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Because decisions haven't been made. You don't have to believe me, it's in the links above, although the bit that it doesn't say is that it's all a negotiation:
I completely believe you that decisions haven't been made! You appear to be getting excited over intentions which is fine but I can't see why the government needs to be so secretive about their intentions and not make them public.
You seem to want us to ignore what the government has done and is doing and instead focus on what it intends to do but hasn't yet made any decisions over or even bothered to tell us. That really isn't reasonable.
What would you say to the growing number of Labour MPs who are becoming dissatisfied with the direction Starmer and Reeves are taking........ have a look at this MTB forum where someone is claiming everything looks quite positive to them but unfortunately they can't say why?
We have the Runcorn by-election coming up, Labour will be judged by the direction they have taken since forming a government in July plus their vision of the future which they offer voters, not their undeclared intentions.
And quite right too......it is totally unreasonable to expect voters to put their blind trust in politicians in this day and age. Especially politicians that have repeatedly lied, backpedaled, and carried out screeching u-turns.
Next week is going to be interesting for sure. The numbers are all over the place with the fiscal headroom touted as being used up already.
Also - counterintuitively deficits can enlarge when you try to shrink them because you are shrinking the state but giving money away to less deserving 'causes'. Which might be what's going off here.
Tories broke their fiscal rules several times during the Obsborne years and beyond. They never last and get changed over the terms.
Fiscal rules are inherently a waste of time, and lack dynamic capability to adjust to changing circumstances.
They just need to go - they are their to falsely appease the wrong kind of people and suffocate good outcomes.
The numbers are all over the place with the fiscal headroom touted as being used up already.
Economists expect the deteriorating outlook to eat up the £9.9bn of headroom she had in order to meet her own fiscal rules in the October budget.
You'll hear about how the "world has changed", with global uncertainly knocking growth and forcing countries to invest more in defence.
This is all part of the chancellor seeking to distance sluggish growth from her own budget decisions last October
and making more hard choices (yes, governments do have to make choices)
Thanks for informing us of this. Honestly I thought they had no choice since thats the only reason for a Labour party to follow the tory austerity path. Now though I am going to have to reconsider.
Going back to the NHS the latest private eye had an article about the new NHS England chair Penny Dash who has been described in glowing terms by Streeting as a "radical reformer". Unfortunately, as they pointed out, those radical reforms include the NHS over the last 20 years, including as the McKinsey health care partner whilst they had a bunch of contracts advising Lansley, so I do have to wonder whether she is really the person to fix the mess she helped cause.
Will she turn round and tax the wealth of multi millionaires and tax assets next week?, nah will she ****.......this labour government can **** right off
the McKinsey health care partner whilst they had a bunch of contracts advising Lansley, so I do have to wonder whether she is really the person to fix the mess she helped cause.
I think centrist Labour politicians links with private healthcare providers is probably at least as strong as Tory politicians.
https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/private-healthcare-millions-starmer-alan-milburn
How private health has invested in Wes Streeting
https://goodlawproject.org/how-private-health-has-invested-in-wes-streeting/
More than 60% of the registered donations accepted by the health secretary come from people and companies linked to private health.
What worries me about all this is that is that if the Labour Party ****s it up we are doomed to some sort of Tory/reform mash-up after the next GE - or as a minimum some hard right version of the Tories in Government
Exactly it feels like Labour are just warming the seat for the proper fascists to take over on a "common sense" footing.
All I here from people is how this is the worst government ever, with the worst PM. I don't agree with the statement just yet but non-the-less that's how a lot of people feel.
As far as I can see energy and fuel costs have caused the vast majority of serial price rises across the UK. The promise of cheap abundant green energy, seems like a con to most people and play thing for the rich and privileged.
Pricing people out of (now and in the future plans) basics like gas, electricity, water, decent healthcare/dentistry, holidays abroad (you can watch celebrities on telly instead), vehicles you don't get penalised on a daily basis, just going to work etc. On the face of it, it looks like an economic apartheid facilitated by government, dished out by private sector liars and profiteers. Any grants offered (conditional) are always toward new very expensive "solutions" where the grant is a butty on top of the going rate, such is the real world! All this going on at the same time as services are reduced, made worse, more expensive, charged for when previously free/included or completely removed. Things were already in a piss poor state, where you thought it couldn't possibly get any worse!
