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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:
Thread gallery
11
AdverseCambers · 11/02/2026 09:53

What I would like is the black economy tackled,

Corporate tax avoidance which people bang on but is not evasion is estimated at around 15 billion PA to give an actual indication what that means the NHS costs about 200 billion a year to run. Amazon who seem especially despised on MN so I hope anyone who does despise them chooses not to use them because who likes a hypocrite manages to avoid paying about 575 million tax a year.

The hidden economy, all that cash in hand stuff and what is total tax evasion so actually illegal accounts to billions but the figure is much harder to pin down. The individual amounts tend to be small.People will take a discount for cash and say well it’s up to them to declare but everyone knows they will not always declare.

A young person I know said what if any tax individuals paid could be directed at only services that they approved of. It was just a pondering of a teenage school kid but it’s an interesting moral question.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:47

Daisywhatsyouranswer · 11/02/2026 09:39

I think op it’s clear Starmer is now focused on saving his job than running the country, this site also has a heavy left wing participation so I’d not take the results as representative of society/

Yes of course you're right. Yougov has found that the general population has a score of -3 when polled where -100 is left wing and +100 is right wing. Basically they are almost exactly in the centre. There simply isn't the appetite amongst them for a left wing government like this thread pretends.

OP posts:
patooties · 11/02/2026 09:45

Neither of them tbh.
I mean - Jeremy was , I’d say the SCG are - Zarah Sultana, Nadia Whittome, Kim Johnson, Richard Burgon etc.

i don’t think any of the above are decent politicians (or people) by the way.
To imply that Andy and Angie are some kind of Left wing firebrands is funny.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:44

Pinkearedcows · 11/02/2026 09:40

There were left-wing policies in Labour's manifesto. Many of the MPs elected are far more left-wing than Starmer. Your argument simply doesn't stand up.

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There were very few left wing policies in the manifesto. Even the lifting of the two child cap wasn't in there or the mansion tax. They were very careful to state they wouldn't be the party of tax and spend. This was repeated over and over again.

Individual MPs being more left wing is irrelevant. If your options are basically between Tory and Labour and people have had enough of the Tories then they have no choice other than to vote for their local MP. They can't vote for an MP that better aligns with the manifesto. At the time of election most of the MPs were holding the party line anyway. They literally pretended to be centrist to get into power.

Why the reluctance to hold another election? If you're right and the people want a left wing government then let them vote for it.

OP posts:
DiySteve · 11/02/2026 09:44

Dragonflytamer · 11/02/2026 09:42

I assume you put your money where your mouth is and donate the money you'd happily spend in tax to your local schools and hospitals? You can self select to have the tax regime you like. Normally when asked people respond with bluster of "I would BUT...."

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😂

DiySteve · 11/02/2026 09:43

BIossomtoes · 11/02/2026 09:38

Caring? Cameron? That’s an oxymoron if ever I heard one.

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David Cameron’s post-premiership philanthropy focuses heavily on dementia research as President of Alzheimer’s Research UK, where he helped raise over £20 million.

He also chairs the advisory council for the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre and continues to champion social enterprise through initiatives like The Fore. His work emphasizes medical research and community-based support.

Pinkearedcows · 11/02/2026 09:42

patooties · 11/02/2026 09:38

Good lord - I got to about the 5th post where Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner were referred to as ‘left wing’ bless. 🤣

I think some posters think anyone slightly left of centre is a communist!

Dragonflytamer · 11/02/2026 09:42

MostlyGhostly · 11/02/2026 09:23

Another one here who would happily pay more tax ( I’m currently taxed at the higher rate) if it meant more was spent on education, health and social housing. “Tax and spend” isn’t to everyone the terrifying harbinger of doom that you think it is

I assume you put your money where your mouth is and donate the money you'd happily spend in tax to your local schools and hospitals? You can self select to have the tax regime you like. Normally when asked people respond with bluster of "I would BUT...."

EasternStandard · 11/02/2026 09:41

patooties · 11/02/2026 09:38

Good lord - I got to about the 5th post where Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner were referred to as ‘left wing’ bless. 🤣

Who do you see as actually left wing?

DiySteve · 11/02/2026 09:40

Daisywhatsyouranswer · 11/02/2026 09:39

I think op it’s clear Starmer is now focused on saving his job than running the country, this site also has a heavy left wing participation so I’d not take the results as representative of society/

Spot on.

It’s all about Starmer - not the country.

Another lie of his - country before party.

Pinkearedcows · 11/02/2026 09:40

Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:30

I never suggested a government must stick to their manifesto completely. That would be impractical and lead to political instability. If however you have been elected as a centrist party and want to now be a left wing government then this isn't just a change of policy in some areas. It's a fundamental shift in direction. This should require a new political mandate

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There were left-wing policies in Labour's manifesto. Many of the MPs elected are far more left-wing than Starmer. Your argument simply doesn't stand up.

