If I vote Labour next time there is an election..

Labour in Scotland is talking about raising taxes in all bands.

If we do not keep the better off here, the successful companies and banks here, where is the money coming from for the wants and needs of everyone else? So much has changed since old Labour (run by the unions) trashed our businesses 35 years ago - we cannot go back there! It is very worrying that so many people do not understand basic economics and think you can spend what you want on whatever you want - you cannot!

Tbh it's a stretch to believe that Labour would return to the policies of 35 years ago. Call me a bit old cynic but the last manifesto seemed much more focussed on vote-winning please-the-middle-classes policies like student loans than on taking from the rich to give to the poor.

I'll eat my hat if their nationalisation policies are enacted in the next decade. Whoever gets elected next, whether it's in 2018 (if the present government collapses) or in 2022, they will spend most of their 5 years mopping up the brexit mess and trying to stop the NHS collapsing on their watch.

Op, if you are scared of change and prefer tories although recognise that their policies are not working, you could also ask what you can do to ensure they change their policies. Is there a grassroots tory movement or is your local tory mp (?) active in listening to constituents and taking their matters further? There should be ways to let the party understand that if they don't change they will lose your vote (more people would of course have more effect). You could look into it. It will take some activism but you may inspire other struggling tories to join the cause.

Labour will make sure the richest pay their fair share and cruel policies like the bedroom tax will be abolished. Public services and infrastructure will be invested in. The fat cat vultures will be shooed away from a purposefully crippled NHS.

So much bollocks in a single post.

The richest already pay far more tax than everyone else. The left will have you believe otherwise, of course, because it's easier for them to make out everyone remotely wealthy evades tax like there's no tomorrow. The alternative being that they'd need to come clean about all tax payers needing to cough up more for their batshit crazy plans, including investing non-existent money in public services.

The 'fat cat vultures' would be the PFI schemes which were brought in by someone. I'm struggling to remember whose idea it was, perhaps Blair and Brown can help?

The re-nationalisation policies are interesting just on their own. What price will the owners (shareholders) get for these companies? Labour has said they will decide. They do have shareholders who are pension funds. Let’s see how many people really want this policy when their pension values go even lower.

If you are old enough to remember old Labour, which is closer to Corbyn, we had poor public services that were always on strike, ditto car plants and the idea that British Rail was some ultra successful enterprise is just laughable! A lot of the promises were vote buying, not costed properly because the tax take will plummet.

We have just been reviewing our investments. We are now only 25% exposed to the British stock market. Obviously our fund managers have no confidence in that for the future due to Brexit. We are slowly killing what we were good at and the people who contribute very little just want more and more and more from those who do work and pay tax. We clearly don’t have enough for everything so a Labour Govt would suck business dry and then r and d suffers so new products suffer. We then don’t sell our goods and produce rubbish like British Leyland used to.

If we do not keep the better off here, the successful companies and banks here, where is the money coming from for the wants and needs of everyone else? So much has changed since old Labour (run by the unions) trashed our businesses 35 years ago - we cannot go back there! It is very worrying that so many people do not understand basic economics and think you can spend what you want on whatever you want - you cannot!

If JC gets elected come the GE, so be it as that is what the country voted for in a democratic process.

If JC goes on a spending spree to deliver what he promised in his manifesto, so be it I.e. Country voted for it.

If debt ratchets up, please don't complain when taxes go up to pay for it.

The rich will leave and the money to pay the bills will have to come from somewhere, not the magic money tree.

Then again, we could moan and groan like we are doing with Brexit, that it was the wrong result 😀👍👍

Sometimes the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side 😎

If you just read Labour's manifesto you will see that they intend to change a lot. Renationalisation for example.

And where are they going to get the money for that? Cuntweasel Corbyn will be bending over every hard working taxpayer to fund his communist ideal whilst doing his best to break down the services that defend this country. The spineless little worm would be the worst thing to happen to this country in the last 100 years.

