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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

We don't want the government to lurch to the left

583 replies

Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 13:57

I am absolutely astounded that Labour think it's democratic to decide that they can lurch to the left despite being elected with a very clear promise to not tax and spend. I believe this is absolutely not what the general public want and I am really worried that the economy isn't going to survive this and we will end up with an IMF bailout that will lead to very painful spending cuts for our most vulnerable.

Please vote:
YABU :I want Labour to lurch to the left in order to increase taxation and spending
YANBU: I don't want Labour to lurch to the left and would be against further tax and spending rises

OP posts:
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11
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 10/02/2026 16:29

Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 16:15

Oh no @ArseInTheCoOpWindow knows much better than all your silly statistics. All the young people she knows are staying put. I think we should disband the ONS and just rely on her to produce all government statistics based on people she knows.

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🙄grow up.

I know how many are leaving and have left every year.

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:29

I can’t get worked up about that number of selfish arseholes leaving

Why is it selfish to leave for a better quality of life? eg a chance to get on the housing ladder? afford dc? I think it’s a travesty how we have treated the young and a lot of older voters are incredibly selfish.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 16:28

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 10/02/2026 16:26

I’m not in denial. I just can’t get worked up about it. Good riddance.

People have always left. I can’t get worked up about that number of selfish arseholes leaving

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If you are a net beneficiary of the state and are left leaning and want more taxation to find more public spending then you are as much of a selfish arsehole than a young person leaving the country who doesn't want to be a net tax contributor.

Once again, Turkey don't vote for Christmas. It works both ways

OP posts:
Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 10/02/2026 16:28

Polls consistently show the public want better services but don't want to pay for them.
I don't want to live in a society where we don't look after the less fortunate so don't mind paying more tax.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/02/2026 16:28

Dragonflytamer · 10/02/2026 16:22

The majority of the profits made by companies goes to pay the pension funds that invested in them. Maybe we cut the need for these profits and issue a mass produced socialist pensioner uniform and equal food rations - would that be left wing enough for you?

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Nah, just taxing them somewhat realistically for a start. and legislating to ensure they can't get away with paying pittance salaries.

They can then do whatever they like with what will still be their absolutely enormous profits.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 16:27

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/02/2026 16:25

Nice try, but I don't vote Labour, I'm not advocating for this Labour government, and I'm in total agreement that they are an incompetent shambles.

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Then who do you advocate for?

OP posts:
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 10/02/2026 16:26

DrPrunesqualer · 10/02/2026 16:24

I was responding to a poster in denial if you RTFT

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I’m not in denial. I just can’t get worked up about it. Good riddance.

People have always left. I can’t get worked up about that number of selfish arseholes leaving

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 16:26

oriel2013 · 10/02/2026 16:23

Completely agree with this

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How would you close the Cafe Nero loophole? Go on, tell us?

OP posts:
XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/02/2026 16:25

Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 16:24

The absolute same argument could be made for Labour who have caused untold damage to the economy and are in absolute chaos after such a short time in power. They certainly aren't a nice consorting with the wrong sorts or corruption. Raynor keen on increasing everyone else's taxes but dodging her own.

If your sat there still arguing that Labour are the way forward then what does that make you?

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Nice try, but I don't vote Labour, I'm not advocating for this Labour government, and I'm in total agreement that they are an incompetent shambles.

beAsensible1 · 10/02/2026 16:25

please do your market research elsewhere

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/02/2026 16:24

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:22

@XDownwiththissortofthingX aren’t a lot of Reform voters on benefits?

Do you include State Pension, since it forms the most significant chunk of the Welfare budget, in the term "benefit"?

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 16:24

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/02/2026 16:21

Well yes, because evidently there is a total absence of critical thinking, and such a lack of grasp on reality, that a significant proportion of the UK electorate are somehow of the opinion that uber-right wingerism is the solution to the outcome of decades of incompetent right-wing governance

It's this total cognitive dissonance that results in Reform voters being labelled "thick", because there is no credible way that anyone with any sort of intelligence could possibly conclude Reform offers anything but accelerated misery and chaos, especially when they are now not much more than a dumping ground for the very worst people associated with Johnson and Truss's calamitous governments. People want to make sense of it, and the only thing that makes sense is that prospective Reform voters are indeed both gullible and thick as two short planks.

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The absolute same argument could be made for Labour who have caused untold damage to the economy and are in absolute chaos after such a short time in power. They certainly aren't a nice consorting with the wrong sorts or corruption. Raynor keen on increasing everyone else's taxes but dodging her own.

If your sat there still arguing that Labour are the way forward then what does that make you?

OP posts:
DrPrunesqualer · 10/02/2026 16:24

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:17

195,000 UK graduates and young professionals left the U.K. in the year up to June 2025.

We have had years of underinvestment in the young and policies that have made life harder for them. Of course more will leave.

I was responding to a poster in denial if you RTFT

PocketSand · 10/02/2026 16:24

There seems to be naive economics at play. Due to low wages and high housing costs and cost of living those on low wages, despite lower taxation, receive top up benefits. These benefits are not felt by the receiver as increased disposable income that may be spent to improve the local economy but go straight to pay for increased living costs.