Got a note stuck to my bin by the bin police. This country has got to be the most petty on the planet. Apparently I need a permit costing 59 quid PA for garden waste now. That will go with the permit the private sector bouncers said I need for tip.
I don't know anyone who asked or voted for this bullshit.
We have a piece of paper we have to show at the tip. Not really the end of the world.
When I see people bothering to complain about such trivialities as bin collections or potholes, it cheers me to see that at least some have no significant troubles in their lives.
Things can't really be that bad when potholes are the number one problem for so many people, surely?
https://bsky.app/profile/tomcalver.bsky.social/post/3ljwmbm2xfk2d
That will go with the permit the private sector bouncers said I need for tip.
It's a perfectly reasonable ask - the council tip is for householders in the council area. Once a year I have to bring proof of address and they give me a sticker to go in the car windscreen. It stops the "less than authentic" builder/landscaper/gardener/houseclearer businesses from rocking up to the local tip and dropping their trade waste that should be paid for (admittedly it does also mean that loads of trade waste now gets flytipped, but that's another matter and should be dealt with appropriately)
Got a note stuck to my bin by the bin police. This country has got to be the most petty on the planet. Apparently I need a permit costing 59 quid PA for garden waste now.
Local authorities are going broke left right and centre so only right that add on services are paid for. Your garden waste is still free if you want to take it to the tip yourself (rather priced in to your council tax on a working assumption that bigger houses with gardens were valued higher and so pay more) and someone in a 10th floor flat is also paying some of the cost. If you now want it collected, why should the cost of that be carried by all residents? You want to use the collection, you pay for it (a pound a week, really)
And try living in France, or the US with their householders associations. My mate has told me of the passive aggressive responses when his wife hung washing out at the wrong time!
I don't know anyone who asked or voted for this bullshit
This is a local Gov issue so the people in your area will have done, democratically. But TBH, if someone included that people with gardens who want their garden waste collected need to pay a pound a week rather than people in small houses and flats subsidise them, I would happily agree to it. You wouldn't? You want them to carry your cost?
I have been paying for garden waste for years, it is not £70 per year for a wheel bin. As for tip, I need to book in advance in a specific 1 hour slot. All seems fine to me but then I tend to be more concerned with larger governmental stuff than bins...
This is a local Gov issue so the people in your area will have done, democratically
Local authorities are subject to a huge drop in grants from central government. Approx 30% or so since 2010.
That's the real issue.
Unlike central government - local government doesn't issue its own currency and relies on external money.
It's another stupid farce driven by Tory cuts.
We live in a bonkers economic landscape where we pretend public money is scarce for the sake of nothing other than the charade of private money and private debt. (Debt and money being two sides of the thing.)
Local government can't technically go bankrupt but they can be in a total mess with not enough funds to do a good job.
Seriously somebody press the fix button. We aren't getting that next week I bet. Despite cuts and more cuts creating havoc and GDP being downgraded from totally a unreliable and pointless OBR - Reeves will likely cut again.
You can't cut the country to growth. Basically successive governments only seem to understand cut rather than add.
Who'd be surprised when you remove money from the economy things get worse?
(My brown bin has been £30 for years.)
We'll be looking at a classic textbook case of the reverse multiplier and reverse accelerator. If all government's hands are tied by 'the markets' and 'events' then there's barely any point in voting: vote Labour get Tory.
Got a note stuck to my bin by the bin police. This country has got to be the most petty on the planet. Apparently I need a permit costing 59 quid PA for garden waste now. That will go with the permit the private sector bouncers said I need for tip.
I don't know anyone who asked or voted for this bullshit.
TBF that's pretty standard, we have an annual subscription with the council for a garden waste bin, otherwise it's on me to haul grass clippings to the tip myself, or build a compost heap.
Write to your MP if you want, but it's a Local authority issue, and hardly on the same scale as gaps in social housing, NHS provision or working people using food banks.
If all government's hands are tied by 'the markets' and 'events' then there's barely any point in voting: vote Labour get Tory.
Would a Tory government have raised taxes on the rich landowners (yes, yes, the land has been in your family for generations… I get that you’re not giving up that embedded wealth inequality in a rush, and so you put Conservative or Reform adverts on your land… but tough). And on spending, the Tories left huge holes (often literally) in schools and NHS services, that the wealthy can pay to avoid. This “they’re all the same because they won’t buy into the idea that currency issuing countries have limitless spending powers without having to touch taxes” line is populist nonsense that will feed support for the far right, not swing the public and politicians to the left. Fake simple fixes.
