't even believe in nation states so you won't get any opposition. But for the labour party, there's no point talking about it, they just need to let it lie.
Also global pandemic how can it be Boris' fault?
International banking crisis still Labours fault!
Regional govts a winner I think also
And Brown's response to the "International banking crisis" was, in hindsight, spot on. What came later was the problem. Hence I was pleased with Starmer making it clear that austerity as a response in the period after a crisis was a mistake then, and is a mistake to avoid making again in the years ahead.
News flash, we’ve already capitulated on FoM. It’s done, gone, we lost.
We lost, get over it.
I'm just surprised that you have such strong feelings about a purely symbolic gesture vs an actual policy that will affect and hurt millions of people*.
*I get that the flag thing can be seen to encourage racism but I really don't see how accepting your opponents arguments on FoM doesn't give just as much justification to racists if not more. And that's in addition to kicking foreigners out the country.
There have been times when the UK flag represented something very different than it does now
I'm thinking of Britpop, Euro 96, The 2012 Olympics, off the top of my head. Everything conveyed around that pointed to an open, outward-looking, inclusive nation.
After Brexit it has been co-opted (again!) by the far right and now signifies the opposite of that. Narrow-minded insular nationalist populism
For the labour party to try and get our national identity back from all the terrible damage done to it over the UKIP-isation of recent years is surely something worth doing, yes?
To just dismiss it as 'pandering to racists' is representing the narrow-mindedness of those who presently feel they have ownership of it and actually playing right into the hands of the racists. Its giving up and saying that 'they won' (to use the Brexiteer parlance) and from now on they own our national identity
I'm sure there are lots of us who would really to see a return to just a bit of the optimism that was felt at say the Olympic opening ceremony. A bit more positivity about what this country could be
Just because the UK flag represents something in particular now, doesn't mean that has to be a permanent thing. You don't have to go very far into the past to see that it can mean something different.
It is actually possible to have some pride in your country (or at least want too!) without being some rabid right wing racist
Brexit is a bloody nightmare and has shown our country at its very worst, but that doesn't mean its all bad. Maybe try being a bit less cynical? I talk to my kids and their mates and their views couldn't be more opposed to the Brexity toxic nationalism.
For the labour party to try and get our national identity back from all the terrible damage done to it over the UKIP-isation of recent years is surely something worth doing, yes?
Absolutely. They could do that by setting out a credible vision for making a better, more inclusive and secure country. "For the many not the few" did manage to cut through at the 2017 GE, despite an unpopular leader and split party.
What they're trying to do instead is out torying the tories by waving flags. It won't work because a) it will come across as fake and b) the tories are better at it. It's an utterly dismal lack of imagination.
I’m just surprised that you have such strong feelings about a purely symbolic gesture vs an actual policy that will affect and hurt millions of people*.
The problem is symbols have meaning. That the branding agency, sorry Labour leadership, seem to be hyping it up shows it is meaningful.
Its allowing the hard right, especially the media barons, to define what it means to be British.
Hence I was pleased with Starmer making it clear that austerity as a response in the period after a crisis was a mistake then, and is a mistake to avoid making again in the years ahead.
And yet Annelise Dodds made a speech a couple of weeks ago suggesting labour were going to impose fiscal rules in an effort to 'balance the books' or 'live within our means' or some other fictional GCSE economics nonsense.
It is actually possible to have some pride in your country
Nope, there's no pride to be had in anything that comes as the result of imposing arbitrary lines in the sand and the administrative structures that enforce those divisions. Even if there was, it doesn't negate the unforgivable crimes that have been committed in our name by the people who are in charge of the state administration. National identity is a shield used by elites to absolve them of their crimes against humanity. Quite frankly I despise the british state and everything it represents.
Its allowing the hard right, especially the media barons, to define what it means to be British.
Is it? Or is it trying to widen what it is to be British? Obviously... to get voters (the ones who delivered Johnson a thumping majority) to believe/accept that Labour and their policies are part of that identity (and they are), not standing against it, will take years of reinforcement. A couple of months of flags in the background of videos will do nothing... but that doesn't meant that it isn't part of the process.
labour were going to impose fiscal rules in an effort to ‘balance the books’ or ‘live within our means’ or some other fictional GCSE economics nonsense.
As opposed to your "the money can't run out" messaging you'd rather they were pushing? Good luck with that. It's fringe politics for the foreseeable.
Daz - Have you ever thought of standing for election yourself, mate?