Daisywhatsyouranswer · 11/02/2026 09:39

I think op it’s clear Starmer is now focused on saving his job than running the country, this site also has a heavy left wing participation so I’d not take the results as representative of society/

patooties · 11/02/2026 09:38

Good lord - I got to about the 5th post where Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner were referred to as ‘left wing’ bless. 🤣

BIossomtoes · 11/02/2026 09:38

Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:37

Yes all of which were right wing leaders. They didn't have the same caring conservative stance as Cameron.

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Caring? Cameron? That’s an oxymoron if ever I heard one.

EasternStandard · 11/02/2026 09:37

InLoveWithAI · 11/02/2026 09:18

I don't want labour to lurch to the left.

I want them to stampede over there. Where they began and where the majority of their voters sit.

Ok there are probably a few Labour backbenchers unaware of why they shouldn’t, but who will demand the same. Go for it I guess.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:37

BIossomtoes · 11/02/2026 09:35

They did vote for Johnson and got Truss and Sunak though.

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Yes all of which were right wing leaders. They didn't have the same caring conservative stance as Cameron.

OP posts:
DiySteve · 11/02/2026 09:35

Pinkearedcows · 11/02/2026 09:34

That you simply won't answer my reasonable question speaks volumes.

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Ooh, I like this game.

If I go first, do you promise to go next?

BIossomtoes · 11/02/2026 09:35

Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:34

Erm there were two elections between Cameron and Truss. Nobody voted for Cameron and got Truss.

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They did vote for Johnson and got Truss and Sunak though.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:35

SinnerBoy · 11/02/2026 09:32

No, you just want Labour alone to never divert from their manifesto.

No I don't. I have written lots of times that you can't hold an election just because a policy has changed. This isn't what's happening here. They are changing their approach to government. From centrist to left wing. If they instead decided to lurch to the right would you think that's totally fine?

OP posts:
Happyjoe · 11/02/2026 09:35

Bargepole45 · 10/02/2026 14:51

Invest with what money? We are heavily in debt as a nation.

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Exactly.
About 50% of the UK tax comes from us spending. It's an unhealthy amount of money to rely on and we have no real industry otherwise to keep the dosh rolling.

The UK is in trouble, it really is. This has been tinkered with over the generations but it's never been fixed. You say taxation to businesses is what is killing industry, but it's not just down to that. We've been losing businesses left right and centre for 15+ years and that's nothing to do with Labours tax increase. If you're honest, you'll see that it cannot be all be blamed on Labour.

As it stands, the tories have broken it all. Tax is the only thing the gov have left until someone finds a way of making money otherwise. Not easy.

But when people are waiting, off work in their millions with a broken NHS, when cost of living is too high and people are doing everything they can to keep their head above water, they are not spending. That very spending is what keeps the economy going. We, as a country, are going around in circles.

DiySteve · 11/02/2026 09:35

InLoveWithAI · 11/02/2026 09:18

I don't want labour to lurch to the left.

I want them to stampede over there. Where they began and where the majority of their voters sit.

I do too - as it will accelerate their demise.

Deteriorating economic data will do that to a government….

Pinkearedcows · 11/02/2026 09:34

DiySteve · 11/02/2026 09:32

That you simply address my last sentence and ignore the rest, speaks volumes.

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That you simply won't answer my reasonable question speaks volumes.

Original poster
Bargepole45 · 11/02/2026 09:34

Haemagoblin · 11/02/2026 09:30

That is literally what the Tories did over their most recent tenure. They went from Cameron's 'caring conservatism (obviously bollocks but people believed it) to Truss's 'let's just smash shit up and see what happens' via fucking Boris Johnson. It's perfectly legitimate practice unfortunately, as MANIFESTOS ARE NOT BINDING. Whether they should be or not is a different debate. But this is why you can't be robotic about voting (look at the manifesto pledges and decide which options you like best). You have to consider who the individuals are with clout in the party, their philosophies, and their paymasters. You have to consider their record. And, fundamentally, you have to take a punt. Most of all you have to be ready to strike and turn out in the street if the government overreaches, because that and the ballot box every few years are ultimately the only powers we little people have.

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Erm there were two elections between Cameron and Truss. Nobody voted for Cameron and got Truss.

OP posts:
Pinkearedcows · 11/02/2026 09:33

Haemagoblin · 11/02/2026 09:25

I struggle to see how Reform could possibly 'lurch to the right' post election. They are absolutely upfront and clear about the fact they are fascists. If people vote for them, that's what they're voting for. Unless they are just too painfully dumb to see that, and you can't account for people being gormless when they vote.

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Yep.

Sarah Pochin requested a Q&A with the debating society at Bangor University. The debating society said no ta, we don't like you. Now Reform threatens to cut Bangor's funding if it gets into power. Fascistic (and thick).

SinnerBoy · 11/02/2026 09:32

No, you just want Labour alone to never divert from their manifesto.

Swipe left for the next trending thread