to wonder how Labour can purport to represent socialism and the working class when so many of them are multimillionaire, multi-home owners or/and landlords?

[jaimelannistersfoppishfringe]

Bloody hell, the leader of the Labour Party is a multimillionaire living in a million + pound house. Other high ranking Labour MP's are likewise millionaires with multi-million pound houses and many of them own many second and third homes and are landlords. Am I right in thinking this is about as diametrically opposite to what Labour historically stood for as you can get?

Also, how can anybody trust Labour to be socially proactive and build more homes or sort out private renting when so many of them have vested interests in keeping the system as it is (i.e. tight housing supply so that their investments stay high valued and that people remain dependent on the state via housing benefit etc)?

At least with the Tories they are living up to their stereotype of being the party of the rich for the rich. Labour should know better and really shouldn't be surprised that voters are leaving them in droves. They are completely arrogant and out of touch imo.

[cardibach]

I think it's the political set up. It's hard to get into politics without the right degree from the 'right' university, so those at the top of the social pile find it easier. For the record I don't think there is any reason a well off person can't think that equality is a good thing...

[AuntieStella]

Labour hasn't been a socialist party since the death of John Smith.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Because you can be wealthy and still care about people who aren't, obviously!

This is a problem the right tend to have: they think the only reason to give a crap about injustice is if you personally are the victim of it, and are jealous or resentful. In fact you can have compassion and beliefs even if you personally are not poor.

[pigsDOfly]

Do they purport to represent socialism and the working class these days?

New Labour Party? More like Alternative Tory Party.

They're all cut from the same cloth and they're all equally out of touch with the average person.

[JohnFarleysRuskin]

I don't think it matters particularly what background people are from- it matters how they behave now.

It makes me laugh that people call the conservatives out of touch millionaires tho- I mean most of labour frontbench are state school avoiding millionaires too.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

most of labour frontbench are state school avoiding millionaires too

Who?

[Dawndonnaagain]

Interesting first post.

[TheBogQueen]

They don't support the working class.

They are the red Tories.

It was utterly depressing to watch Andy Burnham practically endorsing UKIPs nonsense immigration stance.

It comes to it when Ken Clarke is the voice of reason. Christ almighty what has happened to the Labour Party???

this is what Miliband should be standing up
And saying.

Honestly I was a member of this party and it breaks my heart to it led by people who've never had a proper job in their lives.

[JohnFarleysRuskin]

Not all frontbenchers you're right. I'm thinking of Ruth Kelly and Diane Abbott, and the ones who chose to send their children to travel miles to selective schools Emily Thornton, Harriet Harman, or religious schools, anything to avoid the hoi polloi, yes tony Blair and man of the people, clegg, looking at you too.

[PausingFlatly]

Dunno, OP, but UKIP and the BNP have always been good at claiming to represent the working man (I use the gender advisedly), when they're actually posh private-school educated city gents or country squires.

Apparently it's only Labour where background matters.

[jaimelannistersfoppishfringe]

I'm sure that some Labour politicians do care about inequality and the working class (such as Frank Field) however, many of them have no real experience with real poverty or just normal lives, since most of the population does not go to private school or Oxbridge. I think it is hard to be objective and promote policies which help your constituents if the policies that are needed are ones that are going to negatively impact on your personal finances (Labour multi-home owning landlords are hardly going to vote for more laws that make it harder to be a landlord or for more social homes). I think Labour are disliked more than the Tories by many nowadays precisely because they come across as hypocrites (of course the Tories are awful but as I said in my original post, nobody expect the Tories to be caring or concerned about the poor).

[TheBogQueen]

I think many politicians seem to be grown and shaped by a university and think tank experience in which everyone regards policy as some sort of strategy game to further their career.

They just seem to be unable to relate to everyday life fir most working people in this country. They have never come in from a day shift and watched their partner leave fir a nightshift, they have never collapsed exhausted at 9pm after a full days work knowing they do not have enough money fur the end of the month.

But worse than that - they don't stand fur anything. There is no ideal. No moral stance. No emotion. Just focus groups and twitter.

[TheBogQueen]

And most BNP people are not posh. They are lowlife scumbags.

[Tactleneck]

Simply because they don't stand for the working man anymore, they stand for anything that will increase their chances of getting into power and staying there. They are so watered down that the old priorities mean nothing now, imo.
Unfortunately for Ed money can't buy charisma!

[OTheHugeManatee]

I think Labour's disproportionately upper-middle-class composition is revealed by the obsession with social liberalism (ie being right-on) combined with a paternalistic policy of handouts to the poor and the quiet abandonment of traditional socialist ideals such as collective action and national ownership. It's all about talking down to working people.

[OTheHugeManatee]

Apparently it's only Labour where background matters.

No, there have been absolutely no comments at all about the socioeconomic background and education of our current Cabinet

[WipsGlitter]

Well the current cabinet don't purport to care about the 'common man'.

Where I live (NI) they're all career politicians who are similarly out if touch with "real life".

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

So other tha Diane abbot, whom I also loathe, which are the state school avoiders? Because all the ones listed used state schools. And Nick Clegg is not in the Labour Party, in case anyone didn't know.

You don't have to have grown up poor to give a shit about the poor.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

I find it depressing that so many people seem to think the only reason you might give a crap about anything is if you're poor, and that nobody would ever endorse a policy which wouldn't have a direct positive impact on them. Says a lot.

I remember my dad saying, actually we'd be better off under the poll tax, but it's fucking unfair and wrong and we are campaigning against it. Some people can see beyond the ends of their noses!

[hiddenhome]

The Labour Party are actually Liberals.

They haven't been what you would call socialist for a long, long time.

Labour politicians aren't actually socialist if you look at the definition of socialism.

[scousadelic]

Politics is no longer something that you go into after years of experience in law or healthcare or unions, etc. The obsession with image, youth and soundbites has condemned us to career politicians who have to be rich to get to where they are

[ginghamcricketbox]

Only 2 of the shadow cabinet have had proper jobs it's hardly suprising they are out of touch

[ralgex]

The Labour Party can't even bring themselves to say the words "the working class".

[WetAugust]

Yes, John Smith was probably the last. Difficult to explain just how cheated the country felt when he died so suddenly. And because of that we got Blair..... And then Brown, who has just announced he won't be standing as an MP in May. Thank goodness

[Quiero]

The system itself prevents truly working class people from ever being able to get into a position where the can represent the working classes.

I do however think that there are people in the Labour Party who do believe in fairness. I think Ed is probably one of them but people in this country are so sucked in by the media representation of him they'll never actually realise this.