I reckon your slogan of 'vote for me you hateful racist ****s' would be a real vote-winner
Agree with Kelvin. If Labour want to win the election, they've got to make the Tories seem untrustworthy with the nations finances. This book you've read Daz is niche, and will not pass the common sense test with the electorate.
They need to convince the electorate that the Tories are wasting money, having a policy that says that money can never run out will not help this!
I do think Labour should run with policies of spending. Bricks and mortar infrastructure spending, flood defences, hospitals, schools, rail, roads, cycling etc etc contrasted with the Tories wasteful spunking on mates, test and trace, PWC advisors on £1000 a day etc etc
having a policy that says that money can never run out will not help this!
It's not having a policy, it's how it already works. We don't need a policy to confirm how fiat money and government finances work, we need honesty from the people who oversee these systems and education to help the public understand them. Once they do we'll be in a position to produce and enact better policy based on facts, rather than self-destructive myths.
Decent PMQs for Starmer, I thought. Blackford's great. 🙂
Quite frankly I despise the british state and everything it represents.
why politics then? You can possibly want anything to do with making peoples lives better if you hate them.
You seem to be forgetting, 'There's no such thing as magic money trees, idiot! By the way, we're giving our good friend Arlene a billion pounds. We just found it. Amazing, eh?'
People believe what the Tories tell them, for some reason. The Tories have a knack of simplifying things for voters to the point that what they are saying is complete bollocks. But it's plausible bollocks if you don't think about it for more than a second.
You're right about your economic theories but, in the same way that Labour will never be able to make the case to the voters for FoM, they'll never be able to make their magic money tree case to the voters either. You are asking people to accept that money isn't actually a real thing. That's a concept that takes more than a second to grasp.
It’s not having a policy, it’s how it already works.
I called it "fringe politics" rather than "fringe economics" for a reason.
Most voters really don't understand economics, and don't want to.
You can possibly want anything to do with making peoples lives better if you hate them.
I don't hate the people, I hate the administrative structures and the politicians and officials who use them for the inequiitable benefit of a few people at the top. The state is an abstract administrative construct, and does not equate to all the people it governs.
The state is an abstract administrative construct, and does not equate to all the people it governs.
What on earth have you been reading? Thats utter twoddle! Theres nothing remotely abstract about the state. Its decisions and actions have immediate real world impact on us all, no matter who you are.
It's actually the most un-abstract thing there is, short of someone punching you in the face.
The economics that you're advocating would be regarded as abstract by about 90% of the population, who would just say "he's talking about a magic money tree, isn't he?"
What on earth have you been reading?
Pretty much any book on political or economic theory, and I've read an awful lot of them from obscure anarchist theory to neoliberal Ayn Rand type stuff. The nation state is not some monolithic thing which has always existed, and it won't continue in it's current form. It only exists because humans invented it, and it's existence only continues because people either want it, or don't currently have the power to remove it. There are alternatives however, and if you're actually interested then this is a good place to start..
he’s talking about a magic money tree, isn’t he?
The problem is that Labour never seem to point out that the Tories have increased the use of "magic money tree" economic policies whilst saying there is no money to spend. Austerity had more than doubled the national debt even pre COVID. Why is that not shouted whenever BoJo attacks Starmer for wanting to spend?
I don't think anyone here is going to argue that the only reason money and government exist is because we all agree they exist. However, convincing the majority of the voting population of that is a completely different matter.
I still don't understand why you think explaining FoM to the population is a fool's errand but convincing them money isn't real is a winning election strategy?
Daz - when we can meet up again I want you to come over, we'll nip out for a ride then finish at the pub where we can sit at the bar and you can explain to the regulars about government and money being abstract constructs
I'll film it 😀
Decent PMQs for Starmer, I thought.
It usually is.
Good to see the speaker pulling Johnson up and telling him to at least keep somewhere in the remote region of what Starmers question was actually about
but convincing them money isn’t real
Now I'm really confused, because I've never said money (or the state) isn't real. Either you don't understand or you're making shit up. Whichever is the case I'd encourage you to do more thinking 😉
you can explain to the locals about government and money being abstract constructs
You'd be surprised actually. Most people have no interest or understanding of politics or economics and live their lives completely separated from them, so when someone comes along and questions what the point is in these things they're more inclined to agree than disagree.
Good to see the speaker pulling Johnson up and telling him to at least keep somewhere in the remote region of what Starmers question was actually about
People who think a public enquiry will change anything are the same people who need tissues when watching Starmer at PMQs.