If you increase taxation for lower paid workers you also have to increase benefits unless there is a reduction in housing and living costs.

Wages need to be sufficient to pay for housing and living costs. Without state back up of profits to employers and landlords.

This will be painful for employers and landlords who have come to rely on state benefits but is a necessary correction.

Anyone that loses their job or home through no fault of their own due to this should receive state support and possible compensation.

Low wages and high living costs funded by state benefits have to end.

oriel2013 · 10/02/2026 16:23

Agrumpyknitter · 10/02/2026 14:12

We should be taxing wealth more not work. I agree with Gary does economics on Instagram. There are people who live off their wealth who should be taxed more and proportionally. I would also like Labour to close some of the tax loopholes we have where corporations like Caffè Nero can report a loss in this country so as not to pay their fair share of corporation tax. Tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy is not fair when we all have to pay our way.

We earn well in our household but get squeezed by taxes like others.

Reform will get rid of the minimum wage and our employment rights as they want to leave EHCR. We will be like the US working all hours, lower pay while companies make record profits and we have to find money to pay for health insurance. It will be like hell.

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Completely agree with this

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:22

@XDownwiththissortofthingX aren’t a lot of Reform voters on benefits?

Dragonflytamer · 10/02/2026 16:22

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/02/2026 16:15

Tell me what is "left wing" about having a significant proportion of your workforce requiring UC top-ups to meet a basic standard of living because we've had 30+ years of government who pander to business, refuse to tax them properly, and refuse to legislate to compel them to pay reasonable salaries in the first place.

It's not down to lack of money, because they are still pulling enormous profits out of the UK economy every single year, so clearly this is by design and with the complicity of government, and since the UK has had exclusively right of centre governance since the advent of Tax-credits, UC top up and suchlike, I'm baffled as to how this can possibly be painted as a situation resulting from "left wing" policies or perpetuated by "left wing" politicians.

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The majority of the profits made by companies goes to pay the pension funds that invested in them. Maybe we cut the need for these profits and issue a mass produced socialist pensioner uniform and equal food rations - would that be left wing enough for you?

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:21

@Mishmosher I have no idea who to vote for as I said upthread this mess was years in the making so requires years to fix, people want quick fixes though. We need cross party consensus imo.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/02/2026 16:21

Mishmosher · 10/02/2026 16:10

I’m not saying Reform are the solution. I’m saying that’s who people will vote for if taxes keep rising here with people getting nothing back for it.

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Well yes, because evidently there is a total absence of critical thinking, and such a lack of grasp on reality, that a significant proportion of the UK electorate are somehow of the opinion that uber-right wingerism is the solution to the outcome of decades of incompetent right-wing governance

It's this total cognitive dissonance that results in Reform voters being labelled "thick", because there is no credible way that anyone with any sort of intelligence could possibly conclude Reform offers anything but accelerated misery and chaos, especially when they are now not much more than a dumping ground for the very worst people associated with Johnson and Truss's calamitous governments. People want to make sense of it, and the only thing that makes sense is that prospective Reform voters are indeed both gullible and thick as two short planks.

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:19

@Mishmosher but with an ageing population, a shrinking tax paying population and our models eg state pension, NHS & social care tax can only go one way.

In the 60s it was 4/5 workers to 1 pensioners we are now not far off 2:1 which is why successive governments have relied on immigration.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 16:18

sprigatito · 10/02/2026 16:16

Virtually all of us do one or both, I should think. Why do you think, therefore, that there isn’t universal agreement with your view?

a) we are all too stupid to see what you can see

b) not everyone votes solely for policies which will enrich them personally

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You are right. My 7 year old son pays VAT so everyone is technically a tax payer these days. Are there many net taxpayers though? No! Do a lot of people stand to personally gain from increased spending knowing they won't be funding it themselves? Absolutely. Some do believe in the greater good but I believe most don't. I'll say it again. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

OP posts:
Mishmosher · 10/02/2026 16:18

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:15

@Bargepole45 but if Reform aren’t going to improve anything why vote for them? Another protest vote? as I said didn’t we learn from Brexit? I have seen a fair few posters on MNs say they would vote Reform but I’ve never seen a reason why.

I won’t vote reform. I’ve voted Labour in the last 4 or so general elections, but I’ll switch to Tory if the alternative is Andy Burnham or Angela Raynor etc.

Boomer55 · 10/02/2026 16:18

Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 14:05

Wow I'm genuinely shocked. Do any of you actually pay tax at the moment or run a business?

Well, despite being a widow on a state pension, I certainly still pay tax. As I have since I was 16.

This government are hopeless - but lurching further left will put them out of power forever. 🙄

treeowl · 10/02/2026 16:17

195,000 UK graduates and young professionals left the U.K. in the year up to June 2025.

We have had years of underinvestment in the young and policies that have made life harder for them. Of course more will leave.

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