This “they’re all the same because they won’t buy into the idea that currency issuing countries have limitless spending powers without having to touch taxes” line is populist nonsense
They are "both the same" because they both stick to nonsensical Tory fiscal rules.
If the far-right are thriving in the existing environment it is an environment created by both the Tories and Labour. There is no point blaming non-existent forces for the current situation.
Labour and the Tories should scrap their fiscal rules and deliver on levelling up, economist says
This “they’re all the same because they won’t buy into the idea that currency issuing countries have limitless spending powers without having to touch taxes” line is populist nonsense
No one says that, at least no one I know that is correctly informed.
The spending is limited by real resources and for the economy to take up the capacity aka inflation.
Second taxes are part of the cycle but not to pay for things but to redeem money that has been issued. This helps control inflation.
We need taxes to shape policy too.
What I'm really pleased with though is sticking to failed economic policy over and over again.
We're not asking to spend limitless amounts of money just some to fix the stuff that you claimed you could get behind when you were bigging Labour up and telling us they will go left in power.
It's not really populist either when it barely scratches any current MP's brains - but it's certainly more evidenced than much of what we see now in current economics. (That markets control governments ho ho ho. It's bullshit . High quality bullshit.)
BTW the fixes are the political will - not the money.
I think I know which system is nonsense.
Would a Tory government have raised taxes on the rich landowners (yes, yes, the land has been in your family for generations
Although when the actual experts examined the policy they did point out it missed out the most problematic tax advantage of "rollover relief" which is what really helps those rich landowners to extend their estates. Sell a bit for development and then buy a bunch more. They also pointed out the real rich landowners have it all in trusts anyway.
So remind me how those trusts are being targeted?
line is populist nonsense that will feed support for the far right, not swing the public and politicians to the left. Fake simple fixes.
You know what is fake simple fixes? Pushing through extremely damaging welfare cuts for a mere 5 billion by 2030. Hell even reform have a better policy for getting 5 billion a year back (although they give a far higher number). Something to please the hard right rags. Thats populism.
Thats what will increase support for the hard right.
When people see a labour government repeating tory austerity.
Thats when they will vote for anyone who offers a change even if they are crossing their fingers whilst doing it. I mean wasnt brexit a ****ing hint that many people are, correctly, seeing that the centrist dominated politics is, unsurprisingly, failing everyone except the party donors.
such trivialities as bin collections
I get to subscribe to my bin and someone is tasked with checking the contents (bin police) to make sure it's just green bags not garden waste. Not only trivial but pathetic.
I was surprised they would lay on G4S type security at the tip with a little hut. It's like being vetted to go into a nightclub, it's so exciting.
I can think of better things to be doing than spending any time on permits for trivialities.
As for all this local politics. It's not is it? it's budget cuts from central government passed on to residents via councils and their contractors. I know they like to use flowery language like asking to make cost savings, so it doesn't sound like cuts, again pathetic.
It was not included in local election particulars or put to a public vote because they know how that would go. It's funny how no party or individual wants to front these things, like its shameful or something! Bring on public votes, let's have some proper local democracy then.
someone is tasked with checking the contents (bin police) to make sure it's just green bags not garden waste. Not only trivial but pathetic.
What I find "pathetic" are people who can't be arsed to recycle waste correctly because it's too much trouble or whatever other pathic excuse.
The contents of bins wouldn't need to be checked if the "I can't be bothered, no one bothers to check anyway" attitude wasn't so prevalent.
The contents is being checked because the council have demanded cost savings from their contractors, who have responded by charging for waste previously collected combined. It's green waste, the garden part of it, not plastic or metal.
What I find "pathetic" are people who can't be arsed to recycle waste correctly because it's too much trouble or whatever other pathic excuse.
The contents of bins wouldn't need to be checked if the "I can't be bothered, no one bothers to check anyway" attitude wasn't so prevalent.
Errr ok noted.
Do you find putting a pound coin to release a supermarket trolley pathic too?
What?
The contents is being checked because the council have demanded cost savings from their contractors, who have responded by charging for waste previously collected combined. It's green waste, the garden part of it, not plastic or metal.
They have to "police" it presumably because otherwise people won't dispose of it properly, your garden waste collection according to you has to either be paid for or taken down to your recycling centre.