Thanks for your contribution comrade. As ever
Binners you might want to give this a read too. I'd be interested in which bits you disagree with. 🙂
http://www.tangledwilderness.org/life-without-law/
Thanks for your contribution comrade. As ever
Hey, no worries! Just glad you can find some suitable material for one off the wrist.
Now I’m really confused, because I’ve never said money (or the state) isn’t real.
So am I. Maybe it's because we have different definitions of 'abstract construct'.
To me it means that it only exists because we all agree it exists. With something that we can arbitrarily change at will, like money and government, to me that is something that is not real since it obeys no laws other than the laws we construct for it.
What's your definition?
I'll give it a read.
Daz, Mate, I don't agree with pretty much all of what you're advocating. Always have.
What I'm saying is that you've more chance of Newcastle doing the treble than convincing your average bloke in the street to vote for it.
Daz, Mate, I don’t agree with pretty much all of what you’re advocating. Always have.
I assume you meant disagree (or maybe not, it's impossible to tell on here).
It's funny how some of the fiercest arguments tend to be between people who fundamentally agree on everything 🙂
We've mentioned it before but pre-lockdown, me and Daz go out riding together all the time, and have been doing for years. We always finish at the pub for a few beers. At no point over all those years has it ever crossed either of our minds to discuss politics. Why would we? 😀
It’s funny how some of the fiercest arguments tend to be between people who fundamentally agree on everything
Got bollox all else to do. It's not an accident that my posting volume has gone through the roof this past year, and agreeing with people results in very boring conversations 🙂
And as for politics, I am aware that a lot of the stuff I say on here is not exactly mainstream. A product of reading too many obscure books from the late 19th century (a very interesting period of history!) in my 20s. I would maintain though that my thinking about politics, whilst not exactly original, is just a natural extension of the way most people live their everyday lives, they just don't realise that things they take for granted like self-determination, mutual aid and solidarity can be scaled up massively.
we need honesty from the people who oversee these systems and education to help the public understand them. Once they do we’ll be in a position to produce and enact better policy based on facts, rather than self-destructive myths.
I'd like to live in a World like this, but the 'self-destructive myths' have been impressed upon generation after generation of citizens, like stuff such as racism and sexism, will take a long time to de-program the mindset. And since I'm not going to be Prime Minister anytime soon, I can say what I like about large parts of the population of this country...they are ignorant and stupid.
They continue to be lead down the yellow brick road, without realising they are still in f*****g Kansas.
I can say what I like about large parts of the population of this country…they are ignorant and stupid.
That is a fact. Getting a party into power relies on knowing how to get them to vote for you. Brexit made it easy as Brexit was favoured by the ignorant and stupid so be interesting to see what extremely dumbed down thing is used next time.
Being good in PMQs, or explaining that money isn't real is definitely NOT going to be helping with these people.
I’d like to live in a World like this, but the ‘self-destructive myths’ have been impressed upon generation after generation of citizens, like stuff such as racism and sexism, will take a long time to de-program the mindset.
But these are perfect examples of the progress that can be made in changing things. There's been nothing short of a revolution in our attitudes towards racism, sexism, homophobia, trans rights etc in Britain. It is generational, but 10, 20 or 30 years is not a long time, and the pace of change is accelerating thanks to technology and social media. Dismissing these things because they take too long is not an excuse to not do them, and the sooner we do, the better off we'll be in future.
People believe what the Tories tell them, for some reason.
The media has a lot to do with it.
A classic example is Cameron. After the Scottish and AV referendum he got it into his head that he was truly the political and PR genius that he was being made out to be.
So he took the opportunity to slap down the idiots in his party regarding the EU but found that when he disagreed with press barons he wasnt quite as talented as he thought he was.
The looking smart/veterans at Remembrance day is another good example. Notice how the fact Johnson turned up looking like a hung over sack of shit who couldnt even manage to follow a basic cue got barely a headline and so didnt get all the people ranting and raving.
People believe what the Tories tell them, for some reason.
This subject of control was covered in the latest YouTube video by After Skool
Notice how the fact Johnson turned up looking like a hung over sack of shit who couldnt even manage to follow a basic cue got barely a headline and so didnt get all the people ranting and raving.
That was depressing, wasn’t it. But that lack of evenhandedness is going to get worse over the next few years, and Labour need to act as if that is baked into our system come the next election, not complain about it. The cards are stacked.
The cards are stacked.
Yes but thats the problem with pretending the current "issues" are actually issues. They arent they are simply the attack line for the press which useful idiots regurgitate and then people parrot.