After Brexit and seeing what Universal Credit is doing to the people I support in work, I could never vote for the Tories again.
When I see the direct result of their policies on the ground, and then come home and turn on my TV and see them defending said policies, trying to convince people they are a brilliant idea and benefitting people I feel ill with the hypocrisy of it all.

The Tories have fucked up the economy much more than Labour had, or would. But that's the great myth peddled by the Tories and their powerful supporters in the media, and that's why people keep voting for them. With the exception of the super rich, Tory voters are turkeys voting for Christmas. You might save a bit of money on tax but meanwhile everything else is fucked. Inflation, interest rates, the housing market, employment rights, the NHS, education and other public services.

If you just read Labour's manifesto you will see that they intend to change a lot. Renationalisation for example. Whether you believe they would be able to implement that change if they won the elections depends on your level of optimism/cynicism. Personally I believe Jeremy Corbyn is different - a world away from Tony Blair - and I think he would do his best to implement the changes he is promising.

They’ll fuck the country totally. The economy will shrink and unemployment will rise.

GoingIn - if you want to see what happens with a left wing government look no further than Scotland - more cuts, less investment in infrastructure, more creeping privatisation of NHS, increasing national debt for dubious purposes, expensive political agreements such as with Greens, even less support and benefits for those who need it; Police stations being closed and sold off, prison sentences under a year scrapped, thousands of CCTV cameras removed in cuts, smacking banned, EU farming subsidies now 2 years late.

I agree entirely with the previous poster who said this: “the chances of either party implementing an ambitious political agenda in the next 5-10 years ended with the Brexit vote.”

But I think Labour do want and will achieve a more pragmatic Brexit. So, I think there will be more time and scope for parliament to focus on other issues.

What exactly is it you want to see change?

I found www.voteforpolicies.org.uk really useful and revealing. It breaks down the party’s policies quite specifically and you’ll get a much less biased and objective impression there than on here!

I used to vote Liberal until they became "democratic".

Of course, let's keep voting for Tories, it's working so well for this country.... You should ask, what would happen if I kept voting for Tories. The answer is: more of the same. More cuts, less investment in infrastructure, more creeping privatisation of NHS, increasing national debt for dubious purposes, expensive political agreements such as with DUP, even less support and beenfits for those who need it etc etc.. They are getting nowhere with Brexit, time for others to take over and finalise the whole thing so we can all move on and start re-building this country again.

Southernfried - I understand where you are coming from, I remember feeling exactly like you do now, I had mostly voted Tory but got sick and tired of the infighting etc etc. Tony Blair came along and I thought he might be a breath of fresh air and was making all the right noises for me, so I voted Labour at the GE. Suffice to say I learnt a harsh political lesson and wouldn’t vote Labour again. I see exactly the same thing going on now with JC.

In all likelihood the country would only be slightly more fucked than if the conservatives clung onto power

Labour will drive the richest away and the tax take will plunge. Public services and infrastructure will be invested in leaving us with a mountain of debt, if anyone will lend to us after Corbyn goes ahead with his PFI windfall tax.

Cruel policies like the bedroom tax will be abolished leaving single people renting 3 and 4 bedroom homes while simultaneously complaining about the lack of housing.

The unions will regain control of many industries until the Tories find someone with a spine or drag Ruth down from Edinburgh.

I don't believe socialism will bring about the changes people want at this time.

Labour will make sure the richest pay their fair share and cruel policies like the bedroom tax will be abolished. Public services and infrastructure will be invested in. The fat cat vultures will be shooed away from a purposefully crippled NHS.

The vulnerable , poor, sick and disabled will not be left to rot.

They will but not by malice there just won't be any money. If you think NHS is bad now wait until there is no money to pay for it.

Have our political parties merged into one now?

No - their manifestos are the furthest apart that they have been for decades. But realistically, the chances of either party implementing an ambitious political agenda in the next 5-10 years ended with the Brexit vote.

The vulnerable , poor, sick and disabled will not be left to rot.