There is obviously no point having rules about waste collections and recycling if no one bothers policing compliance. Too many people unfortunately simply can't be arsed to recycle correctly nor pay for proper disposal.
Just leaving it all to everyone's good will isn't a realistic option.
Like I said pathetic and desperate penny pinching. It was fine the way it was (food and garden waste in the green bin) and has been for years along with the other 3 bins we've got. Still I'm sure there will be cuts again next year and the year after and the year after that ad infinitum. In fact I can't remember a year where there hasn't been any.
Oh and you forgot the option to burn it.
Local authorities are going broke left right and centre so only right that add on services are paid for.
Especially as the current government are likely to make the financial crises facing local authorities even worse.
“For every pound that someone loses in benefits, you know that – if a council has to step in to cover the shortfall – it’s about £1.50 additional impact,” said Arun Veerappan, the Disability Policy Centre’s interim director of research.
If you lose carer’s allowance, you’re going to just push more people into the formal [council-funded] care system.”
He warned that forcing more people to rely on council care provision would lead to increased strain and delays in services such as community care and the Disabled Facilities Grant.
Like I said pathetic and desperate penny pinching. It was fine the way it was (food and garden waste in the green bin) and has been for years along with the other 3 bins we've got. Still I'm sure there will be cuts again next year and the year after and the year after that ad infinitum. In fact I can't remember a year where there hasn't been any.
Oh and you forgot the option to burn it.
So what are you complaining about, penny pinching or policing? I thought all the talk about "bin police" and "G4S type security at the tip" was that you didn't like the fact that compliance was being monitored, something which you described as pathetic?
Read the posts.
We had a few Mr Helpers like yourself who wanted to discuss the trivialities at length.
Have you given up on your clever shopping trolley analogy or shall we go over that again as well?
Glitch
who wanted to discuss the trivialities at length.
Good we can put that to bed then and get back to driving standards and potholes.
https://www.twitter.com/StephanieKelton/status/1903066849668899315
Yep. Time for them to stop kowtow-ing to markets all the time. Let's get rid of the useless OBR like we did NHS England and start making good decisions that benefit all of us.
https://www.twitter.com/StephanieKelton/status/1903511343505850669
I'm with Clive
But it shouldn't come as a great surprise to Clive, Starmer made his intentions clear long before he became Prime Minister.
The same economic strategy and values as the Tories but delivered with greater competence.
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-real-conservatives-keir-starmer-protect-way-life-2337576
“And look – if that’s sounds conservative, then let me tell you: I don’t care. Somebody has got to stand up for the things that make this country great and it isn’t’ going to be the Tories.
Make Britian Great Again
They are really ****ing this up. Jesus, they couldn't hit the open goals when they were in opposition, now they are scoring own goals left right and centre.
What worries me about all this is that is that if the Labour Party ****s it up we are doomed to some sort of Tory/reform mash-up after the next GE - or as a minimum some hard right version of the Tories in Government
Yup, a lesson from the democrats in the US. Either Starmer gets it right for enough people or we get a UK Trump figure next.
Some criticising the discussion of trivialities whilst being obsessed with potholes and claiming foreign holidays as a 'basic' is one of the funniest things I've read online in a while.
Thank you.
Imagine a Daily Mail columnist thinking labour are so right wing that they need to raise taxes for the rich?
https://twitter.com/dpjhodges/status/1903728803282669750?s=46&t=LtLH_brmYFWrcPalxgEeWA
I see that Sir Keir Starmer approval rating continues to fall and he is currently easily the least popular leader of what is now the 4 main parties.
https://www.opinium.com/resource-center/opinium-voting-intention-5th-march-2025-2/
I am sure that it is all Magic Granddad's fault although I can't remember why because binners no longer seems to be around to remind us.
Couple of quotes from today's Grauniad:
Keir Starmer has spoken of how he personally “likes and respects” the US president, Donald Trump, and understands what he is trying to achieve.
[...]
Witkoff also praised Vladimir Putin, saying he “liked” the Russian president and did not “regard Putin as a bad guy”.
No 10 had no comment on Witkoff’s remarks. But the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that she was “not put off by that”.
So happy we have a Labour government to represent our values.
claiming foreign holidays as a 'basic' is one of the funniest things I've read online in a while
I know the entitled ****s.