They need to figure out how to counter the press as opposed to dealing with the lies the press spin since otherwise they will always be one step behind and pandering to some of the current lies could take us somewhere very unpleasant.
Counter the press? Give them less fuel…
The public have learned in 2020 that MMT is very much on their doorstep.
It's not fringe, it's fundamental to our actual macro-economic policy. It's how the system works and if you all want to stand by and sign off on austerity 2 then keep calling things fringe.
Clive Lewis gets it if that helps.
Counter the press?
Funny isn't it because up until til the 2017 election labour did quite a good job of bypassing the tory press and managed to cut through to a huge range of voters. The tragic thing is that unencumbered with the hysterical nonsense Corbyn had to deal with, Starmer could do the same and be successful if only he'd take the leap of faith and unshackle himself from his establishment backers. But instead of an inspiring and transformative policy agenda, we get flag waving and dressing smartly.
sign off on austerity 2
Who said that?
Funny isn’t it because up until til the 2017 election labour did quite a good job of bypassing the tory press and managed to cut through to a huge range of voters.
But not enough.
But not enough.
No,but not far off despite a hostile media, unpopular leader and divided party. Imagine what they could achieve with some discipline and less baggage.
Clive Lewis on fake patriotism: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/03/labour-red-wall-voters-patriotism-keir-starmer
But not enough.
So you think the answer is for labour to prostrate themselves before Murdoch and the Barclay brothers?
I agree with Lewis (I often do), life and identity is complex… but Labour need to be seen to “back Britain” to win over people unable to grasp that complexity. They vote. They don’t want nuance or complexity. Labour policy has to deal with all that complexity (including, and this is something else I agree with Lewis on, embracing those who move across borders) but their headline messaging has to, at all points in the next few years, be positively British. Look, I would happily swap my passport and flag to one of 20 other nations… I don’t personally give a damn about being British, but I live here, and want the Tories out.
As for the papers (and TV and radio), you can’t just bypass them and speak to the converted, you have to engage, no matter who on your own ‘side’ it enrages. And, yes, that includes offering exclusives and content to right wing rags if that means their readers feel you are engaging with them, and want to be in government to help them, not just concentrate on interests they think are the preserve of lefties and ‘others’.
I'm going to contradict myself to cover Tory decision making (and Sunak/Boris flip-flops) but there's a Times article talking up Tory post-covid spending plans for the next 5-10 years (as they know without it the country is to the dogs).
If they do choose this path (over Austerity 2) Labour are utterly doomed for years as they missed the opportunity to capitalise on talking up recovery/spending whilst wasting time on flags, schools opening, sacking people and neo-classical economic prudence bollocks.
Let's see what the March statement brings.
The Tories are the world masters are grand spending announcements, for none of the money ever to materialise.
Ask anyone in the north of England who used to travel into the office (when we used to do that) on a 40 year old train on Victorian lines.
The Tories promised billions in investment in ‘Northern Powerhouse’ public transport infrastructure. The second they were elected, they pulled the lot!
Then they did exactly the same again the next time around
Boris has already started pulling any funding already after all his levelling up bullshit
They might be making vague noises about spending. They’ve no intention whatsoever of delivering it
Boris will spend billions on a footbridge to the moon or something instead. On top of the £250 billion that the HS2 white elephant will end up costing so that rich Londoners can buy cheaper second homes in the more picturesque parts of the north
The reality of Borises promised ‘levelling up’
A 40% cut to core funding
Promise the world. Deliver **** all!
I totally agree.
We'll be told they are spending their way out of the BreVid shit storm whilst simultaneously further undercutting the NHS, social services and anything else they haven't already shaved to the bone.
All the time telling us we've never had it so good.
TBF the ploy of re-pledging money that had already been pledged, and pretending it was actually 'new' money was one of Campbell's Faustian tricks from the Blair era, though I'd be surprised if it didn't have a longer pedigree.
Things have changed, and the Labour Party need to get a grip on it now. There is an interesting chain of tweets, that seem to incorporate about 80% of meme world now, that vocalises this better than i can, but the bottom line of it is that the time for incremental change was 40 years ago.
ie if we had de-carbonised industry/raised minimum wage/increased sustainable energy/installed digital infrastructure etc incrementally over the last 40 years, we would already be where we need to be.
That we didn't is why we are not. And more importantly, is why we now need, dare i say it, a Great Leap Forward. But hopefully not quite like that.
Incremental change is no longer an option, only something more bold will wash.
Things... Can Only Get Bitter...
Sorry, just thinking Boris & Co need a theme song like Blair & Brown had.