Scared of what labour will do

I thought it was interesting today to read a Telegraph columnist (Toby Harris) suggesting that the current Labout Government is actually behaving more like a Tory front bench with a Conservative agenda. Which goes along with comments from B1ossomtoes and Alexandra 2001 being a bit disappointed at their lack of zeal. It has taken me time but I am actually fairly laidback about politics now. I do think we need a a brake on escalating pensioner benefits with inflation. I think withdrawal of WFA should have been tied to the income tax threshold, rather than the niggardly pension credit start point.

I fully support the move to tax agricultural land acquisition for the IHT benefits. And while I don't like the proposal to include pension savings within an estate for IHT, because of family disadvantage (AND A FUCKTON OF PAPERWORK), I'd have to concede that on balance, it's probably the right thing to do now.

Not keen on the plan to re-write copyright law to gift AI automatic access to creative sources, but that's going to take years to draft.

Before someone crashes on to tell me that these are not their everyday concerns, I'd like to state for the record that I know and understand that I have been fortunate to grow up reasonably intelligent and middle class in the time that I did.

That is a bit rich. Habitués of those threads are forceful on them and elsewhere, rude even at times.

I still like reading the threads though, at least now and again. There’s something fascinating about them.

Off to find the "Starmer thread".....

That isn’t true. It’s not what you say it’s the way that you say it. Polite, fact based posts are always welcome on that thread. Condescension and rudeness not so much.

Do you not think this slavish support argument is wearing a bit thin? I’ve seen the poster you accuse of this criticise plenty - unlike you she disagrees with the WFA cut for a start.

That may be so that Labour voters find fault with some Labour policies, but nonetheless on the Starmer thread, any ‘outsider’ who criticises the PM or the Labour Party get rounded on by the regulars who join forces to point out the idiocy of whatever criticism has been made.

Fair enough but a lot of that was known about pre GE, so either you still voted for them or didn't vote....

As Labour also said they wouldn't raise vat income tax or NI, it was obvious they'd go for less well known taxes.

Personally, if i had those worries about Labour, i wouldn't vote for them, other centre left parties exist.

I do support
Spending on defence
keeping the 2 child benefit cap
labour against jihad

I don’t support
lying on cvs or anything else
reduction of women’s rights (although they’ve sensibly decided not to allow easy self id), and misogyny
taxing education and lying about the supposed results
cancelling wfa (hundreds of thousands that need it won’t get it)
Back pedalling on disabled rights. Who knows where that’s going.
damaging farmers
paying train drivers millions more. They’ve got some of the best pay and benefits in the uk. Trade union sycophancy. Needs must for labour I suppose. Wasn’t enough for EM was it.
ridiculous modifications to Ofsted
dumping schools in the free breakfast for all fiasco

There’s undoubtedly more in both sections. But here we are.

im sure I’ll get all barrels now. Though it’s time for lunch then I’ve meetings all afternoon. Apologies for no caps etc.

The winter fuel allowance was not 'ruthlessly taken' Those who are on low incomes will still get it. It's ridiculous paying it to all OAPS- they're the richest group in the UK.

Well, at face value, yes it would, over many posts, you've not supported any Labour policy... apologies in advance if you have but i've not seen them.

@PandoraSox you've reacted as you have not due to my thinking. There's no superiority claim.

It's quite something when a pp can't debate without resorting to silly teenage gifs.

You really do give yourself away, I don't think you realise!

Anyway, this is getting a bit personal.

@PandoraSox what you claim to know but have wrong

The superior line.

That's your thinking, not mine.

Feel like what? I don't know what you mean. Your posts are hard to decipher sometimes.

Sorry, missed that.

Yep totally.

@Alexandra2001 ... I did say "I used to think".... it has been hard to think so in recent years.

@pandorasox ah gif time

If you feel like that it's really a you thing. I'd say don't put yourself in that position it's not going to help, I don't even think it's about that.

Damaging the private sector isn't good for those in it but it's also bad for funding the public sector

.

@PandoraSox what you are posting is your thoughts not mine.

Nowhere have I said anything about superiority.

It is obvious those in the private sector will be interested in not damaging that. It's livelihoods after all.

I don't have paid state reliance

And of course that makes you far superior to benefit claimants, pensioners and people with children. Nice.

I was a of Conservative in my youth, but living Sweden and S, Africa changed that... very keen on Blair but by the end of his tenure, i was a little less keen.

The Tories, since 2010, are far too rightwing, former Thatcherites booted out or resigned from even being in the party... Brexit did it for me for ever considering them again, they wrecked the UK with combination of stupidity and greed over that.

I did like quite a lot of Corbyn's policies, not all, some where silly & of course he wasn't keen on the EU but who is now a days?

Starmer? meh! bland and appears to lacks conviction but compared to the the last 14 years, head n shoulders above any Tory PM.... can you just imagine how Trump would treat May or Sunak? he'd view Bojo as his own poodle.

Nothing works anymore in this country, including our Military and that down to Austerity and the Tories policies on cut cut cut, hollowing out services, that now will probably never recover.

So i'd disagree with you that the Tories are better on the economy.

Same, except it will be Plaid Cymru for me, unless I need to vote tactically to keep the Putin-supporting Muslim-hating lot at bay.

I haven't voted enthusiastically for anyone or anything since 1975 when I voted to stay in the Common Market. Most of the time, I vote for the least odious.

I used to think the Tories were marginally more competent on the economy, and Labour closer to my social views. Not much to choose between them right now IMO: do you want a red donkey or a blue donkey?

It’s not even that. It’s the constant assertion that we’re sheep who will blindly approve anything they do, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. If this government continues on this trajectory and I’m as impressed as I am currently it’s highly likely that I’ll follow my heart and vote Green at the next GE. My vote is meaningless anyway, we still have a Tory MP here albeit with a hugely reduced majority.