Let's all get to blackkers int charabanc people were happy then.
**** me, Ed Davey is sounding more like a leader each day
BBC News - UK must stand up to 'bully' Trump, says Ed Davey
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yx70rzp7ko
Keir Starmer has been warned against “appeasing” Donald Trump as he considers reducing a major tax for US tech companies while cutting disability benefits and public sector jobs.
His chancellor, Rachel Reeves, confirmed on Sunday that there were “ongoing” discussions about the UK’s £1bn-a-year digital services tax that affects companies including Meta and Amazon.
todays Grauniad
In case anyone was still in doubt- it’s not “left vs right”, it’s the super-rich vs the rest of us
In case anyone was still in doubt- it’s not “left vs right”, it’s the super-rich vs the rest of us
Yeah, but...
Potholes.
I'm puzzled that a party that doesn't need to worry about elections for another 4 years is feeling the need to start appeasing Reform now.
Going to be carnage with the EU, especially Ireland, if the UK does give USA companies a carve out for DST. They’ve already pretty much wrecked OECD (pillar 1) plans to enable taxes on them for smaller markets… the rules needed to stop them escaping their tax responsibilities. If it becomes the tech giants vs EU & Canada, with everyone else cowering, they’re going to get away with even more piss taking.
The change that’s really needed in the UK is regulation of charges for third party sellers by the big American giants. Amazon and the like just pass DST onto sellers who are using their oligopoly digital market places. Services that smaller companies are now even more reliant on post Brexit to sell into the rest of Europe.
In case anyone was still in doubt- it’s not “left vs right”, it’s the super-rich vs the rest of us
Yep, and the super rich are winning, and the political establishment are on their side, and have supporters who just blindly accept that the current status quo and ever rightward drift is the sensible choice, and dismiss any alternative as fantasy.
I'm puzzled that a party that doesn't need to worry about elections for another 4 years is feeling the need to start appeasing Reform now.
The problem here is that they do need to worry about some elections now and the cancer that is Reform UK is widespread even if that did not translate into seats at the last GE. A Reform win in Runcorn will be a disaster for this country. The direction of travel will become more obvious and more people will be emboldened to stop feeling shame at their prejudices and start celebrating them instead. The very fact that it looks likely means Labour are on high alert trying to out-nasty Reform.
I see also, in other unsavoury scumbag news - that horrible ****er Cummings is cosying up with Farage. If anyone knows how to deliver a far right victory and make far right policies seem normal, it is him.
The direction of travel will become more obvious and more people will be emboldened to stop feeling shame at their prejudices and start celebrating them instead. The very fact that it looks likely means Labour are on high alert trying to out-nasty Reform.
The problem is Labour trying to out-nasty them makes the first sentence even more likely. You cant beat bigots by becoming them. That is what emboldens them and allows them to unmask fully.
If anyone knows how to deliver a far right victory and make far right policies seem normal, it is him.
I am not sure. In many ways he reminds me of Cameron. Who was crowned as the all conquering PR expert winning two referendums by his own abilities and then crashed and burned when he went for a hattrick but found a cause which the right wing press didnt support.
Cummings similarly crashed and burned when he started a political fight where he didnt have real support from the right wing press and paymasters.
A Reform win in Runcorn will be a disaster for this country. The direction of travel will become more obvious ....
Not necessarily, it depends on whether it is seen as a wake-up call and what the reaction to that wake-up call is.
The direction of travel is very important and I think is fair to say that Reform now have an established base similar to Labour and the Tories. But I don't think Runcorn will be proof of that.
Whatever the Runcorn by-election result the primary driver will be voters opinions of the current Labour government, not necessarily their opinion of Reform. By-elections provide a fairly unique opportunity for voters to express their views freely without having to worry about the consequences of doing so. An extra Reform MP will not change the political landscape.
A reasonable result for Labour will strengthen Rachel Reeves position whilst a disastrous result will increase the pressure on her to be sacked. And prime ministers often resign not long after they are forced to sack their Chancellors.
A Reform win in Runcorn will be a disaster for this country.
I think it's probably necessary. Labour can't roll back its lurch to the right until Reeves is gone. A humiliating defeat in Runcorn will accelerate that.
Further gains for Reform will mean any more tax rises are off the cards. I suspect that, with the exception of the NHS, you can kiss goodbye to further spending increases as well. A vote for Reform isn't exactly backing state support for those in need and redistribution of wealth. It could well mean Reeves is moved on, but not to be replaced with a chancellor prepared to ignore Reform voters more. Far from it.
