To not know any of Labour's policies apart from VAT

Absolutely. Right wing parties are doing well in Europe.

It’s because Reform is picking up vote share. It’s not just the U.K. though, it’s similar to some EU countries

You’re right but I am saddened that the Tories think being rabidly right wing would win them more votes.

Let them think that - I'm quite happy for them to spiral into oblivion.

Do they think that little of us?

Yes.

Very true. After the Brexit vote, I spoke to my students - only one had actually bothered to vote! I said well don't complain about the outcome, then! (They did).

You’re right but I am saddened that the Tories think being rabidly right wing would win them more votes. Do they think that little of us? Because we are better than that. The UK public is better than that.

In that case then they can't moan about what they get.

I have always gone to vote even if it mean writing across my ballot paper " none of these eejits".

(BTW if you do choose to spoil your ballot paper. that make sure none of your writing goes anywhere near a box, otherwise they could count it as a vote !!)

They didn't care. Voting is optional, a lot of people can't be bothered.

Good point - what does it even mean ??

A large % of the electorate have (stayed at home and) not voted in recent elections.

What does that mean?

IMO it shows they are not engaging with the election process.

What it says about their opinions about 'democracy' is another question.

Turnout was 40.5 per cent in the London Mayoral election, down from 42.2 per cent in 2021, and 45.3 per cent in 2016.

So it appears that 59.5% didn't want Khan as Mayor again or they just didn't care.

@Allergictoironing and you are the kind of Tory voter the party have now lost - centrist, moderate and a decent human being. And there are far more of you than there are of the right wing headbangers.

That is the big problem the Tories have, and they are delusional if they think lurching ever further to the right will solve it. Coalition after the next GE? By all means let them keep going on about it, it will motivate the GTTO brigade to go out and vote, but basically hahahahahahahaha.... No.

So then.

I guess you have otherwise you wouldn't have been on a page that was for that specific purpose.

I'm glad to see that's one of Labour's pledges, to have an enquiry into who profited from covid and how. Then recoup some money.

What do you think?

I think the first thing Labour should do is open up some Copium and Salt mines the Tories are going to need the former while providing metric tons of the later, there's £8475743 billion right there

Have you signed up to recieve Labour's manifesto when it is published after Sunak gets around to telling us when the GE is?

Of course you would be expected to pay for your keep while in these National Employment Centres, spending every penny you do earn and building up debt if you can't get a job. Obviously if you actually own anything when you become unemployed you will be expected to sell that to live on until you run out, and that will include your home if you own that (or mortgaged).

They would be called national employment centres offering accommodation and support into work while also offering value for money for tax payers and the Tory cheerleaders on here would lap it up 🤣🤣

Amusing a Tory supporter, so presumably someone happy that Rishi Sunak is PM, should refer to Keir Starmer as "little" 😁

I used to be Tory blue through and through. However over the life of the current government I have gone from not voting to voting Labour.

I don't recognise the current Tory party as anything like they used to be. It used to be stuff like basically those who strived hard would get rewarded, fiscal common sense etc, with a tiny bit of pragmatism thrown in.

Today they seem to be in full on idealistic mode of the Victorian era - I'm waiting for them to introduce the equivalent of workhouses. Examples of this are things like the assumption that anyone out of work for whatever reason is a skiving good for nothing manual worker rather than maybe an executive who's been made redundant or someone who's got mental health issues.

They genuinely don't seem to grasp that things like cost of living increases, that mean their ilk have to maybe cut back one of their 4 overseas holidays a year (maybe the Easter skiing trip?), or only replace their top of the range car every 4 years instead of every 3, mean poorer people have to get into debt to heat homes & eat properly.

Possibly the biggest lack of understanding on their part has been the impact of a combination of high inflation and high interest rates on lower income people, and their total lack of comprehension that though in the past high inflation could be countered by increased interest rates as the inflation was due to people spending more disposable income, this time the causes are very different so the approach to reducing inflation need to be different. Previously higher interest charges meant people waiting longer to buy new stuff, or only booking holidays once they'd saved up enough. The cost of living increases had already meant that people were cutting back where they could, the higher interest rates lead to people being made homeless as they couldn't afford their higher rent, or defaulting on mortgages.

To give you an idea of this impact on home owners, just before the interest rates were increased the interest on my mortgage was around £300 a month, now it's around £900 - where the hell am I supposed to find an extra £600 a month when I'm on a salary in the low £20k's? I might also point out here that part of the cause of the raging inflation was the budget brought in by a Tory PM...

So I will be voting Labour again this year. I don't agree with all of their policies, but better a party that seem to have some understanding that not everyone on a low salary or out of work is there due to laziness, and also seems to have a touch of pragmatism, rather than being led by ideology.

Keir Starmer has repeatedly said that they won't make promises they don't know whether they will be able to keep, and they won't know what is and isn't affordable until they get their hands on the books.

TL:DR - Tories are ideological Victorian era bastards, Labour can be pragmatic & bother to look at the impact on all.

This 100% ^
I wouldn’t mention even my morning routine in the presence of this government worrying that they might steal my ideas.

However there are lots of pointers here and there so if you are interested and listening Tv/radio programs it helps to get the knowledge about Labour views.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/10/young-adults-loss-of-faith-in-uk-democracy-survey

For balance, here's a recent article about faith in democracy across a wider population and not just specific, dated articles chosen for effect.

A new MRI scanner is easily a million pounds,

Or one asylum seeker to Rwanda. Or one Rish! jet trip to Edinburgh.

Or 1/1,000th the billions that went to useless PPE mates in Covid.

How come no one ever asks where the Tories get the money ? Keir asks someone to pop out for an ice cream and it's a 20 episode documentary on Netflix.

Looking at the linked policies it had to be said some of those are undeliverable - doubling the number of CT & MRI scanners?? In the entire UK? A new MRI scanner is easily a million pounds, and that doesn't cover having more radiographers and radiologists to do and report the scans! Paying doctors to see to outpatient appointments on evenings and weekends - well we can already do that, but again hugely expensive and for consultants earning more and being hit with a huge pension related tax bill is a real worry as Labour have also said they will reverse changes to pension allowances. And frankly I don't want to work more evenings and weekends, and the NHS can't make consultants do uncontracted work.

They also pledge that you will be able to request to see the same GP every time- presumably the magic money tree has regrown as a magic tree flowering with fully formed GPs.

I typically vote Labour but these pledges look absolutely wild.

Interesting, but I'm not seeing the relevance to the discussion about paying tax in the UK.

The quote about democracy came from the person described in the link you posted.

They basically have "5 missions", OP.
If you go on the drop down menu on the top right, you can read what the plans are.

Define "democracy" first.

A really good way to waste everyone time - and stir up a lot of emotions - is to have a debate over something which means different things to different people.

"Democracy" is a great example. What does it even mean ?