Yes I guess Starmer could ignore what growing support for Reform is actually really about, he has after all been doing precisely that up until now.
Accepting that the existing status quo is no longer acceptable to many voters who want fundamental change would mean taking on a very challenging task which wouldn't be backed up by the right-wing press and establishment.
Starmer was satisfied with 5 years as Director of Public Prosecutions, I am sure that he would be perfectly satisfied with the Prime Minister chapter of his personal career lasting also 5 years.
I doubt that Starmer is personally very bothered about the long-term consequences of premiership. Well probably no more bothered than the consequences of his economic attacks on the disabled.
After all who thinks that Starmer is a conviction politician?
When will you get it Ernie... people voting for Reform... people who voted for Brexit (the fervent ones, not those swayed at the last minute by lies)... sure they want "Change", but they are not asking for the same change as you, quite the opposite.
Yes I guess Starmer could ignore what growing support for Reform is actually really about, he has after all been doing precisely that up until now.
Well he's backtracked on enough fiscal socialism now, so he could introduce more racism and xenophobia...
If nothing is sacred, and all that.
It does leave me without a political home, though.
When will you get it Ernie... people voting for Reform... people who voted for Brexit (the fervent ones, not those swayed at the last minute by lies)... sure they want "Change", but they are not asking for the same change as you, quite the opposite.
The "they just want change" narrative is no excuse for the type of change many of them want.
The "they just want change" narrative is no excuse for the type of change many of them want.
"Many"? Everything I read (John Harris in particular is good on it) shows that what "they" want is highly variable. Sure there is the hardcore of racists but many, for good reason, do feel ignored and hence are voting for a change.
Admittedly its hard to see why voting for the professional politican Farage and his band of tory rebrandees counts as a change but they are exploiting the gap in the market.
The problem is Starmer and co are also joining in the simplistic branding and hence policies to "appeal" on rather than actually addressing the issue. Overly simplistic populist policies in a nutshell.
When will you get it Ernie... people voting for Reform... people who voted for Brexit (the fervent ones, not those swayed at the last minute by lies)... sure they want "Change", but they are not asking for the same change as you, quite the opposite.
And when will you get it that the only significant change which had occurred in the last 9 months is that we now have a "Labour" government?
If there was a general election tomorrow all the indications are that Reform would receive approximately as many, if not more, votes than Labour. The reason for that isn't because of a referendum 10 years ago but because of a general election 9 months ago.
Otherwise the level of support for Reform would have been the same last July as it is now.
Blame Brexit as much as you want for Labour's woes and lack of popularity but the problem is the Starmer and Reeves not Brexit.
Although I do appreciate that for some people Starmer is above any sort of criticism, for them must responsibility must lie elsewhere. Generally we seem to have moved away from blaming Brexit although apparently Jeremy Corbyn is still somehow responsible. And astonishingly according to binners also the Tories, it turns out that their shite opposition to the current Labour government might be the reason for Starmer's poor decisions.
Blame Brexit as much as you want for Labour's woes
I wasn’t.
I was expressing my fear that the way the Labour government will change in the face of Reform winning another seat and storming ahead in the polls will be to give Reform voters more of what they want. Which isn’t at all the kind of change you say you want. Or the changes I want. Listening to Reform voters too much is a big part of the current problem for the UK. More support for Reform will result in politicians doing more of that. So Reeves might go, but so would any chance of more taxes on the rich and more spending on the services those in need require.
Keir Starmer has been warned against “appeasing” Donald Trump as he considers reducing a major tax for US tech companies while cutting disability benefits and public sector jobs.
His chancellor, Rachel Reeves, confirmed on Sunday that there were “ongoing” discussions about the UK’s £1bn-a-year digital services tax that affects companies including Meta and Amazon.
todays Grauniad
In case anyone was still in doubt- it’s not “left vs right”, it’s the super-rich vs the rest of us
They really are a complete shower of utter ****s, especially that ****ing reboot reeve with her preprogrammed responses to every question asked of her.
I was expressing my fear that the way the Labour government will change in the face of Reform winning another seat and storming ahead in the polls will be to give Reform voters more of what they want.
Yes there's a risk labour will swing further to the right on issues like immigration and DEI issues, but it'll be a price worth paying to get rid of Reeves. Nothing will improve while Labour have a tory ex-banker as Chancellor.
Yes there's a risk labour will swing further to the right on issues like immigration and DEI issues,
Because that worked so well for Rishi Sunak when he was prime minister and he also faced with a growing threat from Reform?
Because that tactic has worked so well for established political parties right across Europe who have been faced with a far-right threat?
The worse possible response to a far-right threat is to embrace their agenda. The only reason that right-wing and centrist parties do precisely that is because the alternative is totally unpalatable to them..... they themselves subscribe to neoliberal economics with a unhealthy dollop of racism
Yes there's a risk labour will swing further to the right on issues like immigration and DEI issues,
Because that worked so well for Rishi Sunak when he was prime minister and he also faced with a growing threat from Reform?
Because that tactic has worked so well for established political parties right across Europe who have been faced with a far-right threat?
The worse possible response to a far-right threat is to embrace their agenda. The only reason that right-wing and centrist parties do precisely that is because the alternative is totally unpalatable to them..... they themselves subscribe to neoliberal economics with a unhealthy dollop of racism
So you think 'centrists' are racist?...wow.. that's a sweeping assumption, even from you!
Well certainly some centrists on STW defended the cuts to the foreign aid budget by employing the racist tropes more expected from Farage. So it isn't that that hard a statement to make, but I wouldn't really call them centrists any more even though that's what they might like to believe they are.
So you think 'centrists' are racist?...wow.. that's a sweeping assumption, even from you!
It is neither an assumption nor sweeping, it is a very specific fact. One which has been extensively researched by Martin Forde KC
Martin Forde KC, who was commissioned by Keir Starmer to investigate allegations of bullying, racism and sexism, expressed concern about the party enabling a “hierarchy” of racism.
And since you are back on this thread after your week-long absence mattyfez any opinions concerning the centrists announcement that they will financially cripple over a million disabled people?
Last Monday you expressed your outrage at what iirc you described as "tedious" speculation, now that it is no longer speculation any thoughts you want to share? You are usually keen to share.
Listening to Reform voters too much is a big part of the current problem for the UK.
No it isnt or rather its listening to them only superficially.
There is some interesting research about how the "nativists" have pivoted away from the traditional "they take your jobs " argument to making claims about housing prices/welfare costs instead.
Those are obvious problems which the right wing rags and populist right have been able to utilise to blame, in particular, immigration for.
Starmer should be addressing those welfare and housing costs and explaining where the actual failures came from and how he is going to fix them. Not to play along with the hard right agenda since they will always be able to outright him (ok possibly not in his case).
Because that worked so well for Rishi Sunak when he was prime minister and he also faced with a growing threat from Reform?
I never said it would work, just that's what they will probably do. Labour going to the right on social issues is inevitable in any case, they're following what is happening in every other western democracy. What they need to do first is move to the left on economic issues and start spending some money and making the lives of working people easier. And to do that they need to get rid of their austerity obsessed tory chancellor.
So you think 'centrists' are racist?...wow.. that's a sweeping assumption, even from you!
It is neither an assumption nor sweeping, it is a very specific fact. One which has been extensively researched by Martin Forde KC
And since you are back on this thread after your week-long absence mattyfez any opinions concerning the centrists announcement that they will financially cripple over a million disabled people?
Last Monday you expressed your outrage at what iirc you described as "tedious" speculation, now that it is no longer speculation any thoughts you want to share? You are usually keen to share.
I strongly dissaprove of the benefits cuts. Does that mean I'm not a racist centrist (as you put it) any more?
Thats the most annoying thing - when people add the number 2 & an Orange fruit together, and come to the conclusion that the answer must be a Ford Focus. 🙃
'a tory ex-banker as Chancellor' or more accurately 'a tory ex-clerical assistant in the complaints department as Chancellor'
Erni.
Brexit is tbe major issue.
It has caused huge economic losses
It has crippled NHS recruitment
It has legitimized racism.
Brexit is an ongoing process that is far from complete hence the adverse effects are still increasing
Last Monday you expressed your outrage at what iirc you described as "tedious" speculation,
I believe he described the accurate commentary here as "drivel".
Does that mean I'm not a racist centrist (as you put it) any more?
I am not sure if what you are is relevant to this thread.mattyfez, which as the title suggests is about the UK government.
A government which is widely described as centrist and which also has a proven racist problem.
I have no idea why you appear to assume that any criticism I make of Starmer and his government is an attack on you btw.
You have repeatedly claimed to be a LibDem supporter which makes it particularly weird imo.
Does that mean I'm not a racist centrist (as you put it) any more?
I am not sure if what you are is relevant to this thread.mattyfez, which as the title suggests is about the UK government.
A government which is widely described as centrist and which also has a proven racist problem.
I have no idea why you appear to assume that any criticism I make of Starmer and his government is an attack on you btw.
You have repeatedly claimed to be a LibDem supporter which makes it particularly weird imo.
It should be pretty obvious, I voted labour to hedge my bets as the lib-dems are pretty much non-existent in my area.
the centrists announcement that they will financially cripple over a million disabled people?
These are your words. I am a centrist, so I do take that as an attack, yes.
since you are back on this thread after your week-long absence
I didn't realise I have to keep crap-posting on this thread on a daily basis in order to qualify to voice my opinion?
Some on here, you included, are worse than MAGA sometimes, with your blind, extreme tribalism… you'll be accusing me of eating babies next.
the centrists announcement that they will financially cripple over a million disabled people?
These are your words. I am a centrist, so I do take that as an attack, yes.
Yes those are my words and I am very clearly referring to the Starmer's government, what are you, the UK government's spokesman on this thread?
Some on here, you included, are worse than MAGA sometimes, with your blind, extreme tribalism… you'll be accusing me of eating babies next.
Jeezus this thread isn't about you. And yes some people will express dissatisfaction with regards to the current government, not everyone will be of the opinion that it's doing a great job, get a grip ffs
The idea that painful cuts are inevitable is political theatre. Either Rachel Reeves knows the constraints are self-imposed – or, more troublingly, believes they are real.
The chancellor won’t raise taxes on the wealthy, relax her fiscal rules or borrow more. So she claims that there is no alternative to cuts. But these are self-imposed constraints – combined with deference to an unelected monetary authority – that sustain the illusion of necessity.
Austerity isn’t the price of prudence but the cost of forgetting. The chancellor wears the mask of tough decisions, but on a stage built on myths.
Austerity isn’t the price of prudence but the cost of forgetting. The chancellor wears the mask of tough decisions, but on a stage built on myths.
She came up with something ridiculous from the start - based on a misunderstanding of governmental finances.
She is too stubborn and too stupid to go anywhere else with it.
I don't know what it will take for them to realise they have ****ed up big time, as one thing is for certain things are going to get worse from here on in.
If Centrism's aims are to make things materially worse and pave the way for more extreme government's it's looking like a total success.
Unbelievable anyone can still not see this. All because some utterly stupid person didn't sit down with the Chancellor and realise the way the Conservatives understand the economy is not a template for Labour success.
are worse than MAGA sometimes
You mean stuff like the slash and burn of the state to hand it over to the tech bros, the pretence of a plan, blaming the poorest and most needy for the failures and taking away what little they have, using racist tropes to attack immigrants and remove their rights, pandering to the oligarchs, I agree Starmer could shoot someone on oxford street in broad daylight on camera and the MAGA loons who claim to be centrists would still defend him. And of course another trick they have learnt from trump, is to accuse those who stand against that far right political direction of the tactics that they themselves are actually using.
Attacking someone for their viewpoint then shouting "this thread isn't just about you" when they try to defend their position is a bit naughty IMO.
However pissed off you are about where Starmer is taking us. And, as a previously optimistic centrist, I am pissed off about it.
😕
Attacking someone for their viewpoint then shouting "this thread isn't just about you" when they try to defend their position is a bit naughty IMO.
However pissed off you are about where Starmer is taking us. And, as a previously optimistic centrist, I am pissed off about it.
😕
Nicely put - all of it.
The good news/bad news is that Starmer and Reeves godawful performance is driving me further left, which kind of leaves me with no valid vote.
I absolutely agree that Reeves self-imposed fiscal rules are an utter disaster. She and/or they need to go. Urgently. The unprecedented threat to European security resulting from Trumps election is the ideal justification for tearing up the rules and taxing/borrowing to invest and safeguard our future, militarily and economically.
"We can't change despite an unprecedented historical global realignment because The Rules" is absolutely ****ing insane.
And yes, as a previous "give 'em a chance" centrist you can all laugh at me now.